Desjardins (Canada) is announcing the launch of Alert, a new smart home insurance program to prevent water damage, available nationwide.

When clients with a home insurance policy from Desjardins Insurance or The Personal sign up for Alert, they get a free water, freeze and humidity detector to place in their home close to a potential source of leaks. The detector is a connected object, and if it senses a problem, it sends an alert to the client’s smartphone, so they can act quickly to limit any damage. And clients can choose whether they want to receive alerts by notification, text message or email.

“No one wants to deal with the stress of water damage. Depending on the extent of the damage, it can mean lost valuables and family treasures that just can’t be replaced, not to mention a possible relocation during repair work. With the Alert program, we’re helping clients harness the power of technology to avoid this type of stressful situation as much as possible,” says Alex Veilleux, Vice-President, Innovation and Strategic Partnerships at Desjardins General Insurance Group.

• Water damage accounts for 50% of home insurance claim costs.
• By acting fast in many of those cases, homeowners would have been able to prevent significant damage and avoid the disruption that comes with it.

The detector is a small device, with a sleek, modern design. It can be placed near the kitchen sink or dishwasher, in the bathroom, near the washing machine, near the water heater or anywhere else a leak might occur.

Program participants can even name a person as a monitor to receive the same notifications. “So if you can’t get home quickly, someone you trust can go instead. That’s why we suggest policyholders make sure a friend or family member has a house key,” adds Veilleux.

The Alert program was designed to offer clients peace of mind. As such, participation in the program can never lead to premium increases or changes in existing coverage, regardless of how many alerts a client receives or the actions they take. Simply put, the program gives policyholders a prevention tool to help limit the damage caused by water and freezing.

Alert is a free, voluntary program that comes with one detector for each home insured. “Our clients can purchase additional detectors at an affordable price, thanks to an agreement with the fintech/insurtech Roost, our business partner and Alert technology provider,” says Veilleux.

The Alert program will also be offered to clients of State Farm Canada in June 2017.

For Desjardins, this launch is an opportunity to capture its entire mobile offer in a single smartphone app, called Desjardins Insurance Home-Auto or The Personal. As well as Alert, the app includes the Ajusto telematics program, which rewards clients for improving their driving habits. It’s also a hub for online services, where policyholders can access their insurance policy, change their address, store a vehicle, start a claim and get an online quote. This app makes Desjardins the first insurer in Canada to introduce a connected home and auto insurance offer.

A subsidiary of Desjardins Group, ICMIF member Desjardins General Insurance Group (DGIG) is Canada’s third largest provider of property and casualty insurance. The company distributes insurance under the Desjardins Insurance, The Personal, and State Farm Canada brands. DGIG is also a leader in Canada in white label distribution.