Compare home insurance providers in BC

Not all home insurance policies are created equal. So, it’s important to compare what’s offered by different home insurance providers. To help with this comparison, we’ve compiled information on five common providers in BC. Information is included on the degree of personalization, the type of protection, and the range of savings offered by each provider.

While every effort is made to keep this comparison up-to-date, it is subject to change without notice. Please contact your home insurance provider if you have specific questions about your policy. Or, call 1.855.331.6933 to speak with a Square One agent. Our office is open 5:00 AM - 6:00 PM (Monday - Saturday). In addition to answering any questions you may have, we can also provide you with a free comparison quote.

About us

The professionals that started Square One have more than a combined 100 years of experience in the insurance industry. They recognized that traditional home insurance wasn’t meeting the needs of customers. So, they designed a new program from scratch. As a result, you can now:

Choose exactly what you want to insure
Buy directly online or save for later
Get instant coverage the minute you buy
Pay monthly with no contract

Comparison quotes

Industry experts recommend that you get comparison quotes every three years because:

New providers enter the market
Existing providers change their policies
Your needs change over time

Getting comparison quotes used to mean spending hours speaking to agents. Now, many providers offer online quotes. In fact, an online quote from Square One Insurance Services takes 5 minutes.

Why us

With Square One, you get a knowledgeable team, fast service, excellent protection, great prices and more...

A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau
Over N/A happy customer reviews online
Get your quote in 5 minutes
No long-term contracts
Option to pay monthly at no extra cost
Dedicated 24/7 emergency claims line
Claims are handled fairly and promptly

Personalize your policy to your needs

Most home insurance providers offer pre-packaged policies that cover a wide-range of property. For example, you automatically get 10% of the building limit for detached structures (whether you have any or not). Other providers, like Square One, let you choose what property to insure so you only pay for what you need.

Provided below is a comparison of the types of property insured and limits of insurance offered by each major provider in BC. This comparison is based on a house with a $500,000 rebuild value. After reviewing the comparison, decide whether a pre-packaged or a personalized policy is right for you.

	Square One	Aviva	BCAA	Intact	RBC
Detached structures	Optional	$75,000	$50,000	$50,000	$75,000
Personal property	$25,000+	$400,000	$350,000	$400,000	$400,000
Specialty property
Audio + video media	Personal property	$1,000	$1,000	$3,000	$1,000
Bicycles	Optional	$1,000	$1,000	$3,000	$1,000
Business property	Optional	$2,000	$2,000	$2,000	$2,000
China	Optional	$10,000	$6,000	$6,000	$10,000
Collectible cards	Optional	$5,000	$2,500	$8,500	$2,500
Coin collections	Optional	$5,000	$2,500	$8,500	$2,500
Computers	Personal property	$5,000	$2,500	$8,500	$2,500
Fine arts	Optional	Personal property	Personal property	Personal property	$10,000
	Square One	Aviva	BCAA	Intact	RBC
Garden-type tractors	Personal property	$5,000	$2,500	$2,500	$2,500
Jewellery + watches	Optional	$6,000	$10,000	$7,500	$6,000
Manuscripts + stamp collections	Optional	Personal property	Personal property	$10,000	Personal property
Money (including cash cards)	Not covered	Personal property	Personal property	$10,000	Personal property
Oriental rugs	Optional	Personal property	Personal property	$10,000	Personal property
Silverware	Optional	Personal property	Personal property	$10,000	Personal property
Sporting equipment	Optional	Personal property	Personal property	Personal property	Personal property
Student’s property	Personal property	$10,000	$3,000	$1,000	$1,000
Watercraft	Optional	$2,000	$3,000	$1,000	$3,000
Additional living expenses	$10,000+	$125,000	$150,000	$100,000	$125,000
Personal and premises liability	$500,000+	$1,000,000+	$1,000,000+	$1,000,000+	$1,000,000+
	Square One	Aviva	BCAA	Intact	RBC

Not all providers classify specialty property in the same way. Some providers may classify certain types of specialty property as personal property. Moreover, they may not cover certain types of specialty property at all. And finally, the limit for specialty property may only apply for losses resulting from burglary, mysterious disappearance, theft, etc. For complete details, please refer to the policy wordings for each provider.

Protect against break-ins, fires and more

When buying home insurance, it’s important to determine what type of policy is being offered by the provider. The three types of policies available are:

1. Comprehensive: Protects against all types of loss except for those specifically excluded in the policy.

2. Named perils: Protects against only specific types of loss listed in the policy.

3. Broad form: Protects building on a comprehensive basis and personal property on a named perils basis.

Comprehensive policies offer the best protection and named perils policies offer the worst protection. That said; not all comprehensive policies are the same. In some cases, you are charged extra for critical protection against certain loss types. The chart below compares the policy and loss types offered by each provider.

	Square One	Aviva	BCAA	Intact	RBC
Policy type
Comprehensive (Best)	Included	Optional	Optional	Optional	Included
Broad form	Not offered	Optional	Optional	Optional	Not offered
Named perils (Worst)	Not offered	Optional	Optional	Optional	Not offered
Loss type
Earthquake	Optional	Optional	Optional	Optional	Optional
Inland (freshwater) flood	Included	Optional	Optional	Optional	Not offered
Water backup	Included	Optional	Optional	Optional	Optional
Water from external drains	Included	Included	Optional	Included	Included
Hail	Included	Included	Included	Optional	Included
	Square One	Aviva	BCAA	Intact	RBC

Inland (freshwater) flood may not be available in all areas of the country. Where it is available, some providers include the coverage automatically and others offer the coverage optionally. It’s also important to note that no home insurance provider in Canada currently offers protection against coastal (seawater) flood.

Save with discounts and deductibles

Provided below are the most common discounts offered by home insurance providers. While some providers list discount amounts on the policy, others simply incorporate them into the final premium. Either way, you’re still receiving the same savings.

Selecting a higher deductible is another way that you can save money. A deductible is the amount that you are responsible for paying before your policy will respond. With some providers, you can save up to 30% by selecting a higher deductible.

	Square One	Aviva	BCAA	Intact	RBC
Discount
Age-related	45 years+	26 years+	45 years+	50 years+	Included
Claims free	3 years+	3 years+	3 years+	Variable	Included
Home age	Included	Variable	Variable	Variable	Included
Monitored alarm	Included	Variable	Variable	Variable	Variable
Mortgage free	Included	Variable	Unknown	Variable	Variable
Deductible
Standard	$500 to $5,000	$500 to $2,500	$500 to $2,500	$500 to $2,500	$500 to $5,000
Earthquake	5% to 50%	5% to 15%	5% to 15%	5% to 15%	5% to 10%
	Square One	Aviva	BCAA	Intact	RBC

A range of percentages has been shown for the earthquake deductible in the comparison. This percentage applies to the limit of earthquake protection purchased. For example, if you have $900,000 of earthquake protection, then a 5% deductible equals $45,000. That means you must pay the first $45,000 of any earthquake-related damage. In addition to the deductibles listed above, your policy may be subject to several other deductibles. For example, there may be specific deductibles for losses from crime, water backup, and hail losses. Or, there may be deductibles for losses due to your home’s electrical or plumbing systems.

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