Until recently, flood damage insurance has not been on top of mind for Central Ontario business and home owners. That all changed this fall, with increasingly unstable weather patterns and the heavy, slow-moving thunderstorm that slammed Windsor this past week: last year Toronto was waist-deep in water damage.
While standard business insurance policies provide coverage for disasters such as fire, lightning, hurricanes and winter-related damage including burst pipes – flood damage is not included. The good news is, as a business owner, you do have choices. While flood insurance is not offered as a standard part within commercial and business policies, it is in fact an add-on option provided to both commercial property and business interruption insurance policies. If you are unsure whether or not it is included in your policy, contact your insurance representative and simply ask. If you fail to do so, you may be swimming in a whole lot of damage in the aftermath of a storm.
Unfortunately for home owners, flood damage insurance is an entirely different story. Overland flooding resulting in water overflowing onto dry land causing damage is not generally covered in home insurance policies in Canada and add-on coverage is not even an option. Currently, water damage from a sewer backup is the only coverage you can opt for under residential home insurance. In light of the recent storms however, the government and insurance companies are now looking into how this can be changed.
Acumen Insurance Group is a full service, independent Insurance brokerage. Their enthusiastic staff of licensed insurance professionals are ready to provide you the absolute best solutions for your insurance needs. For more information, email info@acumeninsurance.com.