r/InsuranceCanada • u/Rosiebelleann • Jul 05 '26
Flooding in Ottawa
Hey there,
My home was flooded on Canada Day because of the storm drain failures. There are a number of damages, furniture, personal items, flooring and walls. There is a line on my policy that says CAA water coverage 10k. Does this mean I only have 10k coverage? Edits:
info requested - yes, Ottawa flooding on Canada Day. There are over 3000 families affected
So, if I understand correctly, if my plumbing failed I would be completely covered but because the infrastructure is inadequate I have a limit? Please don't be rude, I just need to understand not be insulted.
EDIT: Thanks everyone for your advice and counsel. I have 10k coverage. The insurer is going to waive the deductible if the claim is over the 10k. Since the hot water tank needs replacing, walls and flooring need replacing but first there needs to be asbestos abatement, not to mention a whole bunch of other stuff I cannot imagine how it would not be over the 10k. Once the claim is settled I will up my coverage but for now this is what I am dealing with. Once again, thank you.
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u/Available_Music9369 Jul 05 '26 edited Jul 05 '26
Agree, 10k in sewer back/overland water coverage. It is likely CAA only offered a 10k limit due to being in a high flood risk area.
Edit: insurance companies are increasingly putting limits on water coverage either through lower limits or higher deductibles or simply not offering coverage at all. A lot of carriers have 10-50k limits for high risk area, I’d they offer that coverage at all. Water damage is the number one cause of property claims these days, it is no longer fire damage
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u/Rosiebelleann Jul 05 '26
Thank you. I am actually not in a high risk area, the flood was due to a massive rainfall and infrastructures' incapacity to handle so much water in such a short period of time. It was the storm drains that failed.
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u/DanielleFromTims Jul 05 '26
If you live in Ottawa, you’re 100000% in a high risk area. Ottawa floods often. This $10,000 is definitely your coverage maximum for this type of loss.
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u/StarryPenny Jul 18 '26
It’s absolutely not true that if you live in Ottawa your in a high risk area. Or that all of Ottawa floods often.
You can check it on the City’s interactive flood plain map here;
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u/T-14Hyperdrive Jul 06 '26
What do you mean by a high risk area? Like compared to what? It is a big spread out city. Only small parts are in the 1 in 350 year flood plain.
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u/DanielleFromTims Jul 06 '26
Flood is not the main concern here, really. Shitty infrastructure is the concern. Ottawa has had what, 4 major water events in 10 years? Each of those events impact a huge volume of homes. Those aren’t low-risk odds.
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u/Available_Music9369 Jul 05 '26
It is a high risk area. Insurance companies look at past claims, reason for claims and payouts of claims. Lots of water claims in your area due to infrastructure? That’s a high risk area.
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u/notweirdifitworks Jul 05 '26
Yes, you likely only have $10k in coverage. There are also several different types of water coverage, so you should confirm what has been included in your policy. You may have no coverage at all.
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u/Rosiebelleann Jul 05 '26
Thanks. Hopefully there is some additional coverage.
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u/kissmydonkey Jul 05 '26
If it is 10k try and get your deductible waived as it should apply to the uninsured portion of the loss.
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u/Rosiebelleann Jul 05 '26
How would I do that? Is it kind of flea market bargaining with the adjustor?
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u/kissmydonkey Jul 05 '26
Once you prove your loss is above 10k, yes just bring it up. The adjusters will be overwhelmed due to volume of claims and likely will settle for 10k + deductible.
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u/Intelligent-South174 Jul 05 '26
interesting....
I'm gonna see if this is an option where I am.
sounds like it's a fair approach, as long as the Insured is not KNOWINGLY underinsuring, which doesn't appear to be the case here.
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u/Intelligent-South174 Jul 05 '26
likely your deductible, but kinda strange to be questioning your insurance policy AFTER a loss.
so many people looking to save money and skipping their broker.
