Quote:
Originally Posted by Finny61
From my understanding on that fire, it came from a cigarette dropped in a flower pot on a balcony that had some peat moss. Don't quote me on it though, I could be mistaken. I don't know that anything came out of it as far as liability action against a specific unit owner.
The condo corp would be placing insurance for the actual building structure. My initial thought would be any items in that actual unit that aren't structural (or permanently fixed) would be the responsibility of the unit owner? Would this not mean kitchen appliances would be the unit owner's responsibility?
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You're correct about the appliances and other contents (assuming BC and Alberta are similar in their strata policies) but I would be curious if there was a settlement by the insured's company who put the cigarette into the flower pot. There doesn't have to be an actual lawsuit against the company for that to happen because the other units would have their stuff covered by their insurance company (with a deductible, which they probably get back if they even had to pay at all) and then the insurance company would go after the company of the person who's unit started the fire, and most likely because of legal costs stayed out of court. The insurance companies have a pretty good idea of what is worth fighting and what is not, and if their client is clearly at fault it's not worth the money and time in court, just pay out the other's losses. This is actually why it's important to get a higher liability ($2m+) when living in an apartment style building.
That doesn't mean that's the case but it happens a lot and usually stays out of the public eye because the companies deal with it internally with each other. I'd be curious to find out for sure.