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.

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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 38,891 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
38,891
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.

Thank you, Brad!

I would like to thank our Claims Adjuster, Brad Rotto, for all the hard work he has done while working on our claim. Our unit flooded, and there was a lot of damage done by the flood. However, Brad was very helpful, replying immediately to any question we had (and we had many!), arranging for reimbursements right away and making the entire process uncomplicated and easy to understand. It has been a real pleasure working with Brad. This was one of the rare instances when the reality exceeded the expectations. Thank you, Brad, for the impeccable service and the support received throughout!

Jan 19th, 2023
Lyudmyla P. Vancouver, BC
Great home insurance provider.

I have bought several home insurance policies over the years. Square One was the last and has been the best. I got my house insurance with them for a few years, and now for an apartment that I am buying. You do not need to do any shopping around, and you do not go wrong if you come here directly for a great customer service experience, great coverages, at low price.

Dec 28th, 2022
Hossein L. Vancouver, BC
So easy.

Square One insurance is so easy! You can go back and change whatever you like, whenever you like. Very easy to read, no mumbo jumbo that you can’t understand, it’s great, I love it! Thank you Square One, it’s good to know you have my back.

Dec 6th, 2022
Tammy A. Courtenay, BC
Excellent customer service!

I decided to switch to Square One for our home insurance needs. I love how I can modify my coverage online to see the effect it will have on my premium prior to making the changes. Everything seems so out in the open and the website and quote pages are very user-friendly. Joyce F. was excellent in helping me set up our new policy! She was friendly, knowledgeable, helpful and patient in dealing with all my questions. She got back to me every time she said she would.

Sep 22nd, 2022
Darlene S. Leslieville, ON
So happy I found Square One.

Needed to find a new insurance provider as the one I'd been using for years raised premiums by a huge amount for absolutely no reason and with no explanation. So I jumped online and found Square One. The quote process was quick, easy and clear. When I had a question I asked for an agent to call me and they were very prompt in meeting the determined callback time. The chatbot is helpful as well. My quote was significantly less expensive and I have better coverage. I'm already telling all my friends about Square One.

Aug 8th, 2022
Karen K. Black Diamond, AB
Beyond simple.

I know only what I've had to learn about home insurance and it is always a daunting process. I felt motivated at 12:55 am to finally go to Google and fight through a quote, and at 1:08 am I got the confirmation email of my new policy. I feel more confident in than any time I've tried to keep up with someone on the phone. The expert opinion line was so appreciated, and it was remarkably easy to customize a policy that will let me sleep easier, starting tonight!

Jun 14th, 2022
Nicole E. Gloucester, ON
Cheap, thorough and friendly.

After obtaining quotes from 5+ insurance providers I decided to go with Square One for a simple reason: they offered the coverage I wanted (and then some) for the best price out there. I needed to set up a call to finalize my policy and Carla Campbell was prompt, knowledgeable and courteous. Nobody should ever be excited about insurance, but right now I am.

May 31st, 2022
Michael R. Calgary, AB
Great!

Square One Insurance: Where service, pricing and trust meet. Excellent customer support every time, no waiting. The best price I have ever gotten for home insurance. Hunter, who helped me today, was terrific. It is nice to get off the phone and it has all gone perfectly. I'm so glad I made the switch to a company that knows what it is doing! Square One is that company. Ten stars!

May 18th, 2022
Michael A. London, ON
Satisfied with claim.

I was very satisfied with the outcome of my claim and the support received throughout. My apartment flooded when a radiator cracked. We had to leave for 9 days and many personal belongings were destroyed. This was the first time I'd ever needed to make any type of insurance claim, and I expected the worst. However, Lisa was very helpful, arranging for reimbursement for accommodations right away and helped me to recoup on the content losses from the flood. I would recommend using Square One for renters insurance.

Mar 14th, 2022
April B. Etobicoke, ON
Instant update to my home insurance online.

I had to update my home insurance as we added a garage and an all-season gazebo to our house. Instead of being on the phone with an agent I could do the whole process through my online account. It took me not even 10 minutes and was so easy! I have referred Square One already several times because of their fair pricing and great online presence. I am just glad I have found them.

Feb 8th, 2022
Elvira P. Beiseker, AB
you're in good company
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