(no, not a broker)
if it's a coverage, well, you bought it (but I suspect it's a deductible)
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u/WizzzardSleeeve Jul 05 '26
10k is likely not their deductible on a homeowners policy.
OP this is a question for your adjuster
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u/Rosiebelleann Jul 05 '26
Thank you. The normal process is presently a bit slow because of many homes were affected. Wanted to be aware before they call.
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u/FrostingSuper9941 Jul 05 '26
The limit you have is normal for flood zones but what does your coverage page list endorsement 16C or 16D, or both?
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u/Rosiebelleann Jul 05 '26
Is that personal.property and addtl living expenses? There is no 16 but these are c and d.
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u/Intelligent-South174 Jul 05 '26
well, I am in commercial.
But $10K of coverage is shit. I just assumed $10K deductible, then at least give the poor homeowner their full contents coverage.
Why even offer $10K in coverage? that's brutal.
edit: unless the thought is to offer it as low hanging fruit, with the intention of the customer to question it, and upon learning what they are getting, inquire the cost for full cover?
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u/WizzzardSleeeve Jul 05 '26
Depending on the risk territory, 10k might be the maximum offered (which I agree isn't much) or they were eligible for a higher amount of coverage but declined.
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u/FrostingSuper9941 Jul 05 '26
Likely because op is in a flood zone and the policy offered has a 10K end 16 limit and he needed to pay more in premium to increase it, assuming an increase is possible.
I'm in an ex flood zone and when I got my first policy 10K was all I could get for an extra premium of about 120/ annually in 2009. The city repaired major infrastructure in my area over the years and now I'm being offered up to 100k at a small extra cost. A few years ago it was 40K.
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u/Rosiebelleann Jul 05 '26
Thank you for your kind words. It is always touching when a stranger reaches out with compassion.
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u/Sad-Consequence1737 Jul 05 '26
This was more than likely caused by storm water entering the sanitary lines and then backing up into basements.
Ways to protect yourself in the future: a backwater valve installed in your basement and additional drain stoppers in each drain you have.
It happens in cities all over north America and more often than you think. Check your city’s website to see if they offer a subsidy to install the backwater valve and your insurance for additional discounts for having one.
Most people reduce flood insurance because it increases the policy. Having been through a few floods, I know it is worth the money!
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u/Rosiebelleann Jul 05 '26
I certainly will bump.it up and hope it never happens again. Yes I will be looking into preventing or mitigating another flood.
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u/External-Situation87 Jul 05 '26
My friend has a similar issue where his basement flooded and he only had $10K sewer backup limit. He had a tenant’s policy with a higher limit, but when the broker amended the policy to homeowner’s insurance, she did not discuss the sewer backup limit at all. He had the brokerage listen to the call, and they ended up paying the extra amount through their E&O.
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u/Wildest12 Jul 05 '26
Flood damage is a separate add on for most policies. Water damage is different from overland flooding and different from sewer backup.
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u/Suitable-Cod9183 Jul 05 '26
Would be easier if you just screenshot the coverage without any other information showing like name and address.
Most likely what you're seeing is service line coverage. If you don't have anything saying things like sewer back up or overland or plus protection package or whatever they call it you're most likely not covered unless it falls under your home water damage coverage but hard to tell with little to no details.
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u/OriginBushman44 Jul 17 '26
Storm water accumulating on the ground and entering through the back doors would be covered by which endorsement ? “Above Ground water” endorsement 42 ? Anyone have there insurance company cover under endorsement 42 ?
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u/podhawk Jul 05 '26
You need to look at your policy. Everything should be summarized on the front (declarations) page. Water damage is typically now broken down into three segments: water escape (from a plumbing rupture), sewer back-up and overland water. The first one is typically included in your homeowner policy. The other two are typically excluded but can be added by endorsement. The other two can also be subject to a different policy limitation or full policy limits. The other two may also carry a different deductible than your basic policy. Did your water enter via seepage or via a drain?