Tenant Insurance in Hamilton

How tenant insurance works in Hamilton, Ontario

What is tenant insurance and how does it work? These are questions on many renters’ minds. In reality, tenant insurance is far simpler than you might think. Put simply, it is a form of home insurance that is designed to protect those who rent their homes rather than own them. Thus, it shares many similarities with standard homeowner’s insurance policies in Ontario. For example, most tenant insurance policies feature content coverage, liability coverage, and additional living expenses coverage. The one type of coverage that tenant insurance and homeowner’s insurance do not share is dwelling coverage, and that’s because it is included in landlord insurance policies instead. This is because the upkeep of your physical unit is the responsibility of the landlord not of the tenant when you rent a home. Therefore, generally speaking, tenant insurance works by protecting a tenant’s belongings from loss or damage and by protecting the tenant should they be forced to temporarily relocate due to damage or if a third party claim is brought against them. As with any type of insurance policy, should a loss or damage occur, you will file a claim with your tenant insurance provider to seek compensation.

Mandatory tenant insurance in Hamilton

Many Hamilton tenants wonder, “Do I need tenant insurance?” The answer to this question will differ between renters. Unlike car insurance, tenant insurance in Ontario is not mandated. This means that local law in Ontario does not require you to purchase tenant insurance. That said, some landlords require tenants to purchase coverage if they want to occupy their rented space. It has become increasingly common for landlords to stipulate in rental agreements that all renters in the home must purchase a tenant insurance policy that remains valid for the duration of the lease. If the rental agreement you signed stipulates this, then you are contractually obligated to purchase a renters insurance policy. Thus, the answer to the question, “Do I need tenant insurance?” is an unequivocal yes, unless you want to run the risk of being in breach of your rental contract, which could lead to eviction or even a lawsuit.

It is worth noting that even if your rental agreement does not require you to purchase tenant insurance, doing so is still strongly recommended due to the protection it offers. Without it, you will have no financial defence against risks, like a fire damaging your belongings, a flood damaging your belongings, a burglar breaking in and stealing expensive electronics from your unit, or a guest slipping and falling in your home and suing you for bodily harm. But with the right Hamilton tenant insurance coverage, you can be protected against all of these risks and more.

Basic tenant insurance coverage in Hamilton

As mentioned above, tenant insurance looks a lot like Hamilton home insurance. With the exception of dwelling coverage, basic renters insurance policies in Hamilton typically contain the same coverage that you can expect from a homeowner’s insurance policy. This includes contents coverage, additional living expenses coverage, and liability coverage. Learn more about each type of coverage below:

Contents coverage

Contents coverage is the coverage on your tenant insurance plan that will pay to replace or repair any personal belongings in your home that are damaged due to an insured peril. The types of belongings that are covered vary but may include clothing, sports equipment, musical instruments, furniture, electronics, etc. To ensure that all of your belongings are adequately covered, you will need to select a coverage limit that reflects the value of the items in your rented homes. If you do not purchase enough coverage, you could be on the hook for replacing thousands of dollars worth of belongings or more in the event of a total loss, as your insurance company will only cover you up to your policy limit. To determine what coverage limit is right for you, take the time to do a rough calculation of the worth of all belongings in your home. Further, when purchasing contents coverage for your tenant insurance policy, you will likely get to choose between actual cash value or replacement value. If you opt for actual cash value, keep in mind that you will need to calculate the actual cash value of your personal items. With actual cash value in insurance, depreciation is factored in, whereas with replacement value, it is not. Therefore, actual cash value tenant insurance policies are usually less expensive than replacement value policies.

Additional living expenses coverage

Additional living expenses coverage is another staple of Hamilton tenant insurance plans. This type of coverage can pay for the cost of alternative living arrangements if you are forced to temporarily relocate due to damage to your unit. The only catch is that the damage to your unit must have occurred due to a covered peril, such as flood, fire, windstorms, lightning, etc. Covered perils will be specifically named in your policy. If this worst-case scenario should happen, the additional living expenses coverage in your tenant insurance policy could pay for a variety of expenses, like temporary refuge at a hotel or home share, delivery services, a storage unit, extra food bills, and more.

