Quote:
Originally Posted by Slava
Homeowners policies cover landscaping and outbuildings (sheds, detached garages), although the landscaping is usually a percentage and based on certain circumstances that I can't recall.
I also thought that the province was only covering enough to bring homes back to basic use? Doug Griffith was on the radio this morning and I was sure that was his comment.
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Just to be clear, I was referring to this specific event, not in general. Yes, the policy covers it in theory, but all insurers in my neighborhood have said basement is sewer (possible coverage), but your detached garage is overland (zero coverage). Therefore no money from any insurance for outside your home.
Yes, I was was trying to make that point that the government will pay only to hire someone to remove the landscaping. No money is for re-landscaping. Sorry if I wasn't clear. Also, something like a lawnmower
maybe covered, but you would probably get money to buy the cheapest one, a few hundred at most. You need a lawnmower though, so this is something that is basic replacement.
I have the booklet at home, and much stuff revolves around basic replacement, like $300 for a TV (which is not much of a TV). So what Griffith was saying is fully correct. No where in there talks about granite counters or marble floors. It is all very basic replacement.
To be clear I am not complaining, just relaying facts as I know them. I think it is the right thing for the AB gov't to be doing.
My problem with them has been tone. Sometimes its not what you do, but how you say it. Griffiths came out with the announcement on support, and said "this is not meant to make the affect homeowners profit from this". That sends a tone that we are all trying to get better off this. Then they follow that up with their "Flood Fringe" announcement that gave the tone that homeowners should have known better. When no one from their side ever brought up the issue in the 4 years I have lived there, in a zoned and complaint house, that they have been taking tax from me on.
This is what stresses me out more than anything, as the rest of Calgary has got this message that we are a bunch of careless greedy buggers who are trying to turn this into a financial win off Joe taxpayer. You see this attitude all over the news message boards. Nothing could be further from the truth.
In reality, we are getting fractional return from the government (which is fine). We have had to battle insurance, and many still don't know their status (which maybe fine too). Now the AB government has slapped a warning sign on our houses, and hasn't explained what the warning entails. Thus, all those houses are worthless until they come clean with details. That is what scares many.
Some may want to sell and move to higher ground, but now they can't. They can either sell at massive loss now, give the keys back to the bank, or sit and wait in a uncompleted home. They can't rebuild because no one wants to renovate their house and it be out of flood fringe code a year from now.
So we are in limbo, and we are stuck, and all we see is a bunch of snarly people (not inferring you at all) telling us we deserve it for not knowing better. That is real stress for a lot of people who honestly just went through a horrific experience. Some day I'll share the stores of people showing me destroyed letters from their terminally ill and deceased mother to her unborn grand children. Maybe then people can relax, and start to show some empathy and work with us, and not against. Sorry, but not once in this whole event did I see my damaged home, my destroyed possessions, my devastated and emotionally drained wife, and yell "Jackpot!"