For most Canadians, a home is the most significant investment that they'll ever make. So, after saving tirelessly for years, the last thing that you want to do is deal with expensive, unforeseen damage to your home, like attic rain.
Most homeowners know that home insurance is the best tool for financially protecting their properties from unexpected events. That being said, not all home insurance policies cover all types of damage.
This leads to a number of hard-hitting questions — one of the more unique questions that we've received is, "is attic rain covered by homeowners insurance in Canada?".
You can learn the answer to this question, and many more, in the following paragraphs.
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What is attic rain and why is it a risk for homeowners in Canada?
Despite the name, "attic rain" has nothing to do with rainfall.
To be clear, attic rain is a unique type of water damage that is common in new homes in various parts of Canada (particularly areas with frigid winters, like Calgary).
Here's how attic rain works:
During stretches of cold winter weather, the moisture in the air rises to the attic. When this happens, ice and frost begin to accumulate on the underside of your roof's sheathing (and occasionally other aspects of your roof, like the trusses, vents and soffits).
The ice/frost stays on the underside of your roof until there is a stretch of warm weather. When the temperatures rise, the ice begins to melt and can potentially drop into the lower parts of your home. This can damage numerous aspects of your home, like your walls, flooring and furniture. If the damage isn’t dealt with swiftly, it can potentially lead to mold!
With this in mind, it's easy to see that homeowners should do everything that they can to minimize the risk of attic rain occurring in their homes.
What types of homes are most prone to attic rain?
Older homes were built with vast ventilation systems that maximize the amount of airflow in attics. The increased level of airflow minimizes the risk of warm air stagnating in the attic, which makes the space less prone to attic rain.
Unfortunately for homeowners who have bought a house built within the past few decades, modern homes don't feature the same type of ventilation systems. Modern homes also feature an airtight seal that traps additional moisture in the home.
Is attic rain covered by insurance in Canada?
There is no clear-cut answer to this question. All home insurance policies have different rules, terms and levels of coverage.
Because of this, we can't provide you with a cut-and-dry answer as to whether your current home insurance policy covers damage from attic rain.
We can say that it is unlikely that your home insurance provider will cover damage from attic rain, as it is difficult to pinpoint whether the damage stemmed from a pre-existing issue or not.
For more information, you can reach out to your insurance company or your Surex insurance advisor as soon as possible. Your Surex insurance advisor can help you review your policy and answer any in-depth questions that you may have about attic rain insurance in Canada.
How to prevent attic rain from occurring in your home
As you now know, attic rain can potentially lead to thousands of dollars worth of damage if it's not dealt with promptly.
Thankfully, there are numerous tips and tricks you can utilize to minimize the risk of attic rain damage in your home. Some tried-and-true tips for preventing attic rain include:
Assess the ventilation systems in your home
The quality and condition of your ventilation systems will have a direct impact on the likelihood of attic rain occurring in your home.
If you're worried about attic rain, be sure to inspect your water vapour barriers, roof insulation and the quality/condition of the roofing materials used during the building process.
Contact a professional roofing service if you notice that an aspect of your roof is damaged or compromised in any way.
Use the correct humidifier settings during the winter
A humidifier is a fantastic way to improve the air quality in your home, especially during the frigid winter months when the air is drier than usual.
However, if you don't have your humidifier turned to the correct settings, you may be doing more harm than good! Setting your humidifier to a higher mode (generally 30%) adds more moisture to the air. The higher moisture levels can drastically increase the likelihood and severity of attic rain during the winter months.
On the other hand, if you set your humidifier to a lower mode (20%), you can improve the air quality in your home without adding too much moisture to the air.
Use bathroom fans during showers and baths
Are you a fan of taking long, hot showers or baths during the winter? If so, don't forget to turn the bathroom fan on while you bathe.
Bathroom fans suck up excess humidity and moisture in the room, which stops it from rising to your attic. Because of this, you'll be less likely to deal with an unexpected case of attic rain.
Just remember to turn the fan off when you are done, as it can waste electricity and suck additional warm air from your home.
Looking for home insurance in Canada? Shop around with Surex
Home insurance is much more than one of the costs associated with buying a home in Canada.
Whether you live in a cozy starter home or a massive mansion, the best thing that you can do to protect your investment is purchase home insurance. Without home insurance, homeowners would have to pay for all unexpected damages out of pocket!
That being said, finding the right home insurance policy isn't easy — unless you shop around with Surex.
At Surex, our experienced advisors make finding high-quality home insurance quotes a quick, simple and straightforward task. Instead of spending hours calling various companies, our "one-stop-shop" approach allows you to compare multiple products within minutes! Reach out to your Surex insurance advisor (our preferred title for insurance brokers) today if you'd like to receive your personalized quotes in ten minutes or less.
While you're chatting with your advisor, don't forget to ask about how you can save as much as 25% when you bundle multiple policies with one of our partners.
