Cut the clutter, or face potential insurance implications: Allstate

Hoarding, or excessive clutter in your home or garage, carries more than just health and safety concerns – there could also be insurance implications, cautions Allstate Canada.
“Hoarding on its own would not cancel an insurance policy, but there could be other related issues that may affect it,” says Eric Michalko, a spokesperson for Allstate Canada. “For example, fire hazards, excessive mould or too many animals living in the house as a result of hoarding could have an impact on someone’s policy.”
While hoarding is an extreme example, many people do own more items than they can reasonably store in their home, prompting the rental of a storage unit.
Allstate Canada says most homeowner policies typically offer coverage of items stored in a storage unit for 30 days. After 30 days, the items are only covered for theft, not other causes of loss such as fire or water damage.