Compare cheap high-risk home insurance quotes for free.

You may find yourself needing high-risk homeowners insurance for any number of reasons. Some of these could include, the condition of the building you want to insure, its location, how often it will be vacant and for how long, and your personal history with other insurers. Here’s a rundown on key issues that may affect your status.

Rural properties: Traditional insurers can be reluctant to offer standard coverage to country homes as they are more exposed to risks such as damage from storms or forest fires. Some areas may be deemed prone to flooding or tornadoes. Rural homes are also less likely to have easy access to fire hydrants.

Older buildings: Outdated systems such as knob-and-tube wiring or galvanized steel plumbing can put your home into the high-risk category. So can outdated building materials. Heritage features may also be more costly to insure as they may require special trades or materials for repairs.

Occupancy: Homes that are not continuously occupied are at greater risk for damage than those that are. No one is monitoring the property on a continuous basis. It could be days or weeks before someone discovers that a pipe has frozen, a squirrel has chewed through wiring or that batteries in the smoke detector have died.

Absentee landlord: If you live more than 100 kilometres from a property you rent out, you’re insurer will consider you an absentee landlord. That means you’ll probably require high-risk coverage.

Insurance history: Just like your driving record will determine your auto insurance premium, your history with home insurance will be a factor in whether your policy is deemed high risk. Don’t expect welcoming discounts if you’ve had a policy cancelled in the past or have a record of late payments. Having made several claims against earlier policies won’t help your case either, nor will having multiple mortgages on your property.

Use our free online tool to easily compare rates. If you have any questions, a broker is easily available to answer your questions that any Canadian has about high risk home insurance.

The main thing you can do to get the best premiums for a high-risk home insurance policy is comparison shop. Several brokers specialize in this category of insurance. They can help you determine what level of coverage best suits your specific needs—and where you can find the best high risk home insurance in Canada.

The answer to this question is, “yes” and “no.” Let’s get the bad news out of the way first. If you’re deemed high-risk because of your financial history—poor payment records, cancelled policies, multiple mortgages and so on—there’s not much you can do in the near term to bring down your rates and get the lowest high risk home insurance. You’ll need to rebuild your reputation with lenders by regularly making payments on time, managing your debt and taking other actions to rebuild your credit.

Likewise, you can’t do much about the location of your property and how that affects your high risk home insurance rates.

But here’s the good news: You can reduce your premiums—maybe even move out of the high-risk category altogether—if you take reasonable steps. Here are some to consider.

Reduce risks: Objects on your property such as dead trees pose risks to your home in a storm. Removing them may have a positive impact on your premium.

Upgrade old systems: If your home has old wiring or outdated plumbing, bringing them up to standard can have a positive impact on your premiums. So can installing new siding and roofing that better protects your home or replacing old oil tanks and furnaces with new, high-efficiency systems.

Be a good customer: Pay your premiums on time or set up automatic payment arrangements with your insurer. Also, don’t make unnecessary claims. These may keep you in the high-risk pool and raise your premiums. If you can fix an issue on your own for little expense, it’s best to take care of it yourself.

Consider a no-frills policy: Say you’ve bought a fixer-upper. If you can find an insurer who’s willing to sell you a very basic policy, you may be able to save money while you complete improvements to your property. A no-frills policy will include features such as repairing fire or storm damage. But it won’t pay for extras such as the costs of accommodations if some event forces you from your home.

Once you’ve taken steps to reduce your premiums, input the details of your home into our free, online calculator to compare high risk home insurance rates from the 50+ leading providers in Canada.

It’s also worth noting that no-frills is not a general solution to moderating high-risk premiums. It is a different type of policy and should be thought of simply as a potential alternative to a comprehensive policy. It may be useful in certain circumstances, such as the renovation scenario described above, but it may not be a strategy if your high-risk designation is due to other factors. Talk to your agent or broker.

When insurers calculate the price for your high risk home insurance, they consider several factors. Here are some key variables.

• The age and condition of the home - the better the shape of the building, the better your premium.
• A home’s location relative to emergency services, such as fire hydrants and fire stations.
• The replacement value of the home. Some people only buy enough coverage to offset their mortgage rather than actually rebuild their property.
• The size of the deductible. The more you are willing to pay upfront on a claim, the lower your premium will be.
• Your claims history and credit score. If you have made frequent claims on your policy in the past, expect to pay more in the future. Likewise, if you have a lower credit score or high debt, your insurer may charge a higher premium to offset their risk.
• The effort you put into shopping around. If you automatically renew your home insurance every year, you may be paying more than you need to. Take the time to compare prices and coverage from various providers when your policy comes up for renewal. If you find a better deal, take it.

To get a sense of how each of these factors is likely to affect your rate, use our free, online calculator to get free quotes for the best high risk home insurance companies in Canada.

LowestRates.ca gives you quick and easy access to 50+ online quotes for high risk home insurance so you can comparison shop in comfort.

Remember, individual companies have different areas of specialization and tolerances for risk. This leads to different prices for different types of coverage. Shop around to find the best fit and cost for your individual needs.

LowestRates.ca is also a handy source of information to help you understand the insurance industry, trends affecting its prices and what you can do to get the best deal available.