Water damage is one of the leading causes for personal property insurance claims in Ontario. Learning how to deal with preventable water damage is essential for everyone who lives in Ontario.

Water damage has surpassed fire as the leading cause of personal property claims in Ontario.

The challenge with water is that even the smallest amount of water can be a major headache, resulting in the homeowner having to claim under their personal property insurance. Intact Insurance classifies water damage as the following; flooding, broken pipes, sewer backup, and leaky plumbing.

Protecting your home from water damage

Since water damage is so widespread throughout Ontario, it’s important that you inform yourself and ensure you have the coverage you require to protect your home. Speak to your insurance broker to confirm what your insurance coverage protects and adjust if necessary. Furthermore, we suggest contacting your local municipality to find out if there are any special programs that may be in place to protect your home against water damage. 

Reducing your risk with preventative tips

We cannot control Mother Nature; however, we can implement preventative tips to help reduce our risk of having unwanted water in our home. The following checklist has been adapted by Intact Insurance.

Tips for Preventing Water Damage outside your Home

• Clean eaves troughs and downspouts to ensure proper drainage
• If you have any damage on the outside of your home (including cracks, etc.) repair them
• Ensure you caulk window trim and door frames
• Check your roof and flashing for repairs
• Install weather stripping on exterior doors and windows
• Winterize your pool or hot tub
• Turn off the water supply to outdoor taps after the taps have been left open to drain completely. Leave the taps in the open position until the spring
• Always clear snow away from the foundation of your house

Tips for Preventing Water Damage inside your Home

• Check heat-duct and water pipe insulation
• Inspect any washing machine and dishwasher hoses for cracks or leaks, and clean the filters
• Water shut-off valve - learn the location of it and learn how to use it
• Have the furnace and air conditioner professionally serviced annually
• Have any chimneys cleaned annually and repaired as needed

We’d love to help you navigate water damage prevention - Contact Us if you have any questions or would like a no obligation AMEZones home insurance quote. 

Home insurance companies don’t always tell you everything you need to know. If this means that as you look for home insurance in Oklahoma City, OK, you need to do your due diligence. It will allow you to get the insurance policy that will give you peace of mind throughout the year.

Basic Policies Don’t Include Everything

Every home insurance policy will cover protection to the home, your belongings, and liability. However, a basic policy may not cover the full extent of your belongings, such as if you have expensive artwork or art collector of something. At AMEZones Home Insurance, our insurance agents will take the time to learn more about you and your home in order to build a more customized policy so that it does include everything needed to provide financial protection.

Not All Claims are Accepted

When you file a claim with the insurance company, is not automatically accepted. Often, research will be done in order to determine whether everything happened the way you said it happens or it additionally if you don’t have the coverage within your policy, you would be financially responsible for everything.

Deductibles Vary

Just as with every other type of insurance, you will have to pay a deductible before the insurance company pays anything. Deductibles can vary from policy to policy. This is why it’s important to know what yours is so that if you need to file a claim, you know how much you will have to pay out-of-pocket.

There are plenty of things you should ask when you are seeking home insurance in Oklahoma City, OK. The more you know, the easier it will be to develop a better home insurance policy. If insurance companies aren’t disclosing everything, it is within your right to ask questions and learn more about what is being offered to you. Contact Us today to learn more about home insurance policies.