{"id":21396,"date":"2026-05-11T14:53:30","date_gmt":"2026-05-11T18:53:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.groupevezina.com\/?p=21396"},"modified":"2026-05-11T14:52:43","modified_gmt":"2026-05-11T18:52:43","slug":"renovating-your-home-yourself-when-does-it-become-a-risk-for-your-insurance","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.groupevezina.com\/en\/renovating-your-home-yourself-when-does-it-become-a-risk-for-your-insurance\/","title":{"rendered":"Renovating your home yourself: When does it become a risk for your insurance?"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-post\" data-elementor-id=\"21396\" class=\"elementor elementor-21396 elementor-21391\" data-elementor-post-type=\"post\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-a731aff e-ecs-flex e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"a731aff\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\" data-settings=\"{&quot;ecs_container_type&quot;:&quot;flex&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-27162c1 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"27162c1\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><strong>Let\u2019s be honest: doing your own home renovations is tempting. Savings, a sense of accomplishment, total control over the outcome\u2026 and sometimes a few choice expletives along the way. But behind the hammer and the YouTube tutorials, there\u2019s one question we often forget to ask ourselves: does my home insurance cover this?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Because yes, at a certain point, your DIY skills may start to worry your insurer.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<h4>Small DIY projects: no worries\u2026 or almost none<\/h4>\n<p>Repainting a room, replacing a floating floor, installing shelves, or modernizing a kitchen without altering the structure? Generally, no problem.<\/p>\n<p>This type of work is considered maintenance or cosmetic improvement. Your home insurance continues to cover you as usual, as long as everything is done reasonably.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<h4>As soon as things get \u201cserious,\u201d it gets complicated<\/h4>\n<p>This is where it gets interesting.<\/p>\n<p>Certain projects increase the level of risk in your insurer\u2019s eyes, especially when they involve critical parts of the house:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Electrical<\/li>\n<li>Plumbing<\/li>\n<li>Structure (load-bearing walls, additions)<\/li>\n<li>Roofing<\/li>\n<li>Heating systems<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Why? Because a mistake in these areas can cause significant damage: fire, water damage, structural collapse\u2026 and that\u2019s when the bill quickly skyrockets.<\/p>\n<p>And if the work doesn\u2019t comply with current standards, your insurer could deny a claim directly related to that work. Yes, even if you had the best of intentions.<\/p>\n<h4>\u00a0<\/h4>\n<h4>Work Without a Permit: A Slippery Slope<\/h4>\n<p>In Quebec, many renovations require a municipal permit. And this isn\u2019t just a formality.<\/p>\n<p>If you carry out major work without a permit:<\/p>\n<p>You could be in violation<br \/>Your work could be deemed non-compliant<br \/>And in the event of a claim, your insurer could reduce or deny coverage<\/p>\n<p>Let\u2019s just say that takes some of the charm out of the \u201cdo-it-yourself\u201d project.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<h4>The importance of reporting your renovations<\/h4>\n<p>An often-overlooked point: notify your broker or insurer before starting the work.<\/p>\n<p>Why? Because certain renovations can increase your property\u2019s value, change the risk level, or require an adjustment to your coverage.<\/p>\n<p>For example:<\/p>\n<p>Adding a bathroom<br \/>Finishing a basement<br \/>Installing a stove or fireplace<br \/>Building a garage<\/p>\n<p>Not saying anything risks leaving you underinsured\u2026 at the worst possible moment.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<h4>Do It Yourself or Call the Pros?<\/h4>\n<p>Let\u2019s be clear: doing your own renovations isn\u2019t forbidden. But you need to know your limits.<\/p>\n<p>For certain jobs, hiring certified professionals isn\u2019t an expense\u2026 it\u2019s protection.<\/p>\n<p>Electrical work should ideally be done by a master electrician. Some installations must meet strict standards and be inspected. And if a problem arises, liability is clearer<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<h4>The right approach<\/h4>\n<p>Before starting your renovations, ask yourself these three questions:<\/p>\n<p>Does this work involve a critical part of the house?<br \/>Do I need a permit?<br \/>Is my insurer aware of this?<\/p>\n<p>If you\u2019re unsure, it\u2019s probably the right time to ask.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Doing your own renovations is rewarding. But when it comes to insurance, it\u2019s not just the result that counts\u2026 it\u2019s how you got there.<\/p>\n<p>A well-planned, compliant, and properly reported project is the key to preventing your renovation dream from turning into an administrative nightmare.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Let\u2019s be honest: doing your own home renovations is tempting. Savings, a sense of accomplishment, total control over the outcome\u2026 and sometimes a few choice expletives along the way. But behind the hammer and the YouTube tutorials, there\u2019s one question we often forget to ask ourselves: does my home insurance cover this? Because yes, at [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":18,"featured_media":21400,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"set","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[381,19],"tags":[357,411,108,329,46,119,412,105],"class_list":["post-21396","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-assurance-habitation-en","category-home-insurance","tag-assurance-dommage-en","tag-bricolage","tag-damage","tag-home-insurance-en","tag-insurance","tag-renovation","tag-renovations","tag-responsability"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.groupevezina.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21396","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.groupevezina.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.groupevezina.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.groupevezina.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/18"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.groupevezina.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=21396"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.groupevezina.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21396\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":21406,"href":"https:\/\/www.groupevezina.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21396\/revisions\/21406"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.groupevezina.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/21400"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.groupevezina.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=21396"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.groupevezina.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=21396"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.groupevezina.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=21396"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}