FAQs

Homeowners Insurance

Why do I need Homeowners insurance?

Homeowners insurance provides coverage for loss or damage to your house and its contents caused by perils such as fire, hurricane, windstorm, earthquake and other insured perils. Under the homeowners insurance, you may choose to insure your building only, contents only or both building and contents.

What is Building insurance?

Building insurance covers the cost of replacing your building or repairing damage to the insured structures on your property caused by an insured peril.

What is Contents insurance?

Contents insurance provides coverage for loss or damage to your personal possessions. For example, furniture, appliances, clothing, laptops, jewelry, paintings, gadgets etc.

Am I covered if my content gets stolen from or outside my home or apartment?

Your homeowners insurance can be arranged to cover your personal belongings whether they are stolen from your home or outside of your home, such as from your car or a hotel room while on vacation. This however will only be applicable if such items are insured on an all risk basis for Jamaica or worldwide.

What is an Excess / Deductible?

An excess / deductible is the amount which will be paid by the policyholder for each claim made.

For example, if your policy excess is $1,000 and you suffer loss totaling $10,000, the insurer will only pay you $9,000 as you are responsible for $1,000.

Does an Excess/Deductible apply to my homeowners insurance?

applicable to your policy. The standard deductible for perils such as hurricane, earthquake and windstorm is two per cent of the sum insured per item. For all other perils, except where otherwise stated, it is one per cent of the loss subject to a minimum and maximum as specified in the policy to be issued.

More details of your excess / deductible will be specified in your policy.

If I initially insured my building or contents only, can I get insurance coverage for other item(s)?

Yes, for example, if you have a building only policy you can make a request to add contents insurance to your policy.

How do I purchase a JNGI Homeowners insurance online?

You can purchase a JNGI Homeowners policy online by simply visiting JNGI Jamaica, www.jngijamaica.com, click on the JNGI Online tab to get a quote and then purchase the JNGI Homeowners coverage option that best suits your needs.

How do I submit the required documents?

You can upload your documents after payment is made by logging into your online account, click ‘Document Upload’ and select the policy that you would like to upload the documents for or you can email your documents to enquires@jngijamaica.com.

Motor Insurance

Why do I need motor insurance?

The Motor Vehicles Insurance (Third Party Risks) Act of 1941 states that a minimum level of insurance is compulsory if you intend to operate a motor vehicle on the Jamaican roads. Driving a vehicle that has no insurance is an offence. Insurance protects you against legal liabilities resulting from an accident.

What does motor insurance cover?

Motor insurance protects you, your vehicle and other motorists against liability in case there is an accident.

What is comprehensive insurance?

Comprehensive insurance coverage is a motor vehicle insurance policy that covers damage to your vehicle and provides protection for legal liabilities to other persons. All comprehensive policies are subject to an excess, which is . This refers to the amount which will be paid by the policyholder for each claim made.

What is third-party insurance?

Third party insurance coverage provides coverage to the insured against legal liability to third parties.

Can I switch from third-party policy to comprehensive at the time of renewal?

You may switch to comprehensive insurance if your vehicle is not over 25 years old.

What add-ons are available for purchase with my motor insurance?

  1. Excess Buy Back (A flat excess will be applied at the time of loss regardless of the contributing factors such as driver’s age/driver’s licence age and status of liability)
  2. Uninsured Driver Benefit
  3. Increased Liability Limits/Benefits (An option to increase the standard limits and benefits offered under a respective policy up to the maximum amount allowed for that policy)
  4. Increased Wrecker Fees
  5. Increased Personal Accident Benefits
  6. Accident Forgiveness
  7. Increased Audio Equipment Benefit
  8. Alternative Transport Benefit

Can I buy additional coverage with third-party insurance?

You may purchase Personal Accident Insurance Benefit

If I buy a new motor vehicle, can I transfer my no claim discount?

Yes, you may.

Can I insure a motor vehicle that is not in my name?

You may pay the premium on behalf of the owner of the vehicle, but in the event of a claim, payment will be paid to the owner. If you purchase a motor vehicle, it will be insured in your name and a 30-day cover note will be issued to you for the purpose of transferring the vehicle to your name.

Can an eighteen-year old with a valid driver’s licence be covered under my motor vehicle insurance?

