Suppose you own a condo apartment or townhouse. In that case, you probably pay for insurance to cover your unit in case of any damage to the apartment or townhouse through your condo or home insurance.
However, you also pay extra insurance for additional coverage to the entire complex through your strata fees. The two insurance policies (personal vs. strata) cover different aspects of the property and come with their own deductibles. Learn more about strata insurance coverage, deductibles, and how they differ from a personal condo or townhouse insurance policies.
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Strata Insurance vs. Personal Insurance, What’s the Diff?
Significant differences exist between what your personal condo or townhouse insurance covers & costs vs. what your strata’s complex insurance covers & expenses.
Personal Condo or Townhouse Insurance Coverage
Your personal insurance for your condo or townhouse, which you pay directly to an insurance company personally, only mainly covers your actual unit, the personal belongings within it, and liability coming from the unit itself. This insurance does not cover the rest of the condo or townhouse complex.
What Strata Insurance Covers
A portion of your strata fee pays into an additional insurance policy to cover the condo or townhouse complex. Strata corporations are required to obtain and maintain property insurance and liability insurance.
Suppose you’re in a condo apartment building. In that case, this strata insurance covers the overall building structure itself, any publicly shared areas attached to the complex, the exterior, landscaping, and accessories like garages, playgrounds, pools, and fitness centers.
The same goes for if you’re in a complex of townhomes too. The strata insurance still covers some of the overall complex structure itself, any public areas attached to the complex, the exterior landscaping, playgrounds, pools, fitness centers, etc.
Condo and Townhouse Insurance Claim Deductibles
Just like you have deductibles to consider if you claim your personal insurance provider, your strata group also has deductibles to consider if they will claim with their own insurance provider. Making claims in an insurance policy often can raise the risk & costs of the policy, so whether to make a claim or pay out-of-pocket is not a decision to take lightly. For the complex, this can mean the strata producing a full insurance loss assessment to consider & present all options to owners properly.
Speak to a Professional
If you live in Alberta or British Columbia and have any pending questions about strata insurance coverage, deductibles, and how they differ from the personal condo or townhouse insurance policies, contact our team at 1.844.544.4663 and see what makes us Harbord – The Home Insurance People™!
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