The Best Home Insurance Quotes in Oshawa

Jump straight to:

• How much does home insurance cost in Oshawa in 2026?
• Oshawa home insurance rates compared to the GTA
• Oshawa home insurance rates by postal code
• What risks do homeowners face in Oshawa?
• Choosing the right home insurance policy in Oshawa
• Types of home insurance in Oshawa
• Standard home insurance coverage in Oshawa
• Add-ons to home insurance coverage in Oshawa
• What is not covered under your Oshawa home insurance
• Factors that affect your Oshawa home insurance premium
• How to get the cheapest home insurance in Oshawa
• Frequently asked questions about home insurance in Oshawa

Choosing the right home insurance policy in Oshawa

If you own a home in Oshawa, or anywhere else in Ontario, you’re not required by law to have insurance. However, most lenders won’t provide a mortgage unless your home is covered by insurance. That's why most homeowners still need a policy. It's also worth buying it even if you already own your home, since it's likely still the biggest asset in your possession.

The question is, what kind of policy do you need? And more importantly, what kind of protections actually exist for your home? We dive into all of that below, where you can find a full breakdown of what a home insurance policy can offer:

Types of home insurance in Oshawa

There are four types of home insurance policy you can get in Oshawa. Though their nomenclature differs from insurer to insurer, they usually boil down to the following:

• Named perils: One of the cheapest insurance types available. It protects both your property and possessions, but only from the perils explicitly listed in the policy. If the peril is not listed, then you’re not covered for it. That’s why it’s also known as a ‘named perils’ policy.
• Broad form: This option is a little more inclusive, and more expensive too. It protects your property from most major perils, aside from those listed under ‘exclusions.’ When it comes to possessions, broad insurance protects only against the perils listed in the policy, just like the basic one.
• Comprehensive: If you want your property and possessions protected from most major perils – other than a few listed exceptions – this coverage type will do the job. With this insurance type, if a peril is listed for either your property or possessions, then you’re not covered for it. And vice versa. Be careful though. ‘Comprehensive’ doesn’t mean you’re protected from everything. Protections for perils like overland floods and earthquakes have to be purchased separately.

Who gets covered

• Spouse and relatives: Your policy should cover your spouse and anyone related to either them or you, provided they reside in your home.
• Dependents: Home insurance should protect any dependents under the age of 21 who are students. They may be living in your primary home or temporarily away from it (e.g., college dormitory).

What gets covered

• Property and dwelling: Your property entails the home itself as well as outbuildings and backyard decor, including your shed, barn, detached garage and even your garden. Be sure to check with your insurer as to what is or isn’t covered, just in case.
• Contents and personal property: These are your possessions – mainly the ones located inside your property, such as furniture, electronics and clothing. Your insurance should cover everything, aside from some of the more expensive items, like artwork or jewelry. Assess the value of such items and discuss with your insurer if you need additional coverage.

Standard home insurance coverage in Oshawa

Whether you opt for a named perils, broad form or comprehensive home insurance policy, it should cover the following:

Additional Living Expenses (ALE) coverage

Insurance companies will generally pay for your accommodation, travel and groceries should your home become unlivable due to a covered peril. Chat with your provider to see what’s covered and for how long.

Here are some of the specific categories that ALE covers:

• Out-of-pocket expenses: If forced to temporarily move out, your insurance could cover expenses like accommodation, food, moving, laundry, transit, pet boarding and storage.
• Fair rental value: If you’re renting out a part of your home (such as a room or a basement) and your tenant is forced to move out due to a covered incident, your insurance could cover the loss of your rental income.
• Prohibited access: If your home becomes inaccessible due to an unexpected incident, such as a government-mandated evacuation order or a threat to your life, your insurance could cover you.

