CBC News (GO PUBLIC) reported today (April 20/15) that in some cases if a homeowner leaves their home for more than
FOUR DAYS IN THE WINTER and there is a flood due to BURST pipes, they may not cover the damage. Apparently there is a clause in most policies which require the homeowner to have someone check the house on a regular basis for heat.
I always recommend that homeowners
TURN OFF THE WATER when leaving the house for extended periods. A toilet that breaks can flood the house for example.
During extreme cold where there is a risk of the water supply freezing (such as happened in Toronto this past winter), leaving a cold water tap open enough to allow the water to flow constantly may prevent freezing. The cost in water is much lower than having your pipe thawed or repaired due to expansion splits.
I DO HOUSE CHECKS so please call me if you need your property monitored while gone for extended periods.
JUNE 17/15 - CBC radio's GO PUBLIC published a story regarding a Waterloo, Ontario, couple's dilemma with their insurance company which refused to cover flooding from a sprinkler system which burst while they were on vacation. They had turned off the water but left the sprinkler system active in accordance with city/fire codes. Makes sense to leave that on in case of fire but who could predict the system would freeze? The insurance company refused their claim and it's now before the courts.
Another example of how insurance companies find ways to deny claims and one more reason to check carefully the full policy and get in writing any EXCLUSIONS so as to be on the same page regarding what's covered and what's not.
