The best resource to help you answer this is your policy documents. Look to them to view your policy deductibles, which can vary depending on what root cause of the damage or loss is. If the value of the damage or loss is less than your deductible, then this is a situation where you cannot claim. For example, if your $700 TV was stolen and your home insurance deductible for theft is $1,000, you cannot claim. If the value of the damage or loss is slightly greater than your deductible you can claim, but this can impact your policy and any claims free savings you may be eligible for. Similarly, if you’re on vacation and visit a doctor, the cost of the visit may be less than your deductible. 

A deductible is the portion of the claim that you responsible to pay. For example, if your policy deductible is $1,000 and your claim is $5,000, you will pay $1,000 and your insurance provider will pay $4,000. Deductibles help keep insurance premiums and claims costs down and help deter small claims. If everyone was to submit a small claim, it would raise everyone’s premiums.

It depends on your insurance and claims history. Depending on the product, some insurance companies like BCAA offer claim forgiveness for BCAA Home and Optional Car Insurance when you’ve been claims free after a certain amount of years. This will not affect your policy. If you don’t have claim forgiveness, then your claim could result in an increase of your policy deductible or premium, or imposed coverage limits for certain types of claims. Speak with a BCAA Team Member or claims adjuster to see how a claim might affect you as it’s based on your unique situation.

That’s okay. Your policy premium will not be affected if a claim payment hasn’t been made. But as the loss or damage happened, we will keep the record of it on file as part of your loss history. It’s always a good practice to let your BCAA Agent know that the loss or damage is repaired as this will ensure we keep your policy premiums unaffected.

Filing a claim is easy and can be done in minutes, but the length of time to fully settle your claim depends on your specific claim. For example, the theft of a few personal items can be settled much quicker compared to the destruction of your home, just as a minor injury or sickness while travelling can be settled quicker than a lengthy hospital stay. Check out these helpful tips on how to help your claim move along as smooth as possible.

Our adjusters work with you to determine an appropriate final settlement. If there is a disagreement, please follow our Complaint Resolution Process. You will need (1) your policy number or claim number (2) to describe the nature of your concern and relevant information about your scenario (3) and state your expectations.