Montreal couple dealing with insurance ‘nightmare’ after their basement flooded

Not much is left of the Calliste family’s basement in Longueuil on Montreal’s south shore as mould infiltrated due to water damage when their basement was flooded in July amid a summer storm.

“Honestly, I think it’s one of the most difficult things that we’ve been through. We didn’t expect this to happen from an insurance company,” said Delon Calliste.

“So, there’s evidence of water coming in here. This looks like watermarks if I’m not mistaken. This looks like watermarks or calcium from water.”

After returning home from a six-week family vacation in July, Delon Calliste and his partner Cristina Delli Colli noticed a strange smell in their home.

“We went down to the basement and the smell, it was very musky, it smelled like there was a problem because when we left there was no smell,” said Calliste.

Delli Colli added, “So, I googled it and I started to see it was white mould and then he moved, I think it was the baseboard and saw black mould and I kind of panicked because I have MS and I’m immunocompromised. So that’s a neurotoxin.”

Calliste reached out to his insurance provider, Beneva, to get the issue sorted out as soon as possible. The insurance company arranged to clear out their clothes and furniture from the basement.

But that’s when the problems started Calliste says, including reportedly a lack of communication from the insurance representative and no proper home inspection.

“The damage was never assessed to base their decision. They only sent a plumber to check the pipes with a camera and they sent someone with a humidity sensor to test the walls. No one followed up by looking behind the walls…I asked them ‘What did you base the decision on?’ And they only said, well, mould is not covered in your clause, so therefore we’re not covering it,” said Calliste.

However, according to a home inspection report, before purchasing his home in 2020, there was no mould in the basement.

Calliste says the mould growth was recent and the result of the intense rainfall during the summer months in the Montreal area. He says his home insurance policy is supposed to cover water damage.

“As soon as I come home, I walk around the perimeter, make sure everything is okay. If it’s raining, I check the gutters and make sure that they’re not blocked. I check the drain in the back and make sure it’s clean from leaves and debris. This is something I do on the regular,” said Calliste.

Calliste and his family have been staying with a relative in Laval since July. Earlier this week, Beneva emailed Calliste settling the claim with a payment. However, Delli Colli says the payment was only for covering the costs of not living at home for three months and that the actual claim for the basement has been rejected.

In an email to CityNews, Beneva says, “The reasons for refusal are included in the communication sent to our policyholder.”

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They added that they don’t comment on specific customer files.

A spokesperson from the Insurance Bureau of Canada says in a statement that, “In the event of dissatisfaction, the first step is to contact this department or the insurer’s customer service department. In the event of a lack of ethics on the part of an insurance company employee, it is possible to file a complaint with the AMF, whose role is to monitor the quality of services provided.”

Calliste says he’s not received any written communication that explains the reason why their claim for the basement was rejected.

“It’s been so stressful, it’s been so emotional, it’s been draining. We literally don’t know what to do,” said Calliste.

Calliste has filed complaints with Beneva, as well as with the Insurance Bureau of Canada and AMF – but for now, he’s left to clean up the mess on his own.

“Right now, I am demolishing. I have no choice because they told me the claim is not accepted and I have to move forward and get my place livable for my children and my family,” said Calliste.