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 6:30 AM - 6:30 PM (Monday - Saturday). In addition to answering any questions you may have, we can also provide you with a free comparison quote.

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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
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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.

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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 22,531 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.

It only takes 5 minutes

ready for an online quote? Policies start at $12/month if you rent your home and $40/month if you own your home. To see how much you can save with Square One, get a personalized online quote now.

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.

It only takes 5 minutes

ready for an online quote? Policies start at $12/month if you rent your home and $40/month if you own your home. To see how much you can save with Square One, get a personalized online quote now.

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.

What our customers say
22,531
Verified reviews

Don't just take our word for it. Here are some of the reviews that contribute to our average rating of 4.7 stars out of 5. Want to read more? Visit our reviews page.

Incredible, from start to finish.

I had the unfortunate experience of navigating a flood shortly after moving into our new apartment. It's supposed to be a pain in the rear to go through the claims process. It's confusing, it even feels a bit embarrassing—but the team at Square One (and their partners) were incredible to deal with. They made a really bad situation good(-ish). Super responsive, sympathetic to what happened, treated me like a human. I'm a customer for life ... if only they offered more than just property insurance!

Mar 2, 2021
Nathan J. Toronto, ON
Efficient and polite.

The people I dealt with were polite, understandable, and especially patient and clear in explaining options or choices. They were never pushy, patronizing or arrogant. It was a pleasure.

Feb 17, 2021
Stan B. Toronto, ON
So easy and thorough.

I literally set up new rental insurance at my new place in less than 10 minutes online. The questioning was easy, thorough and concise. I had my new policy by email just a minute after completing it online. Pricing was very fair with yearly and monthly payment options. Highly recommend!

Jan 15, 2021
Angela M. Edmonton, AB
Nailed it.

Had 7 minutes to get this done while riding the SkyTrain home and got it completed as I rolled into my stop. Kudos!

Dec 29, 2020
Cathal D. Vancouver, BC
Always great to deal with!

I called to transition my policy to another type. I was worried it would be complex and time-consuming. Instead, it was easy peasy, smooth, and everything was reviewed with me and all my questions answered. I'm always so impressed by Square One!

Nov 29, 2020
Linn V. Toronto, ON
Easy process and coverage that fits one's needs.

I asked quotes from a variety of providers, and after going through reviews and coverages, I'm glad I chose Square One. Whereas other companies automatically add coverage for things you might not need (jewellery, sporting equipment, etc.), Square One allows you to decide what you want covered and just how much you want the coverage and deductible to be. I'm feeling extremely comfortable moving into my new place with this policy... although I sure hope I never need to use it!

Nov 12, 2020
Carlos R. Toronto, ON
Super easy.

This is my first insurance policy purchase and it was super easy! I felt like everything was explained clearly and I understand my policy completely. And best of all, it took less than 10 minutes on my laptop to do!

Nov 12, 2020
Melinda M. Orleans, ON
Painless.

Such a painless process. Transparent and easy to follow along. I love picking and choosing the coverages that I want and seeing my payments adjust accordingly, instead of an agent telling me what insurance coverages I have and what I will be paying. I highly recommend Square One. My rate actually dropped from what I paid last year! Amazing.

Nov 4, 2020
Tim H. Calgary, AB
Extremely easy, should be industry standard.

After struggling with several brokers and insurance providers over the phone to get a reasonably-priced quote, I decided to give this one a try. Quick, easy, and very reasonable prices. No phone, just a simple form filled out online and a standard online payment. Proof of insurance ready immediately. All insurance should be this simple.

Oct 13, 2020
Alex K. Ottawa, ON
Better bang for your buck.

I love how you can customize your coverage! We didn't need some of the insanely high coverage that other insurance companies provide solely based on the home value. This allowed us to reduce our annual insurance costs by $350 and we now have the coverage we actually desire!

Sep 24, 2020
Courtney C. Cochrane, AB
you're in good company
Join over 1,500,000 customers who received home insurance quotes from us
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Find out how affordable personalized home insurance can be in 5 minutes with an online quote. Or call us at 1.855.331.6933 to speak to a licensed agent.

Serving British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and Ontario.