Code of Consumer Rights and Responsibilities

Insurance companies, along with the brokers and agents who sell home, auto, and business insurance, are committed to safeguarding your rights when you shop for insurance and when you submit a claim following a loss.

Your rights include the right to be informed, to be treated fairly, to timely complaint resolution, and to privacy. These rights are grounded in the contract between you and your insurer and the insurance laws of your province.

With rights, however, come responsibilities—for example, the expectation that you will provide complete and accurate information to your insurer. Your policy outlines other important responsibilities.

Insurers, their distribution networks, and governments all play important roles in ensuring that your rights are protected.

Right to Be Informed

You can expect access to clear information about your policy, your coverage, and the claims settlement process. You have the right to an easy-to-understand explanation of how insurance works and how it will meet your needs. You also have a right to know how insurers calculate premiums based on relevant facts.

You have the right to ask who is providing compensation to your broker or agent for the sale of your insurance. Your broker or agent will provide information detailing how they are paid, by whom, and in what ways.

Insurance companies will disclose their compensation arrangements with distribution networks. Brokers and agents are committed to providing information relating to ownership, financing, and other relevant facts.

Responsibility to Ask Questions and Share Information

To protect your right to purchase appropriate coverage at a competitive price, you are encouraged to ask questions about your policy so you understand what it covers and your obligations under it. Information is available through brochures, websites, and direct conversations with your broker, agent, or company representative.

You have the option to shop the marketplace for the combination of coverage and service levels that best meet your needs. To maintain your protection against loss, you must promptly inform your insurance company or agent of any change in your circumstances.

Right to Complaint Resolution

Insurance companies, brokers, and agents are committed to high standards of customer service. If you have a complaint about the service you received, you have the right to access your company’s complaint resolution process.

Your insurer, agent, or broker can provide information about how your complaint will be addressed. If the matter cannot be resolved through internal processes, you may contact the Financial Services Regulatory Authority of Ontario (FSRAO) for further investigation:
FSRAO Complaint Process

Responsibility to Resolve Disputes

You are expected to participate in the dispute resolution process in good faith, provide required information promptly, and remain open to recommendations made by independent observers as part of the process.

Right to Professional Service

You have the right to work with insurance professionals who adhere to high ethical standards, including acting with honesty, integrity, fairness, and skill.

Brokers and agents must maintain extensive knowledge of the insurance products they sell, including coverage options and limitations, in order to serve you effectively. These expectations are outlined in A Consumer’s Guide to Property and Casualty Insurance Transactions, supported by members of the Insurance Brokers Association of Canada.

Right to Privacy

Because it is essential to provide complete and accurate information for insurers to offer suitable coverage, you have the right to expect that this information will be used only for the purposes stated in the privacy statement made available by your broker, agent, or insurer.

Your personal information will not be disclosed except as permitted by law. Insurers and their representatives are subject to Canadian privacy legislation.