icon

The Best Home Insurance Quotes in Barrie

Compare and save an average of $360* on Barrie home insurance. Get a better rate.

Compare home insurance quotes from providers you trust

SquareOne
SGI - 2022.png
Pembridge - 2022.png
CAA
Economical
Icon - Human

Written By Katie Rook

Updated

How to get the best home insurance quotes in Barrie

Home

Tell us about your home

Answer a few basic questions about your home.

CompareQuotes

Compare your quotes

See quotes from top Canadian insurance companies side by side.

ClickHere

Choose the right coverage

Find the right protection for your home.

SecureRate

Secure your rate

Connect with the provider and secure your rate.

How RATESDOTCA finds you the best home insurance in Barrie 

The cost of living in Barrie tends to be less expensive than Toronto, but keeping expenses low is still a priority for many people.

Purchasing home insurance is one of the most important steps you’ll take as a homeowner. Whether you’re living in a house, townhouse, condo or rental, it’s easy to get a competitive rate when you know what to look for and where to look.

RATESDOTCA offers a fast and free tool for finding the best home insurance in Barrie at the lowest rate.

What sort of insurance coverage do I need for a home in Barrie? 

Due to increasing incidents of severe weather across the country, we recommend Canadians in every part of the country consider adding additional home insurance protection, beyond what’s already included in most policies.

Flood protection 

While many home insurance policies cover common perils such as damage from fire, hail and water, policyholders must often add coverage for protection against flooding.

Insurance providers make a distinction between different types of flooding. Their policies will variously refer to protection from groundwater, overland, tidal and sewer backup flooding.

In other instances, they offer water protection packages which will protect against a combination of flood types.

In general, we encourage you to get additional coverage for the type of flooding that is relevant to your area. For example, protection against tidal flooding isn’t necessary for Barrie residents.

It’s also a good idea to consider installing a sump pump or backflow valve. These are tools that help prevent water from flooding the home during a severe weather event.

Windstorm protection

Many home insurance policies name windstorms as a peril against which the home is protected.

The protection usually includes losses caused by flying debris or falling branches or trees as well as losses to your home and contents from water or snow entering through sudden openings caused by wind or hail.

This is good news for Barrie residents who may be familiar with tornados which have occasionally touched down in the area, including one that destroyed 150 homes in July 2021. The Insurance Bureau of Canada estimates the tornado caused more than $75 million in insured damages.

If the homeowner and residents have to relocate while a home is being repaired, most policies will cover the cost of additional living expenses.

We recommend that Barrie residents confirm what losses are covered under your specific home insurance policy.

Earthquake protection

Earthquakes are named in many insurance policies as exclusions. This means they are not covered unless the policyholder has it added to the policy.

While earthquakes are not common in Barrie, they’re not unheard of. In June 2010, a magnitude 5 earthquake hit central Ontario and parts of Quebec.

By adding earthquake coverage to your policy, you may be subject to a higher deductible, but will be covered for damage to your home that results from the ground shaking.

Frequently asked questions about home insurance in Barrie.

Have more questions about home insurance in Barrie? Find the answers here.

How much does home insurance cost in Barrie?

Location is one of most significant factors that determines your home insurance premium, but it’s not the only factor. The house itself, it’s state of repair and the insurance claims history of the policyholder are also relevant.

In general, insurance providers aim to gauge how likely you are to make a claim. Those who can reflect that they’re a lower risk are likely to pay less.

There are also steps any policyholder can take to reduce your premiums, including:

  • Bundling multiple policies so they’re held by a single provider. For example, your home and car insurance are held by the same company
  • Being located near fire services such as a fire hydrant or station
  • Ensuring that the home is well-maintained, avoiding a state of disrepair
  • Installing burglar, carbon monoxide and smoke alarms
  • Installing a sump pump or backflow valve to prevent water from entering the home during a severe weather event
  • Increasing the deductible

How expensive is home insurance in Barrie compared to elsewhere in Ontario?

In 2020, the average premium for home insurance in Ontario was $1,284, while the average premium for home insurance in Barrie was $1,040.

