Rebecca Benson of Mississauga, Ont., couldn’t stop the water flowing into her basement in July and the memories of what happened a decade earlier came flooding back fast.
“Oh my god, I can’t do this again,” Benson said, recalling her thoughts when the heavy rains caused a backup in her backsplit home.
“This wasn’t supposed to happen again,” Benson told Global News. In 2013, a sewer backup caused extensive damage.
Like hundreds of other homeowners who suffered a loss in the July flood, Benson has been consumed with dealing with a restoration contractor and her insurance company.
“I asked all the questions but never got answers,” Benson said, expressing frustration with Intact Insurance.
In particular, Benson said the restoration company covered up wet items in her basement, including a computer, fitness equipment and some furniture. Almost a month later, the items remain, along with many more items on the concrete floor of a crawl space.
She says an Intact representative promised that fans, dehumidifiers and air scrubbers would be brought in to help dry out the basement.
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Benson says the equipment was never installed. Her basement has a strong odour.
In a statement to Global News, Intact Insurnance said the company is trying to get Benson back on track as quickly as possible.
“We are actively working with this customer to support her through these challenging times, including coordinating contractor appointments for restoration efforts and reviewing eligibility for additional living expenses coverage,” an Intact spokesperson wrote in an email.
Benson said she was initially advised she would be compensated for hotel accommodations if she moved out temporarily but was later told the opposite.
Citing an email from a company representative handling her case, Intact insisted that she would not be reimbursed.
“Additional living expense coverage is only activated if your whole house is not livable, which is not the case, only basement is affected. You can move out if you want but it will be an out-of-pocket expense,” the Intact representative told Benson in writing.
Benson says she is patient and understands that she’s not the only homeowner experiencing inconvenience as a result of the flooding, but she says Intact is obligated to do a better job.
“When the insurance companies are not doing their part to communicate with those paying them…It’s not right,” she said.
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