The Biard family of Edmonton had a sewer back up recently that caused a large amount of damage to their home. Their insurance company responded and inspected the damage, but when they saw that the Biards were in the midst of some home renovations and their claim was denied.
There are a couple of clauses that could have been working against the Biards in this situation. This excerpt are from the Intact home Insurance agreement, but they are not unique to Intact. You'll find similar wording with most insurance companies in Canada:
...we do not insure loss or damage:
...ix. occurring while the dwelling is under construction or vacant even if we have given permission for construction or vacancy.
So what about the Biards?
The family contacted Global's troubleshooter with their problem and they did a story on it. They didn't make any headway with Intact Insurance, but they did attract the attention of the kind hearted owner of Service Master of Edmonton - a Disaster Cleanup Company in Edmonton. The sent in a crew and cleaned up the mess free of charge.
There are likely a few exclusions that you're not aware of on your home insurance policy. It may be a good idea to review it and make sure you don't run into a situation that leaves you vulnerable.
If you're uncertain what exclusions you have on your policy give your broker a call today! 1-855-475-0959
