The Best Home Insurance Quotes in Ottawa

What risks do homeowners face in Ottawa?

Severe weather and flooding are some of the biggest risks homeowners in Ottawa are facing in 2026.

The summer floods of 2024 cost Ontario $1 billion in insured losses, according to the Insurance Bureau of Canada (IBC). Most of these floods occurred in the GTA and parts of southern Ontario.

The grander trend across the province is that home insurance premiums are rising, rapidly, and severe weather is one of the biggest culprits. According to Applied Rating Index, personal property lines in Ontario saw a 5.7% increase in premium rate change year over year in Q1 2025. Throughout 2024, the rate change fluctuated between 13% and 9%. For context, this percentage used to hover around 1% in the early 2020s.

‘Flooding plays a significant role in influencing premiums, especially in areas with higher water-related risks,’ says Rates.ca insurance expert Daniel Ivans. ‘Some data we're working on shows that in regions prone to flooding, water coverage costs make up 10% of the premiums.’

How did we get these numbers? Check out our Home Insuramap methodology.

Biggest cities were chosen based on their population size, sourced from Canada Statistics, 2021 Census of Population.

Why are Ottawa homeowners paying more than other major Ontario cities?

Given that all of Ontario is affected by severe weather, you might be wondering why is it that Ottawa homeowner pay more in premiums than some other places, especially in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), such as Ajax and Woodbridge. The answer is simple: Ottawa experiences colder and more severe temperatures than its southern counterparts due to its location, leading to more weather-related claims.

Some of the insurance risks that homeowners in Ottawa face include:

• Burst pipes: During the winter, the temperature in Ottawa can drop lower than -30C. This can increase the likelihood of water damage from burst pipes. While water damage is covered in most basic home insurance policies, be sure you’re comfortable with the amount of coverage provided and its limit.
• Overland water: Ottawa is vulnerable to flash floods and overwhelming thaws due to its close proximity to the Ottawa River. We recommend that homeowners purchase flood protection, including overland flood coverage, which will compensate homeowners for damage caused by overflow from a nearby waterway. Flood protection is not included in most basic policies.
• Severe thunderstorms: The Ottawa area is prone to severe thunderstorms, including torrential rainfall, hail, and lightning. These weather events can lead to significant damage to the exterior of a home. While this sort of damage is often considered an insured peril, review your policy to make sure you have an adequate coverage amount.
• Strong winds: Like other cities in Ontario, Ottawa homes face the risk of property damage from winds of more than 100km/h. Strong winds can damage your roof, windows and other structural parts of your home. Damage from wind is included in most home insurance policies, but make sure you’re comfortable with the coverage amount.
• Earthquakes: The most recent earthquake in Ottawa was in March 2025. The tremor, which had a magnitude of 3.8 on the Richter Scale, also affected Gatineau, Embrun, Casselman and Cornwall. Its epicentre was estimated to around 110 kilometres north of Ottawa, near the town of L’Annonciation, Quebec.
• Crime rates: According to Canada’s Crime Severity Index (CSI) report, Ottawa has one of the higher CSIs in the province (for both violent and non-violent crimes), though it doesn't come close to the Greater Toronto Area, including Toronto itself, Peel Region, Hamilton and London, all of which, incidentally, have higher home insurance premiums. More crimes, especially break-ins, theft and vandalism, usually result in more expensive premiums.

The takeaway: In combination, these factors can all add up to higher premiums. However, it’s worth noting that your FSA could play an even bigger role in determining your premium than the actual city. More on that below.

See our Home Insuramap methodology.

Choosing the right home insurance policy in Ottawa

If you own a home in Ottawa, you’re not required by law to have insurance. However, most lenders in Ontario 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 Ottawa

There are three types of home insurance policy that you can choose, all of which can usually be customized to your specific needs:

• Named perils: This policy offers basic coverage for properties that fail to meet the usual underwriting standards. Speak with your broker or provider for details. This type of policy is the cheapest of the three because it covers fewer perils and is lower risk to the insurance provider.
• Broad form: This package is a step down from the comprehensive package. While your home’s structure is covered from all perils, the content within your home is only protected against perils that you’ve specifically named in your policy. You won’t receive compensation for items that have not been specifically covered.
• Comprehensive: This is the most comprehensive home insurance package you can get in Ottawa. By choosing a comprehensive or all perils policy your home's structure and contents are covered from all insurable perils (events that the insurer has agreed to cover).

