According to a survey for Desjardins General Insurance, 35% of 18 to 34 year-olds in Quebec don’t have home insurance. The percentage for the rest of the population is 23%.
Why are people in Quebec not insuring their home, especially young people?
- 31% responded that it was because they forgot.
- Another third of respondents said it was too expensive.
- 18% said they didn’t have enough valuable property.
However, Desjardins General Insurance says that it could cost less than 65 cents a day. One figure that may help us see clear: about half of renters age 18 to 34 who don’t have insurance don’t know what civil liability is.
“Keep in mind that home insurance helps the insured recover his property in case of damage, but it also covers the damages the insured and his dependents could cause to surrounding property. This is what is known as civil liability, and it’s included with the home insurance policy, says Denis Côté, Vice-President of marketing at Desjardins General Insurance.
He adds: “it’s important to understand that if you aren’t protected by home insurance and you are responsible for major damage, the tenant’s financial health and that of his loved ones is automatically threatened for a long time.”
Now the question that kills. How can people age 18 to 35 not know what civil liability is? Don’t parents teach it? Schools neither? If not, how and where will young people learn it?
All it takes is for water damage, worse than a fire, for a young renter to be crushed under an avalanche of payments for having deprived other tenants of their property due to his negligence, not to mention the loss of his own property.
According to Desjardins General Insurance, the average claim for theft is $2,500 among insured young tenants, $10,000 for a fire, and $8,000 for civil liability.
“Don’t forget that living expenses are paid in case of damages that force the insured to relocate,” terminates Mr. Côté.
