With other projects in mind, he intends to sell his property, which is listed on the MRC de Portneuf Register of Built Heritage, since summer 2021. Many visits have been made, but nothing has happened so far.
André Tanguay would like to sell his listed house, built around 1730.
Photo: Radio Canada
“A couple wanted to offer me a purchase and asked about insurance for the house. They couldn’t find a company willing to insure them as the house had legal title. »
— A quote from André Tanguay
André Lemieux also purchased a Grade II listed home in Limoilou, in the heart of Quebec City, in the 1980s. It is one of the 350 houses of its kind classified by the Ministry of Culture and Communication. In December 2021, he accepted an offer to buy, but again the sale could not be completed due to insurers.
André Lemieux in front of his historic home in the Limoilou neighborhood in the heart of Quebec City.
Photo: Radio Canada / Martin Brunette
“When it comes time for buyers to negotiate the mortgage loan, the lender requires insurance. And there, there bugs. The insurers are all withdrawing. »
— A quote from André Lemieux
According to Mr. Lemieux, only one insurance company would have agreed to cover the buyer, but the latter had to pay between $4,600 and $12,000 for very partial protection, only against fire and theft.
André Lemieux’s Grade II listed home is located in the heart of Quebec City in the Limoilou neighborhood.
Photo: Radio Canada / Martin Brunette
The organization Friends and Owners of Old Quebec Homes (APMAQ) receives about a hundred calls each year from its members who are having trouble insuring their property. According to their spokesman Claude Michaud, insurers don’t even bother to properly assess the risk that a property can pose in order to offer a premium that is proportionate to the risk taken.
Gérard Beaudet, who teaches at the University of Montreal’s Department of Environmental Design, agrees. According to him, there is a deep misunderstanding of ancient buildings and the reality of their restoration.
Gérard Beaudet is a full professor in the Department of Environmental Design at the University of Montreal.
Photo: Radio Canada / Martin Brunette
“We base the risk analysis on the worst-case scenarios, such as an exceptional building that is massively destroyed by a catastrophe and that we have to rebuild using the traditional techniques of the time. We know very well that these cases are still rather rare. »
— A quote from Gerard Beaudet
The Insurance Bureau of Canada, BAC, tells us that the difficulty of insuring old homes is not a common problem. But its spokeswoman, Line Crevier, acknowledges that BAC members have had some reluctance to cover for them. Insurers, she said, sell a claims service to customers. And if they doubt that they are performing adequately, they will sometimes choose not to offer the insurance.
APMAQ’s Claude Michaud has sounded the alarm and believes property heritage is under serious threat if insurers refuse to cover old home owners or charge them disproportionate premiums.
Claude Michaud is responsible for the insurance file at the organization Friends and Owners of Old Houses in Quebec.
Photo: Radio Canada / Martin Brunette
The Ministry of Culture and Communication is responsible for the protection of immovable heritage. Since the pressure exerted on insurers does not seem to be working so far, Gérard Beaudet proposes that the state create a collective public insurance, similar to the crop insurance that exists in agriculture.
“The (private) insurance covers the ordinary protection of a building in the event of a disaster and the part of the property risk would be insured by the state. It is in the name of the common good. »
— A quote from Gerard Beaudet
Dozens of RCMs and municipalities are calling on the Minister for Culture and Communication, Mathieu Lacombe, to act. In a very brief interview, the new minister tells us that real estate heritage is becoming one of his priorities.
Minister Mathieu Lacombe will make property heritage one of his priorities. (file photo)
Photo: Radio Canada
“It’s complex because it’s about private companies. Discussions are already underway with the Insurance Bureau of Canada, which I would perhaps like to see more intensively. This is one of the things we will be working on over the next few months. »
— A quote from Mathieu Lacombe
It is clear to André Lemieux that Minister Lacombe must act, and quickly…
“Until the government moves, it will be difficult for everyone, both buyers and sellers. »
— A quote from André Lemieux
The report by Yvan Lamontagne and Claude Laflamme will be broadcast on La billi on Tuesdays at 7:30 p.m. and on ICI Télé on Saturdays at 12:30 p.m.