Liability coverage

• Personal liability: This comes into effect if someone gets accidentally injured on your property. The coverage can be between $100,000 and $5,000,000, depending on your financial situation.
• Voluntary medical payments: If you injure someone on your property by mistake, this will cover their medical expenses for up to a year from the date of the injury. The coverage may range from $1,000 to $10,000.
• Voluntary property damage: If you or a minor in your care under 12 years damages someone else’s property (such as your neighbour’s), then this will cover you. The coverage is between $500 and $6,000.

Note that if any of the above are done intentionally (for instance, you intentionally hurt someone), then your liability coverage will become void.

Commonly covered perils

Here are some of the most commonly covered perils by home insurers in Oshawa:

• Fire: Should your home or possessions catch fire, this will pay for replacing, rebuilding or repairing whatever ends up damaged or lost. Wildfires in particular are becoming a big problem in Canada, especially as of 2023. Check out how wildfires may impact your home insurance.
• Smoke: If smoke damages your property, you'll receive coverage. However, the smoke has to have come from a malfunctioning cooking or heating device, not your fireplace.
• Lightning or electrical current: Should lightning strike your property, it could damage the wiring in your walls as well as break your appliances and electronics. This will pay for repairing or replacing whatever ends up damaged. Any other electrical current could do the same (and is also usually covered).
• Explosion: Should your property get damaged or destroyed by an explosion, you will receive coverage.
• Riot: If a riot that takes place near your property causes damage to it, your insurance will pay for the necessary repairs or replacement.
• Theft and vandalism: If your home gets robbed or vandalized, your insurance will pay to rebuild, repair or replace whatever has been damaged or stolen. If you want to protect your home from theft altogether, especially while you’re away, check out these steps.
• Transportation: If your personal property, such as a laptop, gets damaged while temporarily away from your home, then its repairs or replacement will be covered. This applies to fixtures or fitting that are being repaired or in seasonal storage.
• Water damage: This one is tricky, since most policies don’t fully cover what some might see as ‘water damage.’ They typically only cover damage to your home or possessions, if caused by water from indoor plumbing, heating, air conditioning, sprinkler or a similar indoor or outdoor appliance. Damage from sewer back-up or overland flooding is normally not covered. Talk to your insurer to make sure you know what’s covered.
• Hail and wind: Severe wind or hail can damage both your home and possessions. Your insurance will cover the cost of repairing, rebuilding or replacing whatever ends up damaged or lost. It will also cover the damage caused by flying debris or falling trees, if caused by wind or hail.
• Aircraft or vehicle impact: If an aircraft or another moving vehicle hits your property and damages or destroys it, you will get coverage. 
• Window breakage: This coverage applies only to homes that are occupied. If your home is vacant (meaning it's unoccupied for more than a month), then this coverage could be void. You'd need vacant home insurance to rectify that.
• Falling objects: If an object falls from the sky onto your property and damages either the home itself or your possessions, this will pay for the necessary repairs and/or repairs. Note that objects moved by landslides or snowslides are usually not considered to be ‘falling objects.’ Consult with your insurer to make sure.

Add-ons to home insurance coverage in Oshawa

If you happen to realize that you need additional coverage, you can purchase it in the form of ‘add-ons’ or ‘endorsements.’ Here are some of the most common ones:

• Overland flooding: If your home gets flooded as a result of overflowing water from a river, stream, lake, thawing snow or another body of water, this add-on will cover you.
• Sewer back-up: This type of flooding occurs due to backed up sewage pipes, toilets, drains or showers. They typically get backed up when too much rainwater or melted snow enters the sewer system at once. If sewer back-ups are a concern in your area, be sure to talk to your insurance provider about them.
• Earthquake: Though they don’t happen often, earthquakes do occur in Oshawa. So, if you’re worried about them, talk to your provider to buy yourself extra coverage. That said, it’s probably not necessary in this part of Canada.
• Mass evacuation: Should a major peril like flooding or wildfires result in mass evacuations, this will protect your accommodations and food, while you’re away from home.
• Identity theft: Covers the cost of replacing important documents, such as your passport.
• Lock replacement: If you need to replace the locks on your house, this add-on provides coverage.
• Personal valuables: If you own pricy things like jewelry, collectibles and/or artwork, then you may need extra coverage for them. Do an inventory of all your possessions, while assigning monetary value to them. After that, talk to your provider to find out if you need extra coverage.
• Home sharing: If you’re looking to rent out your property, this will provide you with the additional property and liability coverage you need to stay protected.
• Personal umbrella: If you’re worried that your standard liability coverage isn’t enough (e.g., if your lawsuit costs you more than expected), this add-on can make up the difference.

