What Do You Know about Home Insurance? Test Yourself
Home insurance doesn’t cover everything, but it does provide a lot of protection for your home.
You need to know what home insurance covers, what it doesn’t cover, and whose insurance covers what. Let’s test your knowledge of home insurance.
Western Financial Group, a 100% Canadian company, can help you navigate your home, car, and business insurance during this period of economic uncertainty.
What’s home insurance?
Home insurance is a type of property insurance that protects your home and its contents from losses due to events such as theft, fire, storms, or other covered risks. It also typically covers your personal belongings inside the home and it can help with additional living expenses if you need to live elsewhere because your home is being repaired due to a covered loss such as a fire.
In Canada, home insurance generally covers sudden and accidental damage, meaning damage that happens unexpectedly and unintentionally, rather than damage that happens gradually or due to neglect.
Why is liability insurance part of homeowner's insurance?
Your home insurance policy also includes liability protection, which helps cover you if someone is injured on your property or if you accidentally cause damage to another person’s property.
Liability insurance is part of homeowner's insurance policy to provide financial protection if you are found legally responsible for causing bodily injury to someone else or damaging their property, either at your home or in your home or on your home’s property. This coverage specifically addresses circumstances where accidents or unintentional incidents might lead to lawsuits or claims against you.
Do I have to get home insurance?
In Canada, home insurance is not required by law, but mortgage lenders nearly always require it because it protects both your home and your lender’s investment in it. Even if your home is mortgage-free, insurance is recommended to protect what may be your most valuable asset.
Here are 8 common questions about home insurance
Does my home insurance cover a barbecue fire?
Home insurance typically covers damage caused by a barbeque fire because accidental fires are an insured risk for most homeowner's policies. This means if your barbecue causes a fire that damages your home, deck, yard, belongings, or other structures (like a shed), your policy will usually help pay for repairs or replacement.
At Western Financial Group, we help Canadians understand what their home insurance covers and offer expert advice to make sure you’re protected for life’s unexpected events.
Does my home insurance cover my boat?
Home insurance may offer limited coverage for your boat, but this depends on the type and value of your boat, its size, and its motor's horsepower.
Many home insurance policies automatically include very small, inexpensive boats, such as canoes and rowboats, usually those with a value under $3,000, less than 26 feet long, and engines with 50 horsepower or less. Even then, coverage is often limited to a specific amount (commonly up to $3,000) and may exclude certain risks like theft.
Always check the details of your home insurance policy and speak with your insurer to confirm whether your boat is covered and whether your coverage is sufficient based on the size, use, and value of your boat. Protect your boat with boat insurance.
Western’s boat insurance experts will get you boat insurance that protects your boat, you and your passengers, and even your pet!
My neighbour’s tree has fallen on my house. Whose home insurance covers this?
In Canada, your own home insurance is responsible for covering damage to your house caused by your neighbour’s tree falling onto your property or house, regardless of who owned the tree, provided the fall was due to a sudden and accidental event such as a windstorm, lightning, ice, or snow. Your neighbour’s insurance does not cover their tree falling on your house and causing damage to your house.
You would file a claim with your insurer, who would then pay for repairs to your home (minus your deductible) up to your policy limits.
Your neighbour is not liable unless they were negligent (for example, ignoring a dead or clearly hazardous tree that they had been warned about).
If my basement is flooded, does home insurance pay for the cleanup and damages?
Standard home insurance in Canada does not automatically cover all types of basement flooding. Whether your insurance will pay for cleanup and damages depends on the cause of the flood and the specific coverages you have.
For example, if the basement flood is caused by a sudden and accidental event inside the home, such as a burst pipe, appliance malfunction, or water heater failure, your home insurance generally does cover cleanup and repair costs, up to your policy limits.
Home insurance typically does not cover overland flooding, which is caused by water entering your home from above ground due to heavy rainfall, melting snow, or rising streams. Overland flood insurance is usually added separately to your homeowner’s insurance policy.
My sewer has backed up and ruined my basement. Does my home insurance cover the damage and repairs?
In Canada, most standard home insurance policies do not automatically cover damage and repairs from a sewer backup. Cleanup and repair costs from a sewer or drain backup are only covered if you have purchased sewer backup coverage or a similar endorsement as an optional add-on to your home insurance policy.
