I believe this guide will be of great assistance to both homeowners and renters. Remember, the most important thing to do is comparison shop if you want the best coverage for the best price. This Guide is designed to give you a better understanding about the kind of homeowners, tenants, condominium owners or cooperative apartment owners insurance coverage that is best for you. Generally, an insured is any relative or dependent person in your care, if they are residents of your household. Consumers should realize that insurance companies compete for your business on the basis of price, quality and service and use various marketing methods, such as the telephone, mail, agents or sales offices, to make you aware of their products.
Many insurers use independent agents to sell their products.
An independent agent may represent one or more licensed insurance companies, and when you deal with an independent agent, you are, in effect, dealing directly with the company. Other insurance companies are direct writers that use only their own employees or sales representatives. You may deal with a direct writer by telephone, mail or a visit to its sales office. You may also contact an insurance broker who will represent you, not the insurance company. A broker does not usually have the power to issue policies or bind any insurance company to issue a policy.