What is not covered under your Oshawa home insurance

Though home insurance can be extensive, it won’t protect you from everything. That’s because some things are strictly the responsibility of the owner, including these:

• Absence from the home: Damage that takes place while you’re away from the home for an extended period of time.
• Alterations: A homeowner will only be protected against damage to a property that occurs during an alteration to it if they have received written permission from the insurance provider to undertake the alteration. However, common repairs such as painting or fixing a broken railing are not subject to this exclusion.
• Bylaw enforcement: You are not likely to be covered for costs stemming from the application or enforcement of a bylaw.
• Damage from renters: Most insurance providers require specific coverage for landlords. A standard home insurance policy is unlikely to protect you if a renter damages the property.
• Mold: Given that mold occurs slowly, as a result of pre-existing conditions such as extreme humidity – there is usually enough time for you to prevent it. Home insurance is mostly meant to cover sudden and largely unforeseen events, such as fires, floods and robberies. Mold isn’t one of them.
• Pest infestations: Like mold, pest infestations, including mice, bedbugs, cockroaches and termites, are not sudden. So, if they cause any damage, it’s highly unlikely that your home insurance will cover it. That’s why, as soon as you notice an infestation, you should contact the appropriate service to help you resolve the issue (this service shouldn’t be your insurer).
• Volatile substance: If you have more than one gallon of a volatile substance on your property and a fire or explosion takes place, you may be denied coverage. This is likely to include gasoline.
• Purposeful damage: If you purposely damage your own property or its contents and file a claim for it, you will not be covered. This is, in fact, considered to be insurance fraud, so don’t do it (though you are welcome to damage your own property).
• Intentional injuries to guests: If you intentionally hurt a guest in your own home, your liability coverage will not protect you. And no, there isn’t an add-on for this either. So, don’t purposely hurt your guests.
• Existing damage: You’re unlikely to be covered for damage that began before you held the policy.

How to get the cheapest home insurance in Oshawa

If you’re looking for a way to lower your home insurance premiums, here are some of the steps that you can take:

1. Increase deductibles: Though increasing your deductible means you’ll have to pay more out of pocket should your home get damaged, you can save a lot more – enough to repair your home in case of a disaster.
    
2. Install alarms: Making your home safe, and less of a risk for damage or theft, can also save you money on your Toronto home insurance rates. Your home insurance provider assesses your rates based on risk. Reduced risk means fewer claims and therefore lower rates. 
    
3. Upgrade electrical and plumbing systems: If your home is a bit older, then it may have outdated plumbing and electrical systems. To reduce the risk of flooding and fire and to lower your premiums, consider upgrading them if you have the means.
    
4. Install severe weather and flood protections: Make sure your home has enough sump pumps, your basement walls are reinforced, and your roof has been repaired in the last 10 years. All of these can reduce the risk of weather-related damage, especially water damage, and lower your premiums as a result.
    
5. Ask for discounts: Many Toronto home insurance providers will offer discounts to clients who are members of school alumni associations, unions or other organizations.
    
6. Bundle up: Bundle your home insurance with your car insurance under one provider. This will not only get you a good discount but streamline your payments.
    
7. Comparison shop: Don’t settle for one insurer when there are so many options you can choose from. Use websites like Rates.ca to compare quotes from top providers in Oshawa and secure the cheapest home insurance quote available. It’s fast and it’s free.