Insurance concerns and questions mount as Lee weather nears

It has been a tough 2023 for Hammonds Plains, N.S., resident Peter Dominey.

Fire and flooding caused massive home and property damage.

From an insurance standpoint, Dominey believes he got what he paid for.

“But I’m just not sure it’s a 100 per cent clear what I paid for,” said Dominey.

Now, with hurricane season here, Dominey has adopted a more thorough approach to coverage.

“First and foremost I certainly read policies,” said Dominey, who admitted that wasn’t always the case.

He has learned key lessons and he found out the hard way, some of the flood damage to his home and property was not covered, or the deductible was too high.

“With water, flooding, ditch, and stuff especially,” said Dominey.

This is a major concern for insurance holders, according RATES.ca analyst Daniel Ivans. He urges consumers to call their insurance companies often.

“Make sure there are no unexpected limitations on the policy,” said Ivans. “Have no limitations on your coverage for how much insurance companies are able to pay towards these claims.”

Some insurance companies pose yearly limits on flooding claims.

“It might not be enough for some consumers, especially if you have to redo basements, or in some cases, redo houses all together,” said Ivans.

Dominey said the insurance companies have been great to deal with, but the overall experience has been an eye opener.

“It’s kind of between me and my policy,” said Dominey. “More than between me and the insurance company.”

He urges people to make sure they have proper policies to cover a variety of damage that could come at any time.

CTVNewsAtlantic.ca will provide coverage and live updates on Hurricane Lee, every hour on the hour, beginning at 8 a.m. Saturday.

For more Nova Scotia news visit our dedicated provincial page.