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: This coverage is based on the overall replacement value of your property’s main home structure and protects from common perils such as fire, theft and weather. Keep in mind that this policy covers replacement value, which can be very different from the market value of your home. Other areas outside the main structure of your home, such as a fence or driveway, may require additional coverage. Ask your insurer for more information.
• Contents and personal property: This coverage includes your home's contents, such as houseware, computers, furniture, and appliances, in case they get damaged, lost or stolen. For the best protection, insure your items for the right value so that your protection matches your expenses.

Standard home insurance coverage in Ottawa

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

Additional Living Expenses (ALE) coverage

If you’re temporarily displaced by an insurable event or an evacuation order, Additional Living Expenses, or ALE, coverage should pay for your temporary housing costs. For example, if damage to your home forces you to spend a week at a hotel, additional living expenses protection will cover the cost of the room and food, up to a certain amount.

Here’s what 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: Many home insurance policies, whether basic, broad, or comprehensive, come with personal liability protection. This protects you from lawsuits and claims that may occur after someone suffers an injury on your property. The default on most home insurance plans for personal liability is $100,000 but it is recommended homeowners have coverage for as high as $1,000,000. Depending on your policy this can go as high as $5,000,000.
• Voluntary medical payments: Covers medical costs when a person suffers an injury on your property and requires necessary medical attention. Most insurers will pay out the specified amount for up to one year from the date of the accident. Insurers in Ontario offer coverage for voluntary medical payments that typically range between $5,000 and $10,000, and there is no deductible.
• Voluntary property damage: Voluntary property damage coverage covers losses you cause to someone else's property even though you are not legally liable for them. This includes situations like accidentally damaging a neighbour's fence while mowing your lawn. Most insurance companies in Ontario set their limits for voluntary property damage at $1,000; however, this will vary according to insurer and policy and often goes as high as $6,000.

Commonly covered perils

• Fire: No matter what causes the fire, your insurance company will cover the costs of replacing, rebuilding or repairing your property and recovering your belongings.
• 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 happens to get robbed, this will pay for the replacement of the stolen items. The same applies if the home gets vandalized.
• 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 pays for the damage to your property and belongings caused by water leakage from indoor plumbing, heating, air conditioning, sprinklers and similar appliances inside or outside your house. The tricky part is knowing what’s excluded. Most coverages usually exclude sewer back-up and overland flooding, so be sure to confirm what is and isn’t covered with your insurer.
• Hail and wind: Should wind or hail damage your property or belongings in any way, this will pay for them. This includes damage from flying debris as well as falling trees and branches (if caused specifically by hail or wind).
• 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: This protects your property and belongings from falling objects, including space debris and space craft. There are exceptions, however, such as objects moved by landslides or snowslides. Confirm with your provider what is and isn’t covered.

Add-ons to home insurance coverage in Ottawa

Beyond the standard components of Ottawa home insurance policy, there are additional coverages you can purchase to further protect your home and the contents within.

These are some of the most common home insurance add-ons, also known as riders, that you can add to your home insurance policy:

• Overland water: Although not every carrier offers this add-on, if your insurer does, it covers property damage from overflowing water from nearby rivers, streams, lakes and thawing snow.
• Sewer back-up: Protects your home when a main sewer backs up and causes damage.
• Earthquake: Luckily for Ontarians, they are not living in an earthquake zone and don’t really run into this as an insurance need. However, in some parts of the country it is crucial because earthquake damage can be very costly to repair as it can affect your property’s structure.
• Mass evacuation: This add-on covers mass evacuation when disasters, like wildfires or floods, occur in your area. It will help pay for temporary displacement costs such as housing or food, when you are evacuated from your home due to a disaster.
• Identity theft: Identity theft coverage covers the cost of replacing important personal identification, such as your driver's license and passport, when lost, stolen, or misused.
• Lock replacement: This add-on covers the cost of replacing your house locks if damaged.
• Personal valuables: This add-on lets you increase the coverage amount to account for high-value items such as fine art, collectibles and jewelry (in case your regular coverage is not enough).
• 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 Ottawa home insurance

While home insurance can certainly protect you from a variety of perils, it can’t protect you from everything. Some things you can purchase as add-ons, while others you can’t purchase at all. Here’s what they are:

• 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.
• By-law 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: Mold is usually preventable and doesn’t happen suddenly, meaning that you, as a homeowner, can make sure it doesn’t occur. For instance, if you realize that the air in your home is humid enough to cause mold, you can take the necessary steps to resolve the issue. That’s why home insurance does not cover mold. It’s on you to deal with it.
• Pest infestations: Though pest infestations, such as mice, bedbugs, cockroaches, and termites, can sometimes come out of nowhere, taking care of them is your responsibility, as part of general upkeep. So, any damage an infestation ends up causing is unlikely to be covered. Your best bet is to address the problem as soon as you notice it.
• 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.