Policy Exclusions

Am I Insured? Questions you may have about your Insurance.

At Alpine Insurance in Alberta, our clients tend to be most concerned about what is covered by their insurance policy, but they often don’t pay attention to what their policies don’t cover.  Exclusions are specific events, perils, hazards or situations for which you will not be covered by your insurance company.  We urge our clients to familiarize themselves with these exclusions as they vary from policy to policy.

Home Insurance

For clients, it is important to recognize that insurance will protect you against unforeseen occurrences (perils), but not against foreseeable occurrences.  For example, it is expected that a home in a flood plain will eventually flood, a rodent infestation will damage your house and a poorly maintained roof will result in leakage.  As a result, these hazards are excluded from your home policy.

The following are examples of home insurance exclusions from the Insurance Bureau of Canada, however all policies are subjected to different terms, conditions and limits:

• Destruction resulting from wear and tear, rust, corrosion or gradual deterioration.
• Water damage caused by flooding, underground water or water that enters through leaking foundations.
• Results of freezing of indoor plumbing. Note: Familiarize yourself with your policy requirements before leaving home during the cold winter months. You must drain your plumbing or have a competent individual inspect your home over the winter.  Depending on your home policy, you will be covered for damage if you meet your policy requirements.
• Exterior home damage resulting from the freezing, melting or moving of snow or ice and heaving frost.
• Damage from landslides and other forms of earth movement.
• Injury from insects and rodents
• Intentional or criminal acts.

This is why it’s important to discuss your personal needs with your Alpine Insurance Broker.  A professional broker can design the most comprehensive level of insurance coverage and provide you with options to minimize exclusions and limitations.

car insurance

Depending on your policy, examples of car insurance exclusions in Canada include the following:

• Mechanical failure, rusting, wear and tear.
• Damage to tires unless they result from an insured peril, such as an accident.
• Criminal Code Offences, such as driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
• Driving a vehicle without authorization
• Driving a vehicle while excluded from a policy
• Misrepresenting the use of your vehicle may result in limited coverage.  Examples include using your personal vehicle as a taxi or using a personal automobile as a delivery vehicle.

Talk to your Alpine Insurance broker in Calgary, Edmonton, Red Deer, Lethbridge or Canmore about policy exclusions and if there are endorsements that can be added to your policy to minimize specific exclusions.