An eighteen-year old may be covered under your motor vehicle insurance, but there will be a substantial loading on your premium.

What is excess?

This refers to the amount which will be paid by the policyholder for each claim made.

Why do I have to pay excess?

This is a standard in the Jamaican insurance industry to prevent the insured from making frivolous claims, hence increasing the cost of motor insurance.

If I am insured under a private motor cover, can I use my vehicle for my personal business?

Yes

What is a cover note and how is it different from a certificate of insurance?

A cover note is a temporary certificate of motor insurance that provides proof that your motor vehicle is insured whereas the certificate of insurance is usually issued for a period of 12 months until your renewal deadline.

How do I purchase my motor insurance online?

Visit www.jngijamaica.com, click on the JNGI Online tab and proceed to get a quote.

Business Insurance 

Why do I need business insurance?

Business insurance covers financial losses stemming from a variety of events that can negatively impact a business’ operations. There are many different types of business insurance and they provide coverage for different types of situations. The most important and common types of insurance cover employee-related issues (Employers Liability Insurance), legal liability (Public Liability Insurance), and property damage (Fire and Perils Insurance or Commercial All Risk).You can determine the types of coverage your business needs by analyzing the risks involved in your industry.

Is business insurance required by law?

In Jamaica, business insurance is not required by law.

Claims Tips & FAQs

If in an accident and I am not at fault, how is recovery from the other party handled and what is the turn-around time to recover?

JNGI will submit your claim to the other company/ party within seven (7) days of receiving all the required documents, but recovery from another company is not directly within JNGI’s control and may be affected by a number of issues, for example, the Third Party may not accept liability. As a result we can’t provide a definite timeframe for recovery but we can assure you that we will do our best to recover on your behalf.

If I am not at fault in the accident how is the excess treated?

Comprehensive policies, generally, do not cover a full settlement. There is an excess or deductible which you are required to stand; this excess or deductible is a specified percentage of your Sum Insured or Pre Accident Value. If you are not fault in the accident, your excess or deductible is recoverable from the liable insurer or third party.

How is the excess calculated?

For total losses, JNGI calculates the excess or deductible on the Pre-Accident Value of the vehicle or the Sum Insured under the policy, whichever is less. For cash settlements, the excess or deductible in the insurance contract is a percentage of Sum Insured at the time of insuring the vehicle.

Do I need to report the accident to the police, even if I am not at fault?

If you are making a claim you must prove your loss. If you are claiming from another company, a Police Report is sometimes required as proof to the other company that an accident occurred with their insured. We do not ask you to get a Police Report unless it is absolutely necessary because you will not be able to recover this cost if the other insurance company does not need the Police Report.

Will JNGI file suit on my behalf?

JNGI will file suit in cases where JNGI has made claim payments to you, under your insurance contract and it is economical to recover. Where JNGI files suit, if you have any uninsured loss that you wish to recover, JNGI would include these in the suit for you.

Am I required to submit a Repair Estimate?

You are required to prove your claim and an Estimate of Repairs is proof of the damage to your vehicle and the cost of repairs. Unless your vehicle is a total loss, the cost of the estimate is generally absorbed by the Garage or Repairer who prepares your estimate if you choose them to do the repairs.

I have a loan on my motor vehicle, who will the claim be paid to?

The contract that JNGI has with the Mortgagee and agreed to by you requires that all payments under the policy are to be made to the mortgagee unless in cases where a garage is authorized by us to repair your vehicle, in those instances, the payment is made to the garage after repairs are done to your satisfaction.

At the time of reimbursement, will GCT be included in the payment?

You cannot be paid GCT unless you have actually incurred it. Once you can prove that you have incurred GCT, JNGI will reimburse your GCT expenses.

Will JNGI cover the storage cost?

Storage cost is not covered under the terms of your policy.

If I am not at fault, will my no claim discount be affected?

Generally, if a claim is made against your policy, your No Claim Discount will be affected. It is a ‘No Claim’ Discount and not a ‘No Blame’ Discount. Your No Claim Discount however will be reinstated if recovery is successful. JNGI also has Motor policies that offer an Accident Forgiveness benefit which would cause your No Claim Discount to remain unaffected even if you have had an accident; this is subject to conditions of the specific policy.