EDMONTON – Sifting through the paperwork and figuring out how much insurance coverage they have has been stressful for some Fort McMurray residents.
For them, the return home is laden with expectation and a certain amount of anxiety. That includes Stony Creek residents Alejandra Ravenstein and Hermes Guillen.
They have been couch surfing for weeks and have temporarily made a home for themselves in Edmonton.
The couple will not be able to return to their Wood Buffalo Housing & Development Corporation-owned building until it has been cleaned.
“We have no clue what’s going to happen. I mean, are they going to throw stuff out? Are they going to move my personal belongings? What about the things that I’m very private about? Are they going to go through that?” Ravenstein asked.
She thought she would be able to get her insurance provider to cover the cost of cleanup inside her suite. Now she is worried that any cleaning done before her adjuster gets access to her unit, could place her insurance claim in jeopardy.
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“If they want to get in there and have a look at it ahead of time, we’re open to that,” Greg Elsasser, acting president and CEO of Wood Buffalo Housing & Development Corporation (WBHDC), said.
“But we’re not going to be opening up the buildings to the tenants. We will work with the tenants’ insurance adjusters.”
Elsasser said it is an approach they hope will be effective in ensuring tenants are able to get back to their homes not only in a timely manner, but a safe one.
“We’re trying to coordinate a response and do it en masse, so that we can get approvals on both sides to begin the work and by doing so, nobody’s insurance is going to be invalidated,” he told Global News.
The Insurance Bureau of Canada (IBC) has a team on the ground in Fort McMurray. So far, they have dealt with questions from renters, homeowners and business owners.
“The landlords’ adjusters, the tenants’ adjusters should be able to coordinate things so that (neither) the tenant, nor the landlord have any issues or face any problems as a result of each insurance company doing some work on the claim,” Pete Karageorgos, with the Insurance Bureau of Canada, said.
He said the primary obligations of landlords at this time is to ensure the property clean and safe for tenants to occupy. That means ensuring common spaces and accessible areas have been tended to thoroughly.
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Karageorgos recommends both homeowners and renters document the damage. Lists are also important for keeping track of what has been damaged and what requires repair work – both outside and inside their home.
“That’s what’s the most important and critical step in terms of the claims process – backing up and providing evidence of what’s been damaged or had to be thrown out,” he said.
Among the other tips provided by the IBC on its website: provide proofs of purchase, photos, receipts and warranties and take photographs of damages. When it comes to damaged items, keep them, unless they pose a health hazard.
The IBC also recommends evacuees hang onto their receipts for living expenses while they were away from home. And ask your insurance representative what other living expenses you may be entitled to and for how long.
Landlords, who typically own major appliances like refrigerators and stoves, have an obligation to ensure they are in working order.
As for Ravenstein, she still has yet to successfully reach her provider.
“Honestly, I would just like to know – have better information as to what’s going to happen with my claim, how do I even file it? What do they need? What can I get back? I don’t even know what my insurance covers,” she said.
Elsasser reiterated WBHDC’s willingness to work with tenants’ insurers and their adjusters: “But we want to try and coordinate the cleanup response. It’s going to be quicker if we can do that and get in there and get all the work done in one fell swoop.”
On its website, the corporation said cleanup of one 175-unit apartment building is expected to require 125 staff and 10 days of work.
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