Protect your house, your stuff and yourself with homeowners insurance – in minutes.
Get Canadian home insurance in minutes
If you live in BC, Alberta, Ontario, Québec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia or PEI, you can buy property insurance online with Sonnet in just a few clicks. We’ve changed home insurance in Canada for the better with a free online home insurance quote that offers customized coverage, in language that makes sense and at a competitive price. We’ve made getting insurance easier – so you can focus on the important stuff.
Looking for condo or tenant insurance? We’ve got you covered for that too.
What does home insurance cover?
Home insurance covers you for more than just fire, wind and glass damage. Here are some of the main coverages you can find under a standard all-risk homeowners policy – and some optional home insurance add-ons you might need. Don’t forget, policies can differ between home insurance companies. Always review your policy to understand what you’re covered for and what exclusions and limits may exist.
Standard home insurance coverages
Protect yourself and the people in your home in case you’re sued. With personal liability coverage, you’re covered if someone gets hurt while visiting or for damage you may unintentionally cause.
If something happens to your home, we’ll help pay to repair or rebuild it. Also, because your home isn’t just four walls, we also cover things like your detached garage and shed.
Often called contents insurance, this protects property you own that you could pack in a bag or put in a moving truck. Personal property like your clothing, electronics and furniture are covered while they’re on your property or temporarily removed (like when you’re travelling to work or out of the country).
In case something happens and you can’t live in your home – you’re covered while your house is being repaired. Choose to stay in a hotel or with friends and family, we’ll help cover your extra living expenses either way. Renting out part of your home at the time of loss? You’ll also be covered for your net rental income until your tenants can move back in.
Additional home insurance coverages
This coverage can help in some smelly situations. If water backs up or escapes into your home through a sewer, sump, septic tank or floor drain, this will cover you for the damage caused. Coverage offered depends on eligibility.
You’re covered for damage to your home caused by fresh water, such as excessive rain, spring run-off and melting snow, coming in at ground level through windows and doors. Coverage offered depends on eligibility.
Hail damage can be costly. Having hail coverage on your policy means your home and belongings will be repaired or replaced if a hailstorm happens. Hail coverage is automatically included in our home insurance policies (unless you live in Alberta, where it’s optional but highly recommended).
In Canada, the coast of British Columbia and the St. Lawrence and Ottawa River valleys are prone to earthquakes. This optional coverage covers you in the event of loss or damage arising directly or indirectly from an earthquake. If a snowslide, a landslide or other earth movements cause damage to your property because of an earthquake, you’re also protected.
This covers you and anyone else on your policy in case your identity is stolen. We’ll reimburse you for legal fees as well as certain other costs, up to a limit. These could include lost wages if you have to take time off work to sort it out, and payment for services that help you restore your identity.
Why buy homeowners insurance with Sonnet?
We’re Canada’s first fully online home and auto insurance company. Here’s why Canadians choose us for home insurance:
Ways to save on home insurance in Canada
At Sonnet, we combine your unique information with a whole lot of math and analytics to build our best price just for you – savings automatically included. Here are a few ways you could save on your house insurance:
How to get a home insurance quote online
Adulting is hard – but Sonnet makes it simple to get a home insurance quote, and you can do it all online! Here’s how:
Step 1: Choose your property type. Let us know if you’re a homeowner, condo owner or renter. Are you a landlord? If you already insure your primary residence with Sonnet, you can also get a home insurance quote for your rental property.
Step 2: Tell us about yourself and your home. Give us your address and the date you’d like your home insurance policy to start. To save you time, we ask only the questions we need to and gather the rest from trusted sources.
Step 3: Add your group and affinity discount. Members of certain groups could get a discount. We offer savings to Canadian university and college alumni, accounting and engineering professionals, eligible employees, union members – and more.
Step 4: Customize your coverage. Choose your limits and set your deductibles. You should also consider important optional coverages like sewer backup, overland water, hail and earthquake coverages.
Step 5: Save your quote – or go ahead and buy! If you’re ready, you can buy your home insurance policy online instantly. You don’t even have to call! Or, save your quote and we’ll email it to you. Your quoted price will be saved for 45 days if your personal details, coverages and policy effective date haven’t changed.
