Intact Insurance
Every Intact home policy includes basic water damage protection for sudden water damage from inside the home, such as a burst pipe.
Intact Insurance: coverage and claims →
Insurance
Water damage insurance claims: how it works
Water damage is the most common home insurance claim in Ontario. Here is how the claim works, what you should do before anybody arrives, and what the biggest insurers in the GTA actually cover.
What to do, in order
- Make it safe Cut the power if water is near outlets or the panel. If you smell gas, leave first.
- Stop the water Shut the main if a pipe burst. If water is coming up a drain, stop using toilets, sinks and the washer.
- Photograph everything Water line on the walls, every wet room, the contents and the source, before anything moves.
- Open the claim Call your insurer’s claims line (numbers below) or your broker. Write down the claim number.
- Start drying Extraction and drying are part of your duty to prevent further damage. They do not have to wait for the adjuster.
- Keep what was damaged Keep damaged items and receipts until your adjuster says otherwise.
What’s covered depends on where the water came from
On almost every Ontario home policy the source decides the coverage, and one storm can produce three different sources at once.
- A burst pipe, split water heater or failed appliance
- Usually covered by the standard policy as sudden and accidental water damage.
- Water coming up through a floor drain or toilet
- Sewer backup. Only covered if you bought the sewer backup option.
- Water coming in from outside after heavy rain or a thaw
- Overland or surface water. A separate option with most insurers.
- Slow seepage or a leak that has gone on for months
- Usually excluded as gradual damage or wear.
Insurance claims are most of our work
Most of the jobs we do are insurance claims, and we have worked on claims with every insurer listed on this page. After years of it we know what each claims team asks for, how each one names and bundles its water coverage, and what an adjuster needs to see before they approve drying and repairs.
That experience is the main thing we bring to your claim. We document the loss the way adjusters expect, answer their questions ourselves, and keep the file moving, so you are not stuck in the middle between a contractor and an insurance company while your house is wet.
Who pays, and what you pay
On a covered loss we bill your insurer directly in most cases, so the only amount you pay us is your deductible. On Ontario home policies that commonly sits between $500 and $2,500. If the loss is not covered, or you have no insurance, you get a written quote before any work that is not an emergency.
Some insurers settle by paying you rather than the contractor. If yours does, we will tell you how payment works on your claim before the rebuild starts, not after.
You can choose your contractor
Most large insurers run their own networks of preferred contractors and will offer to send one. That can be the fastest route, and there is nothing wrong with it. But it is an offer. TD Insurance and Desjardins both say plainly on their own websites that the choice of contractor is yours.
If you want to use a contractor you trust, tell your claims representative when you open the claim. Delta24 Restoration is independent: we are not owned by, affiliated with or endorsed by any insurer, and when we work on your claim we are working for you.
What the adjuster needs from us
An adjuster approves what they can see evidence for. From the first hour we log moisture readings for every wet material, photograph the damage before anything is removed, record the category of water, and write a room-by-room scope. During drying we keep a daily log until every reading reaches the dry standard.
That record is what stops the arguments. It shows what was wet, why it had to come out, and that the building was dry before it was closed up, which is also what protects you if mould appears later.
By insurer
What your insurer covers
Every insurer names and bundles its water coverage differently, and several have changed owners or names. Pick yours for what it covers, its claims line and how it handles contractors.
Aviva
Every Aviva home policy includes basic water coverage for common sudden leaks such as a burst pipe.
Aviva: coverage and claims →
Desjardins Insurance
Desjardins home policies cover sudden and accidental water damage.
Desjardins Insurance: coverage and claims →
TD Insurance
A standard TD Insurance home policy covers sudden and accidental water damage such as a burst pipe.
TD Insurance: coverage and claims →
The Co-operators
The Co-operators’ Comprehensive Water coverage covers sewer and septic backup, flooding from lakes, rivers and streams, and surface water from heavy rain or fast snowmelt.
The Co-operators: coverage and claims →
Square One Insurance
Square One is unusual: water backup (sewer backup) is built into every policy it sells, and inland flood is automatically included in most of them, at no extra cost.
Square One Insurance: coverage and claims →
CAA Insurance
CAA home policies can add CAA Water Coverage, which combines flood, surface water from sudden heavy rain, rising groundwater and sewer backup.
CAA Insurance: coverage and claims →
Wawanesa
Wawanesa’s Water Defence coverage combines sewer backup and overland water, and covers groundwater too.
Wawanesa: coverage and claims →
Economical Insurance
Economical is becoming Definity Insurance.
Economical Insurance: coverage and claims →
Allstate Canada
In Ontario Allstate offers two water add-ons: Limited Sewer Backup, and a broader Enhanced Water Damage package that adds overland water and ground or surface water.
