Insurance Industry’s Use of Expert Assessors Under Scrutiny

In looking into the way insurers manage home insurance claims, the CGC will consider the experiences of regular consumers as well as professional representatives in dealing with an expert assessor.

Chair of the CGC, Veronique Ingram, noted the importance of fostering transparency and improved practices within the insurance industry.

“We recognise the importance of addressing concerns and improving the overall experience for consumers in their interactions with insurance companies,” Ms Ingram said.

“By calling out for people’s experiences on this element of the claims process, we hope to gather valuable insights that can help us identify areas of improvement and encourage better practices.”

The call for people’s experiences with expert assessors comes on the back of a report the CGC published in mid 2023 that found many claims initially denied were being overturned on appeal or after a complaint.

The CGC’s report found that there were often issues with the evaluations and reports of the expert assessor, a key element the claims process.

“Following up on our inquiry on claims decisions, we want to explore some of the findings related to expert assessors,” Ms Ingram said.

“Having uncovered some issues, we want to identify where insurers could improve their processes for using expert assessors to help deliver better outcomes for consumers.”

To gather the experiences of people who have dealt with expert assessors on a home insurance claim, the CGC has a short survey now available to complete.

The goal of the survey is to understand the challenges, successes, and areas for improvement in the communication, processes, and outcomes when an expert assessor is involved in a claim.

The CGC encourages anyone who has dealt with an expert assessor on a home insurance claim to contribute to the inquiry into the practice by completing the short survey.

The survey will remain open until 28 February 2024.