Does Ottawa's Compassionate Grant cover flooding from a leaking window well?

No, the City's Compassionate Grant does not cover flooding from a leaking window well. The City limits the grant to basement flooding caused by sewer surcharging.

The City is explicit about what the grant does not cover: flooding from an appliance failure, a sewer lateral blockage, or overland flooding due to a foundation crack or a leaking window well. A window well that lets water into the basement falls into that last category, so the grant would not apply to it.

The City also notes that the grant is currently under review, so its terms could change. Checking ottawa.ca before making any decisions based on it is worth doing.

If water came in through a window well, the City advises sealing window wells, and Ontario's Building Code requires every window well to be drained to the footing level or another suitable location (9.14.6.3). The City also advises sloping the ground away from the foundation and keeping the area around the foundation clear of snow. Those are preventive steps; a contractor who looks at the well and the surrounding grade can tell you what the actual source of the problem is and what the repair involves.

If a flood has left mould or contaminated material behind, that clean-up work is covered at ottawaabatement.com rather than here.

The request form on this page goes directly to local Ottawa waterproofing contractors listed in the Ottawa Construction Network directory if you want someone to assess the window well and the drainage around it.