Allstate Canada: coverage and claims →
belairdirect
Sewer backup and overland flooding are only covered by belairdirect if you have the optional Enhanced Water Damage Package.
belairdirect: coverage and claims →
Sonnet Insurance
At Sonnet, overland water and sewer backup coverage always come as a pair: you cannot buy one without the other.
Sonnet Insurance: coverage and claims →
RBC Insurance
RBC home insurance is underwritten by Aviva General Insurance Company, so your claim is handled through Aviva.
RBC Insurance: coverage and claims →
Travelers Canada
Travelers Canada sold its personal home and auto business to Definity Financial, so home policies are now serviced by Definity Insurance Company.
Travelers Canada: coverage and claims →
Northbridge Insurance
Northbridge is a commercial insurer: it covers Canadian businesses rather than homes.
Northbridge Insurance: coverage and claims →
RSA Canada
RSA Canada is now part of Intact Financial Corporation, and rsagroup.ca now redirects to belairdirect.
RSA Canada: coverage and claims →
Gore Mutual
Gore Mutual only covers sewer backup or overland water if you bought extra cover: Water Escape (sewer backup and service line failure) or Water Escape Plus (which adds overland water).
Gore Mutual: coverage and claims →
Pembridge Insurance
Pembridge sells through independent brokers and is backed by Allstate.
Pembridge Insurance: coverage and claims →
Claims phone numbers
All answered 24 hours a day. Numbers are taken from each insurer’s own website. If your policy documents show a different number, use that one.
- Intact Insurance1-866-464-2424 · coverage guide
- Aviva1-866-692-8482 · coverage guide
- Desjardins Insurance1-888-776-8343 · coverage guide
- TD Insurance1-866-454-8910 · coverage guide
- The Co-operators1-877-682-5246 · coverage guide
- Square One Insurance1-855-331-6933 · coverage guide
- CAA Insurance1-877-222-1717 · coverage guide
- Wawanesa1-844-929-2637 · coverage guide
- Economical Insurance1-800-607-2424 · coverage guide
- Allstate Canada1-800-387-0462 · coverage guide
- belairdirect1-877-228-2656 · coverage guide
- Sonnet Insurance1-844-766-6384 · coverage guide
- RBC Insurance1-800-769-2526 · coverage guide
- Travelers Canada1-800-661-5522 · coverage guide
- Chubb1-800-532-4822 · coverage guide
- Northbridge InsuranceReport through your broker, or online at northbridgeinsurance.ca · coverage guide
- RSA CanadaUse the number on your latest policy documents, or call your broker · coverage guide
- Gore Mutual1-844-974-4673 · coverage guide
- Pembridge Insurance1-800-387-0462 · coverage guide
- Zurich Canada1-855-998-7424 · coverage guide
Insurance companies we work with
We work on claims for policyholders of all the major home insurers in Ontario, including:
Intact Insurance Aviva Canada Desjardins Insurance TD Insurance The Co-operators Square One Insurance CAA Insurance Wawanesa Mutual Economical Insurance (Definity) Allstate Canada belairdirect Sonnet Insurance RBC Insurance Travelers Canada Chubb Northbridge Financial RSA Canada Gore Mutual Pembridge Insurance Zurich Canada
Insurer names and logos are trademarks of their owners and are used only to identify the companies whose policyholders we work with. Delta24 Restoration is independent and is not affiliated with or endorsed by any insurer.
Questions
Common questions
Do I have to use my insurance company’s contractor?
In most cases no. Insurers offer their preferred contractors as an option. TD Insurance and Desjardins both say on their own websites that the choice is yours. Tell your claims representative at the start if you want to use your own.
Should I call my insurer or a restoration company first?
Both, as soon as you can. Your policy expects you to stop the damage getting worse, so getting the water out does not have to wait for the adjuster.
Will the insurance company pay the restoration company directly?
Often, yes. Some insurers pay the contractor directly and some settle by paying you. We will tell you how payment works on your claim before any non-emergency work starts.
What is a deductible?
The part of the loss you pay before coverage applies, commonly $500 to $2,500 on Ontario home policies. On a covered loss billed directly to your insurer, it is generally the only amount you pay us.
Is sewer backup covered?
Only if you bought sewer backup coverage, which is an optional add-on with almost every insurer. Water that came in from outside is overland water, which is usually a separate option again.
Which insurance companies do you work with?
All the major insurers in Ontario, including the twenty on this page, and we have handled claims with every one of them. Tell us who you are insured with when you call and we will take it from there.
Do you have experience with insurance claims?
Yes. Insurance claims are most of our work, and we have worked on claims with every insurer on this page. We document each loss the way adjusters expect and deal with their questions directly.