Homeowner with leaking pipes says be ready to battle insurance to pay for repairs

A homeowner with leaking copper pipes wants to warn others that insurance claims may be difficult to settle.

Bijan Khanjari first discovered a leak in his copper water line in July, with a second leak just a few weeks later. 

He had minimal damage to his home, but after the second leak, a plumber recommended getting water service line insurance, if his company provided that coverage.

Three weeks after getting the coverage from his insurance company, Wawanesa, Khanjari heard something in his basement.

"I said, 'What's this noise?' All the water's off in the house, and I can still hear this noise."

After investigating, his plumber said there was now a water leak in the service line, but couldn't determine exactly where. That's when Khanjari decided to have a new service line drilled into his home, at a cost of $6200.

When Khanjari went to make a claim for the work, he says Wawanesa sent a representative from the Boiler Inspection and Insurance Company of Canada to his home. Wawanesa is headquartered in Winnipeg but its website says it has five local brokers in Thunder Bay. 

The representative then forwarded their findings on to Wawanesa 

Khanjari said he felt like he was being "interrogated," and that the company was "looking for any details that were off."

"I pay for peace of mind. Pay for, if I need help, they're going to have my back. The one time in 10 years that I've made a claim, they're just kicking and screaming and trying to find every excuse not to pay, and, it's just really sad."

In a statement to CBC News, Wawanesa said, "we are always willing to review any decisions made on our end to ensure we get it right, and welcome anyone with a concern to bring it to our attention or the attention of their independent insurance broker."

Khanjari said his mother called Wawanesa, and attempted to get service line coverage for her home, only to be hold, that product is no longer available in Thunder Bay, because of a high number of claims.

Wawanesa said, "with regard to supply lines, we do offer this coverage under an optional service line product. All of our products are distributed through independent insurance brokers and we always encourage people to reach out to their broker to make sure they have the coverage that's right for them."