A family in Ottawa discovered, almost three months after a tornado hit, that their home was unsafe to live in – largely because they requested a structural assessment from their insurer.
According to Global News, the family of Renata Scorsone learned three months after a violent twister hit Ottawa in September 2018 that the plates holding their roof trusses together had loosened and it was unsafe for them to be living in the house.
Scorsone told Global News that it was only when they asked their insurer that their home be assessed by a structural engineer when they were conducting damage estimates that they found the integrity of their roof had been significantly compromised.
“It was a bit of a gut punch,” Scorsone said in an interview with Global News. “It was hard to comprehend because it’s fine, it looks fine. There’s no leaks.”
Pete Karageorgos of the Insurance Bureau Canada said that this case shows why customers should have regular conversations with insurance companies during the claims process. Karageorgos told Global News that it’s not uncommon to “see situations that have initially been missed” when assessing an insurance claim. In cases like tornadoes in Ottawa, sometimes it’s not until the shock of the event wears off that homeowners notice issues that have “popped up” or that require a second review.
“[Give] regular updates, ask questions [and] keep the lines of communication open … even on small questions [or] clarification of issues, until the claim has been settled,” Karageorgos told Global Ne
