The General Insurance Code Governance Committee (CGC) is seeking feedback from people who have had experiences with expert assessors for home claims as it inquires into their use following issues identified in a report last year.

The CGC report, Making Better Claims Decisions, published in July found many claims initially denied were being overturned on appeal or after a complaint. Often there were issues with the evaluations and reports of expert assessors.

“Following up on our inquiry on claims decisions, we want to explore some of the findings related to expert assessors,” CGC Chair Veronique 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.” 

The CGC has put together a short online survey asking about the experiences of people who have dealt with expert assessors on a home claim, with findings to feed into a broader thematic inquiry.

Questions include whether insureds received a copy of the expert report, if they agreed with the findings, and their views about the quality of the report.

Policyholders are also asked about insurer information-sharing and communication, if insureds arranged their own expert reports and any complaints process undertaken.

"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,” Ms Ingram said.

The CGC last month announced a thematic inquiry to look into how insurers onboard and monitor external experts, including builders, roofers, hydrologists and other tradespeople whose expertise is relevant for assessing the nature of the loss or damage on a property.

A request for information was sent to six code subscribers selected to take part in the inquiry, with the CGC anticipating a report will be published later this year.

The survey on people’s experience with assessors will remain open until February 28 and can be accessed here.