Home insurance in British Columbia has become significantly more restrictive for properties with polybutylene plumbing. What was once a footnote in an insurance application has become an active underwriting concern — one that's costing some Burnaby homeowners their coverage and others a substantial premium increase. Here's what the situation actually looks like in 2026.
What BC Insurers Are Doing With Poly B
The insurance industry's position on poly B in BC has hardened over the past few years. The patterns vary by insurer, but the general direction is consistent:
**Policy non-renewal:** Some insurers are declining to renew home insurance policies where poly B is present. Homeowners in this situation receive a letter at renewal time indicating that the policy won't be extended unless the poly B is replaced and documented before the renewal date.
**Exclusion endorsements:** Other insurers are keeping the policy in place but adding endorsements that exclude water damage arising from poly B pipe failure. This means the coverage that matters most in a poly B scenario — interior water damage — is explicitly excluded.
**Premium surcharges:** Some policies remain in place with coverage intact but carry a surcharge that effectively prices the poly B risk into the premium.
What Documentation Satisfies BC Insurers
When an insurer requires poly B replacement, they want more than your word that the work was done. The documentation requirement typically includes:
A professional inspection report confirming the extent of poly B in the home, produced before replacement work begins. A completion certificate from the plumbing contractor that states what was replaced, when the work was done, what replacement pipe material was used, and the contractor's BC licence number. In some cases, photos of the completed work showing the new pipe in place.
What doesn't satisfy an insurer: a handwritten note, a receipt without detail, or a contractor's assurance without specifics. The underwriting process is document-driven, and the documentation has to match what the underwriter is looking for.
Strata Situations
For strata properties, the insurance requirements are often more complex. The strata's master policy may have a poly B exclusion that applies to all units, regardless of whether individual units have had their plumbing replaced. Strata councils in this situation face the challenge of coordinating building-wide replacement and reporting to the strata's insurer at a corporate level.
Strata corporations that have completed building-wide poly B replacement need a project-level documentation package that goes into the strata file and gets submitted to the insurer — not just unit-level completion certificates.
What Your Timeline Looks Like
If you've received a letter from your insurer about poly B, read it carefully. The deadline is usually the policy renewal date, which gives you anywhere from a few weeks to a few months depending on when you receive the notice. That's enough time to complete a repipe in most Burnaby homes, but not if you wait to start the process.
The sequence is: call a licensed poly B replacement specialist, get an inspection done, approve the quote, schedule the work, get the completion documentation, and submit it to your insurer. Each step takes time, and the insurer needs the documentation before the renewal date — not after.
If you're in this situation in Burnaby, call us. We know this process, we know what BC insurers need to see, and we can move efficiently to meet your deadline.