If you rent a house or apartmentin Saskatchewan, you have special insurance needs. Even though your landlord may have an insurance policy on the dwelling, you'll need your own insurance to protect personal items. There are several options available through SGI.

Tenant Pak A

Protects loss or damage from:

- fire or lightning

- explosion or implosion

- smoke

- falling objects

- impact by aircraft, spacecraft or land vehicles

- riot

- vandalism or mailcious acts

- water escape and rupture

- windstorm or hail

- electricity (power surge)

Tenant Pak I

In addition to Tenant Pak A, this adds protection for:

- theft, including damage caused by attempted theft

- loss or damage to items being transported caused by an accident involving the transporting vehicle

Tenant Pak II

This provides the coverage of Tenant Pak I, as well adding extra protection to your belongings in almost any instance, with certain exceptions. It's the most comprehensive protection for your belongings.

Special Seniors Pak

This is for people 60 or over who live in an approved care home, nursing home, or seniors complex at a lower cost. 

Replacement cost coverage

This is included in all packages and protects your belongings at today's prices, not depreciated values.

With an SGI Tenant Pak, you're also protected against:

- credit or debit-card loss, cheque forgery and counterfeit money

- expenses for debris removal following an insured loss

- damage to improvements you made to your premises

- damage to your property from emergency entry by police officers, paramedics or firefighters

- increased living expenses and lost rental income following an insured loss

- inflated protection

- mass evacuation expenses

- damage to trees, shrubs, and outdoor plats

- damage to the belongings of guests or household employees

- limited renter's glass coverage (not applicable to Tenant Pak A)

Personal liability coverage

Also included with all packages, this coverage protects you in case you're found legally responsible for bodily injury to someone else or for damage to their property. This is a $1 million limit in personal liability coverage to cover:

- court costs, legal fees and certain other expenses associated with your defence in the event of a liability suit

- voluntary medical payments up to $5000 and voluntary property damage payments up to $5000, even if you're not legally liable

Additional options

- Identity Theft Coverage

- Excess Protection - premises improvemnts

- Increased Limits Coverage

- Special Belongings Coverage

- Sewer Backup Coverage

- Voluntary Fire Fighting Coverage

- Watercraft Coverage

- Seasonal Home Coverage

Further information can be found in our Tenant Insurance section.

Ice dams are those thick ridges of ice that build up along your eaves over the winter. When your roof heats up, either through warm temperatures or heat from the attic, and the snow slowly melts it refreezes when it hits your eaves. This freezing can rip off gutters, loosen shingles, and cause water to build up and pour into your home. This can cause major interior damages like peeling paint, warped floors, stained and sagging ceilings, and moldy insulation. With a little prevention now, you can combat ice dams in your home and keep from making a claim and paying more for your home insurance.

The simplest routine to get into is raking the snow off the roof. You can buy specialized roof shovels with extended handles that will allow you to quickly and easily pull the built up snow off your roof. This is especially important in areas of your roof that form a valley.

If you are able to safely reach up to your roof where the ice dam occurs, DO NOT use an axe or ice pick as it will cause damage to your shingles and roof. Using a blunt mallet, gently tapping the ice chunks will slowly free them up. Be warned this still may cause damage to your shingles. You can also melt troughs through the dams using calcium chloride ice melter, but DO NOT use rock salt as it will damage paint, metal and plants.

If you are experiencing heavy leakage in your home quickly set up large fans in your attic to help ventilate hot air out of the attic to stop the melting and allow the water to freeze again while you contact roofing specialists to come remove the ice dam.

If your home is prone to ice damming, consider taking steps to keep warm air out of your attic. Proper attic ventilation, adding insulation, and sealing areas that may leak heat into the attic (like an attic hatch) will keep your roof the same temperature as your eaves and prevent unnecessary damage to your home during winter and spring months.