Alberta, B.C. residents overlooking indoor water damage risks: poll

Only a small percentage of homeowners and tenants in Alberta and British Columbia cite water damage as a top concern, according to a new poll from Canadian Direct Insurance.

Results are based on a recent online survey conducted among homeowners and renters. The results have been statistically weighted according to age and gender, Canadian Direct Insurance said.

Based on that polling, only 23% of Alberta homeowners and tenants and only 17% of B.C. residents consider water damage a major concern.

In Alberta, 66% said they engage in gutter cleaning to protect from water damage, under thr 75% in B.C. Sixty-three percent of Albertans also said they do a roof inspection, just under 69% in British Columbia.

And roughly half in each province – 52% in Alberta and 47% in B.C. – conduct inspections of their appliances, according to the poll.

Almost three-quarters (70%) of Alberta homeowners arrange to have someone check their home for water leaks when traveling for longer than a weekend, while only 52% of B.C. residents said the same.