Cottage Insurance
Ever wonder why the traffic is backed up every Friday after work?
People are heading to their cottages for the weekend. For many cottage owners this is the weekly routine from May until September. Often cottage owners have turned their weekend retreat into their second home, complete with all the amenities and comforts of their city properties.
Insurance coverage for these properties can range from a basic fire policy, to complete all risk coverage including replacement cost for building and contents.
Does your cottage have year round access? Are you located on an island? How far is the nearest firehall? Are you renting out your property during the season for summer or winter activities? These are some of the factors used to determine if coverage is available and the rate of premiums.
Some insurance companies offer superior coverage for cottage insurance including:
- Damage caused by bears
- Vandalism and malicious damage
- Weight of snow and ice
- Collapse
- Replacement cost for building and contents coverage
- Burglary and robbery
Take a moment to consider these questions:
- Can your seasonal dwelling be rebuilt for the amount you have it insured for now?
- In the event of a total loss, do you have enough contents coverage to replace all your personal belongings at the cottage?
- Do you have detached structures on the premises including sheds, sleeping cabins, saunas? These may have to be separately insured.
Cottage Safety Tip
Cottage Safety:
No one wants to think about the potential problems that can occur with a vacation home. You want your cottage experiences to be fun and memorable, and this means taking preventative measures to keep it that way. It can be a long time before a fire truck or emergency medical personnel can reach your cottage, so prevention is the rule of the day.
There are certain items you should have on hand to make sure that small injuries can be dealt with immediately, and more serious injuries, tended to before embarking on a journey into the doctor’s office or hospital.
Your Safety Checklist:
- First aid kit
- First aid reference guide
- 10 candles, candle holder
- Waterproof matches
- Metal kettle, pot or even a large tin can for boiling water – that can be used
- over an open flame if necessary
- Instant coffee, hot chocolate, tea, or other hot instant beverage
- Granola or Trail mix in a rodent-proof container
- Small axe or hatchet
- Flashlight
- Spare batteries
- Clean drinking water
- Tarp or other plastic sheeting