So with all the wonderful new changes to the building codes in Canada and Alberta I started to wonder about this. Can insurance companies refuse to offer insurance on homes with attached garage homes that no longer meet the current up to date code.
The specific code requires all attached garage homes to have proper insullation, poly, gypsum board and minimum 1 coat of drywall compound to the complete garage for an added fire stop to the home. Unfortunately it has nothing to do with the limiting distances from house to house but rather creating a fire stop between the garage and home to protect the rest of the house.
It's just a big question I am having since we are trying to insure our parents home after my dad passed away and this is a nightmare. We are working on rennovating it so we can sell it but getting insurance in the meantime isn't being friendly to us.
I tried telling the insurance company that there must be thousands of homes in Calgary that are built in the exact same way. I personally don't see how this is a huge issue and even why it was added to the building code. I spoke with municipal affairs and they just quoted me the fact that damage caused by fires in garages have increased by X number of dollars since the 1980s.
They would not tell me how many fires exactly though as i'm sure this number hasn't increased significantly over the years just the supposed value of the damage has gone up.
Also under the new codes many many many homes in Calgary no longer meet code that were built just six months ago. Specifically doing with limiting distances from house to house and side windows and vinly siding.