You can file a claim for compensation if all of the following conditions are met:
The accident occurred in Québec.
You are the owner of the damaged vehicle or property (a fence or a bicycle, for example).
You are not entirely responsible for the accident.
Your insurance policy does not cover hit-and-run accidents.
Your insurance policy includes civil liability coverage of at least $50,000.
You reported the hit-and-run to the police no later than 48 hours after it occurred.
You filed your claim with the SAAQ no later than 60 days after the accident.
You did not sell or discard your vehicle nor have repairs made to your vehicle or property before the SAAQ assessed the damage.
Your driver’s licence is valid and was not under suspension at the time of the accident.
Your vehicle is registered and its registration is valid.
Your vehicle or other property sustained more than $500 in damage (minus a 10% deductible of the vehicle’s value with a $500 minimum; the maximum amount of compensation is $10,000).
Please note that the SAAQ may request to have the damage assessed by an accredited appraiser at any point before rendering a decision on the eligibility of a claim for property damage to a vehicle or other property in the event of a hit-and-run.
Exclusions
You cannot file a claim for compensation if you are in any one of the following situations:
Your insurance policy covers the property damage you sustained.
You were driving your vehicle while your licence was under suspension or was not valid.
You did not hold civil liability insurance covering property damage to another party.
Your vehicle was not registered or your registration fees had not been paid.
You are claiming compensation for objects being carried in the damaged vehicle.
The vehicle or other property sustained less than $500 in damage.
You are an insurer, a legal person (company or business), a partnership, a government body or an agent or mandatary of the government.
The property damage was caused by a vehicle that was taking part in a race, competition, show, trial, demonstration or exhibition on a track or area temporarily or permanently closed to all other automobile traffic, or inside a building.
