News
We share our news and views on industry-related events.
Is your insurance holiday ready?
December 02 2024 By Reliance Insurance Brokers shortterm, personal, holiday, driving
The end-of the-year is finally here and with that, the time to relax and unwind. As much as it is a time for celebrations and joy, it's also a time when opportunistic criminals try their luck and unfortunate accidents tend to happen. Enjoy your holiday, but make sure you have all the protection you need in place first! Check out our top insurance tips for this holiday season: Review your homeowners' and home contents policies, and ensure that ...
Read MoreYour short-term insurance: common myths busted
November 11 2024 By Reliance Insurance Brokers short-term
There are a lot of misperceptions surrounding short-term insurance. Often, common misunderstandings about insurance prevent people from buying cover, costing them much more in the long run. To help you separate fact from fiction, we've busted the top 5 myths around short-term insurance. Myth 1: Short-term insurance is too expensive This is easily the most common misconception people have around insurance. Short-term insurance is often more afford...
Read MoreYes, you do need an insurance broker (here's why)
October 23 2024 By Reliance Insurance Brokers insurance broker
As tempting as it may be to cut out the middle-man when taking out insurance, working through a broker is still the optimal way to ensure you have the best possible cover in place (and instant access to help when you need it). First off, to clarify, an insurance broker's role is to help you make sense of the (sometimes) complicated world of insurance, and ensure that the cover you sign up for correctly matches your needs. Their professional opini...
Read MoreSpring clean your insurance? You bet!
September 18 2024 By Reliance Insurance Brokers
While the exact origin of the term 'spring cleaning' isn't clear, what is known is that the practice of cleansing homes after the long winter is rooted in cultures around the world. All the customs share the same idea of dusting off the old to make way for the new as the season of spring begins. In South Africa, spring is traditionally marked on 1 September, as the days grow warmer and longer from this point onwards - definitely a good time to th...
Read MoreWhy women's insurance needs differ from men
August 16 2024 By Reliance Insurance Brokers
Women's insurance requirements are different to that of men, and their specific needs must be taken into account when taking out short-term household and vehicle insurance. For one, almost every women carries a handbag. The contents of that bag always includes a mobile phone and purse, but can also include small but expensive items like sunglasses and jewellery. Women's bags themselves come with a price tag - some in the thousands. When a handbag...
Read MoreFull disclosure: your responsibility as an insurance customer
July 23 2024 By Reliance Insurance Brokers short term insurance
When it comes to business, household and vehicle insurance, we all expect the insurer to be clear and honest in what it is covering, and to pay out in the event of a claim. But what about the customer? What responsibility do insurance clients bear in this process? A core tenet of insurance, for both insurers and customers, is that of full disclosure. According to this principle you as the insured must inform your insurer when applying for insuran...
Read MoreBusiness owner? You need business interruption cover
June 28 2024 By Reliance Insurance Brokers business interruption, short term insurance, business insurance
When it comes to running a business, all business owners know they need insurance to cover unexpected losses, theft or damage to their property or equipment. In their personal capacity, business owners take out dread disease cover to protect them should they develop a critical illness and are unable to work, or life insurance should they unexpectedly pass away. But what about the business itself - the act of producing goods, or rendering a servic...
Read MoreWinter-proof your home and office this season
May 16 2024 By Reliance Insurance Brokers short term insurance, winter, seasonal
As extreme weather events become more commonplace in South Africa, so our historically mild winters have evolved into more eventful seasons, with increasing storms characterised by strong winds and flooding. Securing areas at your home or business premises that are vulnerable to adverse weather could be the difference between a warm and cosy winter, and unfortunate damage that leaves you cold. Check your roof If you live in the Northern, Western ...
Read MoreDo you need to use an insurance broker?
March 20 2024 By Reliance Insurance Brokers short term insurance, personal insurance, insurance broker
When online short-term insurance offerings were first launched in South Africa more than 15 years ago, the insurance industry underwent a major facelift. Consumers were now able to go direct to insurers, effectively skipping out brokers. While there was much excitement around this prospect initially, the veneer soon wore off as consumers realised just how overwhelming it was to compare pricing, policies, excesses and pick the right plan offering ...
Read MoreIt's financial year-end, have you done your business insurance review?
March 04 2024 By Reliance Insurance Brokers business insurance, review, commercial insurance
With the new financial year, you likely have a ton of items on your to-do list (and assessing your business insurance is probably not one of them!) But it should be, because your business has no doubt changed in the last year, which means your insurance need has changed too. Take a look at our list of the 7 most common changes that could affect your business insurance: 1. You've moved to a different location Changing your geographical locat...
