Vancouver insurance company sees 191% increase in frozen-pipe claims

As temperatures plummeted earlier this month, many B.C. homeowners were faced with freezing and bursting pipes.

Square One Insurance says it has seen a 191-per-cent increase in frozen-pipe insurance claims in the past two weeks, compared to this time last year.

“Because it’s relatively unusual to get these cold temperatures in the Lower Mainland, we’re less prepared for it than other parts of Canada,” said Jason Vander Zalm, the co-founder and senior vice-president of Square One Insurance.

Some insurance providers have opted to make comprehensive water damage coverage optional, he said, adding that he highly recommends making sure you are covered.

“Water damage is the number one cause for loss these days, even surpassing fire, so it’s definitely very valuable coverage,” Vander Zalm said.

But before you make a call to your insurance provider, Shaun Sinclair says there are stipulations homeowners should be aware of.

"If you go on a vacation somewhere and you're gone more than 4 days and don't have someone coming and checking on your home, you might not have any coverage,” said Sinclair, the head of the General Insurance and Risk Management program at BCIT.

To avoid not being covered while away, he said, homeowners must have someone check in daily on their home or make sure their water lines are drained and turned off or have monitoring alarms.

“This is the time of year people want to get away from this. They go to Arizona or Hawaii, and a lot of people – most people – aren’t reading their policy until they have a loss,” he said.

Restoration companies in Metro Vancouver have also been flooded with calls for help following the cold snap.

"It's been crazy, it's been nonstop, 24/7, for probably the last four or five days,” said Manny Bal, the director of On Command Cleaning and Restoration Limited.

"We work alongside and together with a lot of the larger restoration companies in the Lower Mainland, and we're talking thousands and thousands of claims per 24-hour period."

Many times, he said, homeowners will ignore a situation until it becomes catastrophic.

“A lot of people look at their ceilings and go, ‘Oh look at that, I haven’t seen that before,' and then forget about it," Bal said. "Get it inspected.”

To prevent pipes from bursting, Square One Insurance suggests:

• Insulating exposed pipes
• Sealing cracks that allow cold air to enter the home
• Keeping your home temperature at least 16 C
• Disconnecting hoses and shutting off outdoor taps

Bal said this is good advice for all types of homeowners.

“Strata complexes, highrises, homes, trailer parks, you name it, it's happening," he said.