Floods are the second most common natural disaster in Canada, occurring five times as often as wildfires. Just a few centimetres of water from flooding can cause costly, irreversible damage to your home.

When it comes to protecting homes from floods, most property owners assume their home insurance policies will provide adequate coverage. This is often not the case, making dedicated protection in the form of overland flood insurance a must. Specifically, overland flood insurance provides homeowners with the following benefits:

  • Comprehensive coverage for overland floods. Overland flood insurance is one of the only ways to protect against damage related to melting snow, excess rain and overflowing riverbeds. Working hand in hand with homeowners and sewer backup insurance, overland flood endorsements can round out your risk management practices, providing comprehensive water damage protection.

  • Coverage beyond your homeowners policy. While home insurance policies may offer coverage for water damage from sewer backups or pipe bursts, they commonly exclude losses caused by overland floods. Overland flood endorsements provide a level of flood insurance that was previously unavailable, protecting your property from sudden losses related to run-off of surface waters and similar fresh water sources.

  • Protection for a variety of properties. Overland flood insurance is not limited to specific types of property. In general, coverage is available for owners or tenants of houses, condos, rental properties, seasonal properties or secondary properties. This makes overland flood insurance incredibly flexible, helping individuals secure the right policy.

  • Financial protection to supplement or replace disaster assistance funding. While government disaster assistance funding is available to some following massive flooding, it’s not guaranteed. Disaster assistance is typically only available through the Disaster Financial Assistance Arrangements program when a disaster is officially declared by the government. As such, those without the appropriate policies may have to pay thousands of dollars of their own money to recover from flood damage.

Want to Learn More About Overland Flood Insurance?

Floods can occur without warning, making overland flood insurance all the more important. To learn more about this type of coverage and assess your potential risks, contact a qualified insurance broker today.