Read MoreAdopted a hybrid work model? Make sure your insurance policy covers work-from-home risks
January 31 2024 By Reliance Insurance Brokers insurance, loadshedding, home injury, theft, cyber, work from home
Many South African businesses have returned to 'business as usual' and have their full staff complement back working in the office. However, some industries have retained work-from-home business models. While this does have benefits, it also presents its own risks of which companies must be aware when structuring their business insurance. Research conducted by South African jobs portal, CareerJunction, in 2023 showed that only 3% of jobs listed o...
Read MoreA sapphire anniversary for Reliance Insurance Brokers
December 01 2023 By Reliance Insurance Brokers 45th anniversary
This year marks a very special anniversary for Reliance Insurance Brokers; on 3 December we celebrate our 45th birthday! As one of the oldest independent insurance brokerages in the country, it has been a privilege servicing South Africans for the past four-and-a-half decades. Throughout this time we have aimed to uphold the principles and values of our father and Reliance founder, the late Abdulhay Mohamed Mayet. Abdulhay was a renowned figure i...
Read MoreFire insurance: why you need more than just a sound policy
November 23 2023 By Reliance Insurance Brokers short term insurance, fire insurance
When it comes to home or property fires, prevention really is better than cure, because even though your buildings insurance covers fire, your claim could be rejected if your property wasn't adequately secured against this risk. Fire accounts for the highest number of insurance claims in South Africa. In the event of the fire, the losses are usually extensive, as the fire itself as well as smoke and the water used to extinguish the fire all cause...
Read MoreUnderinsured? It's going to cost you more in the long run
October 31 2023 By Reliance Insurance Brokers under insured, under insurance
When times are tough and you find yourself wanting to cut back on your monthly expenses, short-term insurance payments are often the first to get the chop. However, doing this could cost you much more in the end than if you'd paid your full monthly premiums - here's why. Insurance covers the cost to repair or replace the insured item should it be damaged or stolen, whether that be items inside your home, on the physical structure of your home or ...
Read MoreThe principles of insurance: what are they?
September 28 2023 By Reliance Insurance Brokers insurance principles, utmost good faith, proximate cause, insurable interest, indeminity, subrogation, contribution, loss minimisation
Most people take out home, building and vehicle insurance without giving a second thought to what 'insurance' actually means. Yes, we all know that insurance is a safety net that pays out when a listed event occurs. But behind the scenes, what is really going on when you sign a contract with an insurer? It might surprise you to know that in order for your insurance contract to function correctly, there are seven principles of insurance that both ...
Read MoreInstalled an alternative power system at home? Here's how to insure it
August 22 2023 By Reliance Insurance Brokers short-term insurance, power alternatives
With the national energy regulator, Nersa, publishing a consultation document earlier this month that outlined South Africa's future load-shedding plans - including restructured load-shedding stages, up to stage 16 - the country's power woes seem set to continue for the foreseeable future. It's hardly surprising then that so many South Africans have taken the plunge and invested in alternative power supplies for their home, from basic portable po...
Read MoreMake your insurance work harder for you
May 17 2023 By Reliance Insurance Brokers short term insurance, car insurance, home insurance, household insurance
With the spotlight falling on workers in South Africa in May, we're looking at how hard-working citizens can make their short-term insurance work harder for them. As a starting point, it's useful to know the difference between short- and long-term insurance. Short-term insurance covers everyday items, like your home, home contents, car and high-value items like cellphones and jewellery. You normally update these policies frequently, like when you...
Read MoreInsurance-compliant road safety tips for the holidays
April 04 2023 By Reliance Insurance Brokers road saftey, compliance
With the school holidays and long weekend coming up, you might be taking to the road for a little break. Beyond the obvious 10-point vehicle check that you should do before you leave, there are a number of other factors to consider to ensure you're safe on the road (and compliant with your insurance policy, should you need to claim). 1. Wear your seatbelt In the event of an accident, whether it is your fault or not and where you need to cla...
Read MoreWhen last did you do a business risk assessment?
March 09 2023 By Reliance Insurance Brokers risk management
With loadshedding now a fixed, yet highly unpredictable, feature of the South African business landscape, it was only a matter of time before reinsurers raised the alarm on covering businesses under these unprecedented conditions. In early February, a number of local insurance companies announced that they would no longer cover damages related to electricity grid failure, on the advice of their reinsurers. In effect, the failure of Eskom's grid a...
Read More9-point business insurance guide
February 07 2023 By Reliance Insurance Brokers insurance, business insurance, yearend
With financial yearend approaching, now is the perfect time to reassess your business's insurance policies to ensure adequate cover and compliance for the year ahead. We have compiled a 9-point guide to assist you: Use a competent, reliable broker: Ensure your broker has commercial experience, and is up to speed with the latest regulations, laws, insurance issues and products pertaining to your specific industry. Update your inventory list: I...
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