Quebec: Heavy Rainfall Claims Reporting
With last week’s torrential rainfall across Quebec resulting in widespread basement flash flooding, we wanted to share a couple of important reminders about our claims process and other key resources available to support you during this challenging time.
Claims Process
- For urgent claims reporting, please call our 24/7 customer hotline at 1-866-692-8482
- For non-urgent claims, we encourage you to visit our website to submit a claim
Teams of adjusters and contractors for emergency services from across Canada are prepared to support you. Given the size of this event and its evolving nature, it’s important to note that at this time, initial contact and subsequent communication may be delayed by several days. The contractor supply chain has also been greatly affected and can take several days for them to be in contact to set expectations on repairs and site attendance. Our immediate focus is on emergency repairs to customer properties in the most vulnerable situations.
What you can do
We ask that you perform the following tasks, if you can:
- Wear protective gear and make necessary repairs, if possible, to ensure your safety or to prevent further damage or loss to your property.
- As policy limits may apply where the loss exceeds your insurance coverage, it is in your best interest to prevent further damage by completing emergency work, where possible, and to wait before proceeding with restoration until coverage and scope of work is verified by an insurance representative.
- Emergency work can include, but is not limited to:
- Collection and removal of water, drying the affected area (flooring or drywall), dehumidifying, and keeping a sample of the carpet or flooring, etc.
- Emergency work can include, but is not limited to:
- If your property or belongings are seriously damaged, take pictures or videos of the damage or loss prior to disposal.
- Visit your municipality website about local initiatives for recycling or waste.
- If you must leave your home, keep your receipts for expenses such as accommodation, food, and transportation, as you might be able to claim these expenses through your property insurance policy.
Reporting damage to the municipalities – Time limit
At this time, it is also important to note the timeline within which customers must report damage to their municipality. Customers who plan on taking action against their local municipality must report the damage to the applicable Small Claims Division within 15 days of the incident or they may lose their right to take action. We’ve linked the Small Claims form below for your reference.
Flooding subsidy resources
We also encourage you to check out the General Financial Assistance Program Regarding Disasters, a Québec government subsidy program that provides support for eligible customers affected by a natural disaster.
The program requires a position letter from your insurer about uninsured coverage. To obtain this, please download our notice of loss form and once filled out, submit it via email to CA_lettre@aviva.com. We will then provide you with the position letter.
Please review the eligibility requirements for this subsidy here.