Since home insurance is compulsory for owners and tenants, the market has become particularly dense in order to meet the needs of all these policyholders.
The hardest part for a consumer will be to find the best contract that will offer him optimal coverage at the fairest price. To achieve this, he can use the services of a home insurance broker. What are the advantages and disadvantages of hiring this expert? Answers.
Belonging to the legal category of Insurance Intermediaries (IAS), the home insurance broker provides intermediation between an insured and an insurance company. This professional is mandated by his client, who may be a natural or legal person entrusting him with the mission of finding a contract combining attractive prices and conditions. It is important to know the difference between a broker and a general agent, because the latter are not invested with the same roles. The general agent is an employee who works on behalf of an insurance company. He will then only propose offers that come from his company.
He does not need to go looking for customers since it is the company that provides all his interlocutors. The broker works independently and undertakes to represent his client. He holds the title of adviser by establishing a diagnosis of his clients' risks and by suggesting the guarantees adapted to their profile. It also offers a service to monitor the needs of its customers according to the evolution of their personal and professional situation so that they always have an appropriate insurance contract. Please note that the brokerage activity is now supervised by the Ministry of Economy, Finance and Industry. Before being able to practice, this professional must be registered in the Single Register of Intermediaries of ORIAS.
A person who needs home insurance has every interest in going through the services of a broker. This professional has skills and specific expertise in the field of insurance, which allows him to more easily target the risks inherent to his client and then seek the contract that best suits his needs.
Using a broker also means saving time and money. Indeed, going in search of home insurance is a real obstacle course. The individual must contact each insurer one by one and then provide them with the same information. This process is particularly time-consuming. Added to this are the possible difficulties of understanding the terms and conditions of insurance which change from one company to another. The insurance broker has all the knowledge required to master the intricacies of home insurance. He also has a strong negotiating power which allows him to obtain more attractive prices for his customers.
Seeking the help of this expert helps to bring better consistency between the different contracts held by the policyholders. He will ensure that the many insurances do not contain duplicates. We know that multi-risk home insurance includes a lot of guarantees. For example, it already protects the children of the household, so it becomes unnecessary to take out school insurance.
Using an insurance intermediary has a cost. It is very important to take this into consideration before any commitment. It is necessary to check the remuneration of this professional who will represent additional costs. In principle, the information must be clearly indicated on the mandate and must be verified by the individual before the start of the process.
It is also advisable to always ask for several quotes from different companies to prevent the broker from offering the contract that pays him the best instead of the one that is more advantageous for the client.
