Special Guest Blog by Chelsea Burley, Reporting & Payroll Administrator, Staebler Insurance

A property insurance claim is never something that I wanted to go through, however I quickly learned that having a broker on my side made the process much more manageable.

In December 2022, my partner and I were woken up very early in the morning by the sound of running water on our main floor. We walked downstairs to find a pipe had burst in our main floor bathroom and our hallway was filled with inches of water. As we made our way to the basement to turn off the main water supply, we realized the water was also pouring through the ceiling in the basement.

Even as an employee at an insurance brokerage, my first reaction was panic! Thankfully, my second reaction was to call the After Hours Emergency Line that Staebler Insurance offers to begin the claims process.

Staebler Insurance After Hours Emergency Number: 1.866.248.1129

I shared all our information and began mitigating as much of the damage as possible by laying down towels and setting up fans in the areas most affected by the water. Unfortunately, having just moved to North Bay from Kitchener a few months prior, the usual restoration company that is recommended to Waterloo Region clients was not able to respond to our claim.

After a few phone calls, our broker recommended a restoration company in North Bay that was a trusted partner of our insurance company. They were at our house within hours to begin the clean up and restoration process. Later that morning we received a call from our insurance company going over the timeline and process with us and our first home claim journey was underway.

Quite frankly, this began a long and sometimes frustrating process of restoration for most of our main floor. We were advised that because of the amount of damage, we would need all new hardwood on our main floor, new flooring in the bathroom, a new vanity, new drywall, and a lot of drying equipment in the basement and main floor for several days to ensure that no further damage was sustained.

As the process became more and more involved, we were more and more thankful that we had a trusted broker as our partner in the claims process – not only to reassure us but also to advocate for us when there were discrepancies on what was covered. While I do work at an insurance brokerage, I am not a licensed insurance expert, so I was relying on my broker to help guide me through this often complicated process.

Within a month, the repairs were underway, and the payments had been processed by our insurance company. We selected our new flooring and vanity, and continued to be in contact with our broker as they checked in to see how the repairs were going.

It was never more apparent how valuable a broker is in the process than when we encountered an unexpected delay in our repairs. The restoration company accidentally damaged our toilet when they were re-installing it and due to the layout of the bathroom it was a specialty corner toilet that the company said would not be covered.

Looking at a large delay, and a large bill, because of a special-order replacement, we were relieved when our broker stepped in and handled the dispute with our insurance company. They were able to ensure that we were not out of pocket and our repairs could be completed. We now have a fully completed repair and we have peace of mind that everything has been fixed properly in our home.

Even as an employee at an insurance brokerage, I realized that surprises can be part of the claims process and despite how frustrating claims and repairs can be, it is undeniably apparent how important a broker is. After the claim was completed, I cannot express how thankful I am for the support we received from our broker and the team to guide us through our first, and hopefully last, water claim!

Chelsea Burley is a Reporting & Payroll Administrator on Staebler Insurance’s Finance Team.

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Staebler Insurance is a general insurance broker specializing in car insurance, home insurance, small business, and commercial insurance. Staebler brokers proudly serve Kitchener, Waterloo, Cambridge, Guelph, Stratford, Listowel, Fergus, Elora, Wellington County, Perth County, Waterloo Region and southern Ontario. Get a Quote to get started today.