High risk home insurance

High risk home insurance is property insurance for clients who are considered risky in the eyes of the insurance companies. The more an insurance company projects a client might cost them, the less likely they are to jump at their business. But, each insurance company has a particular appetite for risk in its clientele.

Here are some reasons an insurance company might place you in the ‘high risk’ category:

• History of claims
• Poor credit score
• Owning aggressive dog breeds
• Criminal record
• You’ve been cancelled for non-payment in the past (or cancelled altogether)
• Home not up to date with regards to renovations

Any of these items appearing on your file might indicate to an insurance company that you are likely to make a high volume or high dollar value of claims.

High risk home insurance is also referred to as ‘non-standard’ home insurance.

Insurance companies don’t want clients they know are likely to submit so many claims they’ll end up costing money.

They also don’t want to insure assets they know are sure to cause issues.

Old, uncared-for homes pose risks because they’re more likely to encounter problems that will result in a claim.

Here are some reasons an insurance company might refuse to insure a home:

• Structural or foundational issues
• Out of date with regards to renovations (electrical, plumbing & roof)
• Located in a high-risk weather area (a flood zone, for example)

Some companies look at flood zones as total red flags. Rather than insuring those homes without flood insurance — which is one way to do it — they’ll refuse them altogether to avoid dealing with annual hassles.

It’s certainly not recommended!

If you have a mortgage on your home, the bank or financial institution providing your loan will force you to carry home insurance.

If you don’t have a mortgage, it is within your rights to own your home without residential insurance. Still, we don’t recommend it. Your home is likely your most valuable asset. It’s worth the extra relatively small amount of money to protect your investment.

That depends on what led to your cancellation.

There are different reasons insurers will cancel a homeowners insurance policy. Non-payment (failure to pay your premiums) is one. Refusal to comply is another. 

For the latter: Insurance companies typically do spot checks every few years. They’ll send an inspector to your home to evaluate the property and provide a recommendations report. Some items on their report will be urgent recommendations, and they’ll ask you to follow them in order to hang onto your insurance policy. If you don’t, they can cancel your insurance.

If you were cancelled for refusal to comply, you’ll have a hard time finding another insurance company to take you on.

A bank won’t let you keep your mortgage without carrying residential insurance.

Mortgages are contingent on home insurance being in place. A bank won’t provide you a mortgage for an uninsured home. So what happens if your home was insured, but becomes uninsured? Expect a phone call from the bank looking for proof of a new home insurance policy.

There are many valid reasons for an insurance company to cancel a homeowners’ policy. Here are a few of the most common:

• Non-payment — a client simply doesn’t pay the premiums
• Too many claims — a client becomes too expensive
• Failure to comply — a client ignores recommendations given by a building inspector

A cancelled insurance policy can stay on your record for years.

The reason for cancellation determines how long it stays on your file, and it really works on a case by case basis. The most common type of cancellation is for non-payment, which typically stays on record for 1-3 years.

Unlike in car insurance, home insurance has no database that tracks claims or cancellations. That means home insurers don’t have much to go on other than the client’s word.

Yes, an insurance company can refuse your business.

There is no law forcing an insurance company to provide home insurance to a given consumer. If they’re not comfortable with, or don’t have an appetite for, your profile, they can turn you down.

Most insurance companies consider a vacant home high risk to insure.

Insurance companies typically make vacant home insurance available, but it costs more and provides less coverage.

Not really!

It’s not that it’s hard to get insured once you’re considered high risk. It’s that there are fewer options available to you, since fewer companies will be willing to take you on, and so your premiums will be higher.

Here are some insurance companies that provide high risk home insurance: 

• Intact 
• Desjardins
• Lloyd’s

With any of these three companies, you can expect to get a policy, just at a higher rate.

It can be for some companies, but your home is not likely to be too old for every company. 

Every insurance company has its own appetite for risk. Your home may be too old for one company, but there will always be a company out there ready to take you on. If a few insurance companies refuse to insure you, don’t panic. Shop around. You may end up paying higher than average premiums, but eventually, you’ll find an insurance company willing to insure your older property.

Unfortunately, you may be out of luck.

For substandard home insurance providers, 99% of homes are insurable. But there’s always a chance; even high risk insurance companies have their limits.

If you’ve shopped around as much as possible and still can’t find home insurance, we can’t help you. It simply may cost you getting a mortgage, and therefore, getting the home.

Greater fire risk.

Older homes were built with wood. If a fire starts in one of these homes, it won’t be long before the whole thing is lost.

Newer homes are built with less flammable material. They take much longer to catch fire, therefore a total loss is far more easily avoided.

Insurance rates reflect that risk.

Aside from fire, older homes pose a greater risk of damage, malfunction, or something going generally wrong.

Not in Canada!

There’s no room for exceptions here. Without home insurance, you’re not getting a mortgage.

They can and they will.

Unlike with car insurance, home insurance isn’t governed by a law that forces insurance companies to provide home insurance.

If you want to be insured, you have to cooperate.

Yes, in most cases you can.

To be sure you’re getting the best deal you can get, shop around and compare the rates offered to by different insurance companies.

Be upfront about your situation in case an insurance company has a policy about criminal records. You don’t want to spend 45 minutes on the phone with an agent only to find out at the end that they won’t insure you because of your past.

Lots of things!

Here are the most common factors causing high-priced home insurance:

Home

• Flammable construction material present (wood, plastic)
• Distance to fire hydrant 
• Distance to a fire station
• Vacant dwelling
• Old plumbing system (Ex: Galvanised steel pipes)
• Not up to date with regards to renovations

Personal

• High claims frequency
• Poor credit

To learn how to lower your home insurance costs, read our full guide on the best ways to get cheap home insurance here.

Yes, but you’ll get less bang for your buck.

Insurance companies usually offer vacant home insurance, but it does come at a higher cost and provides less protection.

A typical vacant home insurance policy doesn’t include theft or water damage coverage, and the premium is 50%-100% more expensive than the average home.