The City did what? - Ottawa, Ontario

Ottawa - April 6, 2012 - Have you ever surfed a city’s official website? If you own a business, check out the section covering their building bylaws. It’s enough to make your head spin. Every town and city has a seemingly endless list of construction does and don’ts and that list gets longer every year. It’s all well intentioned of course, as city planners try to manage commercial development and keep it as orderly as possible. As businesses become more complex, so do the rules which govern them. The scary part for a business owner is trying to keep up with it all. Usually you can’t and that can lead to a serious business risk

Suppose for a moment that you own a thriving retail store in the historic part of town. The building you own and occupy was built in the 1920’s and has seen the usual basic upgrades over the years - upgrades to the wiring and plumbing. But one day your building catches fire and has to be rebuilt. Do you think there might be new rules in place for rebuilding or repairing a structure that weren’t in place back in the 1920’s? You bet. Perhaps the city has stipulated that any new commercial building has to have a water sprinkler system installed. Perhaps it has to be wheelchair friendly. Those kinds of structural changes can really add to the cost of the rebuilding process. You might think that your insurance coverage will automatically cover the extra expenses but that’s not necessarily the case.

This is where Building Bylaws insurance coverage can fill the gap. Many basic commercial building insurance policies won’t cover the added expense imposed by a city’s bylaws. If you’re not covered and the city expects you to rebuild to their new standards, you could be left paying those costs out of your own pocket. What Building Bylaws coverage does is protect you from those particular hidden expenses. Does your business have it? Do you need it? Well, that sounds like a good conversation starter between you and your insurance broker.

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