In general, home insurance rates across Canada have been increasing due, in part, to an increasing volume of claims from extreme weather incidents.

What risks do homeowners in Barrie face?

When you’re getting insurance for a home in Barrie, we recommend you consider getting additional protection for flooding.

While Barrie isn’t uniquely prone to flooding, there have been increased incidents of severe weather across Canada. Since most home insurance policies name flood protection as an exclusion, it’s prudent to add it to your coverage. This is especially true if your home in Barrie is near a waterway such as the shores of Lake Simcoe.

While Barrie has been the site of two tornadoes in recent history, including a deadly one in 1985 and another in 2021, damage from wind is included as a covered peril in most home insurance policies. If you’re insuring a home in Barrie, we recommend that you confirm you’ll be protected against damage from windstorms.

What is and is not covered by most insurance policies for homes in Barrie?

Insured perils include those listed below:

  • Aircraft or vehicle impact
  • Electrical current
  • Explosion
  • Falling object
  • Fire or lightning
  • Riot
  • Smoke
  • Theft
  • Transportation
  • Vandalism or malicious acts
  • Water damage
  • Wind and hail

Since barrie has been the site of tornados in recent history, we recommend that you confirm that the wind damage named in your policy will protect your home and its contents against damage from tornados.

Water damage does not include protection against flooding. We recommend that you purchase additional flood protection.

Other uninsured perils generally include damage from:

  • Landslides, avalanches, earthquakes and other earth movements
  • From the freezing of indoor plumbing
  • From freezing outside the home
  • Intentional application of heat
  • Birds, vermin, raccoons, rodents or insects
  • Fuel oil leaks
  • Vacancy
  • Illegally acquired property
  • Losses caused by policyholder’s criminal acts
  • Losses due to war, terrorism or nuclear risks

How do I save on home insurance in Barrie?

The amount of coverage you get will influence the cost of your insurance. In general, you’ll have a higher premium for more coverage.

However, you can get good coverage at an affordable price by comparison shopping. Use our free online tool to compare rates from the best providers in the country.

Other saving tactics include:

  • Applying for discounts available through organizations where you’re a member, such as your alma mater
  • Bundling your policies so that both ( i.e. your home and car insurance) are held by a single provider
  • Increasing your deductible
  • Installing burglar, carbon monoxide and smoke alarms
  • Installing a sump pump or back-flow valve to prevent water from entering the home during a severe weather event
  • Insure a home that’s near a fire hydrant and fire protection services
  • Limiting the number of insurance claims you make
  • Switching your payment schedule to annually rather than monthly

*Shoppers in Ontario who obtained a home insurance quote on RATESDOTCA from January to December 2023 saved an average amount of $360. The average savings amount represents the difference between the shoppers’ average lowest quoted premium and the average of the second and third lowest quoted premiums generated by RATESDOTCA. Excludes tenant and condo insurance.

Katie Rook
Katie Rook

Content Manager

Katie Rook is a content manager at RATESDOTCA, specializing in home insurance. She has been a full-time reporter at CTV, National Post, and The Globe and Mail. Her work has also appeared in Dow Jones’ MarketWatch, Toronto Star, Toronto Life, Saint John Telegraph-Journal and VICE. Katie is a graduate of Ryerson and Dalhousie universities.

Latest home insurance articles

How to insure your garden suite or laneway home in Canada
Laneway homes and garden suites help boost housing supply and keep multi-generational families together. But they come with their own insurance considerations.
5 mins read
How to insure a home you build yourself
Handy with a hammer? It may be tempting to build the home of your exact dreams, or hire contractors, but it won't be as easy as picking one off the market.
5 mins read
The hidden costs of buying a home
Buying a home is expensive, but there are also a number of closing costs. Learn about the hidden and unexpected costs when you buy a house or condo.
10 mins read

Subscribe to our newsletter

Stay on top of our latest offers, relevant news and tips!

Thanks for joining!

You'll be hearing from us shortly - stay tuned.