Half of Quebec home insurance policyholders think they’re covered for overflowing body of water: survey

One in two Quebeckers surveyed erroneously believe their home insurance policy covers them against damage from an overflowing body of water while 65% of respondents did not believe their homes were at risk from sewer backup, earthquake, wind or hail.

The Insurance Bureau of Canada recently announced some results of a survey, conducted by SOM Inc., of more than 600 insured homeowners in Quebec.

“The survey results also revealed that, even today, one in two policyholders believe their home insurance covers them against damage from an overflowing body of water, a risk that is not insurable,” IBC stated in a press release.

“When policyholders were asked whether they thought their home was at risk of suffering wind, hail, earthquake or sewer back-up damage, more than 65% of respondents said they did not think their home was at risk.”

The survey was intended to evaluate homeowners’ knowledge of their own insurance policies as well as their perception of risk. Only 8% of respondents said they were worried about sewer backup.

“Not only did several of the homeowners surveyed say they did not consider themselves at risk, many thought their policy covered them for sewer back-up (81%), water seepage through the roof (73%) or an earthquake (33%),” IBC stated.

“It should be noted that, while available, this coverage is not automatically included in a home insurance policy and must be added in the form of an endorsement.”

Meanwhile, “only one in five homeowners inspected their roof, foundation and water heater, or their washing machine or dishwasher hose every year,” IBC added.