Don’t worry, we’re here to help you along the way if you have any questions about your home insurance quote. Just contact us.
Questions about home insurance? We’ve got your back
Insuring your home should be simple. We’ve made getting a home insurance quote quick and easy, and we’re here to help from start to finish. Read through our current blogs and frequently asked questions (FAQs) to learn more about home insurance.
Blogs
- At Home
Water Damage: What Does Homeowners Insurance Cover?
Flooding, sewer backup, and water damage can be costly. Learn about water damage insurance and what types of water damage home insurance covers here.
- At Home
When should I review my home insurance policy?
An article that outlines some key moments when you should take another look at your home insurance policy.
- At Home
How are my personal belongings covered?
We’ve recruited our very own expert and licensed Insurance Advisor, Tawsif, to unpack everything you need to know about how your belongings are protected under your home policy. We figured it’s easiest to hear him explain it …
FAQs
Well, it depends. If there are no more than two renters, you’re allowed to rent part of your house out under your Homeowners Policy. You’re also covered if you have one additional unit within your home that’s rented to one family only.
If you’re renting out a property separate from your home our Landlord Policy will make sure you’re covered if there’s any damage to items that belong to you and the property. Things like major appliances, fixtures or tools (a lawn mower or snow shovel are a couple of examples). If you live in your home, but you have more tenants than our Homeowners Policy allows for, you can purchase our Landlord Policy in addition, to cover you and your home adequately.
Yes, you can cover your vacation property with a separate home insurance policy. Your vacation home must be located in Canada.
If you’re not at your second home during the winter, there are a few things you’ll need to do to protect your home. Drain the plumbing system and close the water inlet to keep the pipes from freezing and bursting. If your vacation home has central heating, set the thermostat low enough to conserve energy but high enough to keep pipes from bursting. Burst pipes due to freezing isn’t covered under your vacation home coverage if you’ve been away from the property for more than 14 days and haven’t had anyone checking on it.
Depending on where you live, additional coverages are available to add on for certain events that aren’t covered by a standard home policy. These coverages are hail, sewer back up, overland water and earthquake. All of these coverages can be added when making your quote.
Already purchased? You can add on these coverages at any time through your account.
During home insurance calculation, insurance companies look at a complex set of factors. These will determine the likelihood of you making a claim – and how much a claim could cost. The higher the likelihood is, the higher your premium will be.
Factors that can affect your home insurance premium include:
- Where your home is located
Based on your postal code, an insurer can find out how many claims are made in that area – and why they happen. For example, if your area has frequent windstorms, there could be more frequent claims for damage. This could cause your home premium to be higher than that of a house in an area that doesn’t have windstorms very often. - Home age and condition
The older the building, the higher the likelihood of a claim. That’s because things like old wiring (fuses, for example) are a bigger risk for fire. And, old plumbing increases your risk of claims due to sudden leaks or burst pipes. - Heating equipment
If your home is heated with oil (like it is in many rural areas), your premium could be higher. Oil tank leaks increase risk of damage and environmental hazards. Wood stoves are also a common source of house fires, so they could raise your payments, too. - Proximity to fire support
If your home is close to a fire station and fire hydrants – like in an urban area – your premium could be lower than a home in a rural location, where travel distance is longer. - Number of past claims
The longer you’ve been claims free, the lower your premium will be. If you’ve had a claim in the last year, you can expect your premium to go up at renewal. - Your age and other information about you
As you get older, your premium will tend to decrease. The fact is, many insurance providers consider homeowners with more experience as less risky to insure. Some insurers could also look at your credit score. - How you use your home
Do you rent out rooms or a basement unit in your house? Factors like this may also impact your premium since they can increase damage and liability risks.
Whether it’s a house or a condo, buying a new property is a big investment. But, it’s more than a piece of property, it’s your home. That’s why it’s important for every home and condo owner to buy property insurance in Canada. Without property insurance, you’d be responsible for covering the cost if something were to happen to your home or your stuff, you’d have to pay out of pocket for covering the cost.
Plus, if you have a mortgage on your house or condo, your lender will also likely require you to have home insurance coverage.
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