1. Broker advocacy
If your claim is rejected, your broker can be your advocate.
“You should be getting the broker’s opinion on whether there’s any grounds on which you can challenge the rejection,” says White.
If the rejection is based on a factual issue your broker may be able to help secure competing factual evidence, reports and documentation.
“For example, the insurer is going to rely on the building report – they don’t actually go out and look at these things themselves – so you could consider getting another building report,’ White says.
If the rejection is based on an exclusion, a Steadfast broker can reach out to White for his technical expertise.
“I’ll tell them whether they’ve got a grounds for arguing it or not,” he says.
2. Internal dispute resolution
If your broker can’t get the insurer to overturn the decision, the next step is requesting your insurer launch a formal internal dispute resolution process.
The internal review structure varies between insurers, but all are legally required to review the decision within 45 days. In some instances, they may choose to overturn their original decision based on a fresh look at the claim.
If not, they must give reasons why they have rejected your claim.
“Again, your broker can be your advocate throughout this process,” says White.