A neighbour had a car accident and hit the side of my house, causing damage to my home. Whose insurance pays? Should I notify my home insurance provider?
If a neighbour crashes their car and damages your home, their auto insurance is responsible for paying to repair the damage to your house. In Canada, auto policies include property damage liability coverage for a situation like this.
Both the driver and the homeowner should contact their respective insurance providers after a car accident damages a home. Both insurers need to coordinate, making sure that damages are properly assessed and paid for, usually by the auto insurer first.
It’s important for the homeowner to contact their insurance provider even if the driver is at fault. This allows the home insurer to be involved and help in the repair process and, if necessary, to initiate a subrogation claim against the automobile insurer.
Is my pool insured under my home insurance policy?
Your pool is usually insured under your home insurance policy, but coverage and the amount of coverage depends on the type of pool, your specific policy, and how the pool is built or installed.
If you have an indoor pool, it's often covered under your dwelling coverage. In-ground pools are usually covered under your dwelling coverage.
Above-ground pools are often considered personal property and can have different coverage limits. Ask your Western home insurance provider about pool coverage.
I had a bonfire in my backyard and it got out of control and burned down my neighbour’s shed. Whose insurance covers this?
Your home insurance policy’s liability coverage is usually responsible for covering the damage to your neighbour’s property. Home insurance policies almost always include personal liability coverage, which covers accidentally causing damage to someone else’s property.
Your neighbour can make a claim directly with your home insurer or may choose to make a claim through their own home insurance provider, which will then seek repayment from your insurance company. This process is called subrogation.
Bonus question: How do I determine if my home insurance or my neighbour’s home insurance will pay?
If the damage was caused by a sudden, accidental event, such as a windstorm causing your neighbor’s tree to fall on your home’s roof, typically, your own home insurance covers your repairs first even if your neighbor is at fault and caused the problem.
If there is clear negligence by your neighbor such as ignoring a dangerous condition, acting unsafely, or breaking a law, your insurer may try to recover costs from your neighbor’s insurance after paying you. This process is called subrogation.
Did you know? Your Western Financial Group home insurance expert can customize your home insurance policy to fit your needs at the right value for you.
To sum it all up
Home insurance protects what’s likely your biggest investment, which is your house. Do your research and learn what your home insurance covers, what it doesn’t cover, and how it covers a sudden and unexpected event that causes damage to your home.
5 FAQs
What is a top weird home insurance claim in Canada?
One of the top weird home insurance claims in Canada involves a frozen chunk of excrement, which is known in aviation as “blue ice,” falling from an airplane and crashing through the roof of a suburban Ottawa home in 2007. The homeowners’ home insurance policy ultimately covered the repairs because "falling objects," including blue ice from planes, are considered insured perils under most standard policies.
What’s another weird home insurance claim?
According to a report from the Ontario Insurance Adjusters Association’s 2018 Claims Conference, a curious cat activated a motion-sensor faucet while its owners were away. The incident resulted in the kitchen sink overflowing and significant water damage throughout the home. The accidental water damage from plumbing fixtures is normally covered by home insurance and the critical requirement is that the event is sudden and accidental and not due to negligence or lack of maintenance.
What are the typical reasons for home insurance claims to be denied?
Typical reasons for home insurance claims to be denied include negligence, lack of coverage, policy exclusions, fraud, insufficient documentation, filing a claim after a set deadline, and breaching policy conditions, among others.
How do insurers typically handle pet-related incidents in home insurance policies?
Home insurance providers typically handle pet-related incidents in home insurance policies under the framework of personal liability coverage. If your pet injures or bites a person or damages someone else’s property, the liability section of your home or renter’s insurance generally covers: Medical expenses for injuries your pet causes (e.g., bites, scratches) and legal costs and settlements if you’re sued because of your pet’s actions.
Most standard home insurance policies do not cover damage your own pet causes to your property or possessions, such as chewed furniture, scratched floors, or torn curtains.
Always disclose your pet to your insurer when you purchase or renew your home insurance policy.
Why does providing false information cause denial of a home insurance claim?
Giving false or misleading information can lead the insurer to believe you are committing fraud or misrepresentation. Insurers must have a clear, accurate understanding of what led to the claim in order to correctly determine coverage. False statements, even if unintentional, are grounds for denial because they undermine this process and may void your home insurance policy. Honesty is the best policy when it comes to home insurance.