Liability coverage

Last but not least is liability coverage. Liability coverage is a crucial component of any Hamilton home insurance plan, and that includes tenant insurance. Personal liability coverage can protect the tenant if a third party who visits their home files a lawsuit alleging bodily harm or property damage against them. For example, if a guest came to your home and accidentally slipped and fell on your floor, injuring themselves in the process, they could sue you. If they decide to sue you, it is the liability coverage portion of your tenant insurance policy that would pay for any applicable legal fees or medical bills. Please note that liability insurance can also cover tenants if they accidentally cause damage to another person’s personal property. In Hamilton, it is extremely common for landlords to require tenants to purchase a specific amount of liability coverage - usually $1,000,000 or $2,000,000.

Optional renters insurance coverage in Hamilton

Now that you understand the basics of tenant insurance in Hamilton, let’s dive into a few additional coverage options. Insurance companies in Ontario offer all kinds of tenant insurance coverage options to policyholders. From flood insurance in the form of overland water coverage and sewer backup coverage to identity theft coverage and personal valuables coverage, check out a few types of coverage that might be worth adding to your Hamilton renters insurance policy as a rider or endorsement:

Overland water coverage

Overland water coverage is a form of flood insurance that can protect tenants from the reality of water damage. With this type of coverage, you will be safeguarded in the event that any of your personal belongings are damaged due to above-ground water flooding, such as overflow from a nearby lake or river, melting ice, or heavy precipitation.

Sewer backup coverage

Sewer backup coverage is another form of flood insurance that can protect tenants in Hamilton. Since sewer backups are mostly likely to cause flooding in basements, this type of coverage might be especially important for those occupying rented basement units. This type of tenant insurance coverage will pay to repair or replace your belongings if they are damaged after sewage or wastewater backs up into your home, resulting in a flood. Note that although adding a sewer backup coverage endorsement to your Hamilton tenant insurance policy is likely to increase your premium, you can qualify for a discount by installing a sewer backup detection device on your property, which reduces the odds of a backup occurring.

Identity theft coverage

Next, identity theft coverage offers many benefits to tenants. Namely, it will come in handy if a third party steals your personal identification or information and commits a crime using it. Examples of personal identification or information that may be stolen include your passport, credit card, driver’s licence, or your social insurance number. With this type of coverage added to your Hamilton tenant insurance plan, your insurance provider can compensate you for any money lost or incurred in your efforts to recover or replace the stolen identification and information.

Personal valuables coverage

Personal valuables coverage is one last type of optional tenant insurance coverage that can be worthwhile for many Hamilton renters. Personal valuables coverage is similar to contents coverage, except it has broader protection. Thus, it picks up where contents coverage leaves off, covering you for items that your contents coverage may not. Unlike contents coverage that often has several restrictions, personal valuables coverage is designed to protect high-value items in your rented space, like vintage wine, fine jewellery, or expensive artwork. If your home contains many items of high value, ask a BrokerLink insurance advisor about adding a personal valuables floater or rider to your policy. This way, you can rest easy knowing you will be covered if these expensive items are damaged or lost.

The cost of Hamilton tenant insurance explained

Understanding the cost of tenant insurance can be difficult, especially when you consider just how many factors an insurance agent will consider when determining your premium. To help you make sense of how tenant insurance rates are calculated, the BrokerLink team has put together the following list of factors that you can expect to influence how much you pay for renters coverage in Hamilton:

• Property type
• Location
• The estimated value of your personal belongings
• Your credit score
• Whether or not you have roommates, and if so, how many roommates you have
• Whether or not you have pets, and if so, how many and what species and breed they are
• Details on the property such as the building materials, including the roof, plumbing and electrical
• The heat source of your rental
• Your personal insurance claims history
• Your chosen deductible amounts

The differences between landlord insurance and tenant insurance

Landlord insurance and tenant insurance might sound similar, but there are several key differences between them, which is why purchasing tenant insurance is so important. For example, even if your landlord has their own landlord insurance plan, it will not protect tenants from some of the most common risks they face.

After all, the purpose of landlord insurance is to protect landlords and property owners from the specific risks that they face - namely, physical damage to the building and liability claims from tenants. In the event that a tenant’s personal belongings were stolen or damaged or a guest brought a claim directly against a tenant, landlord insurance would not protect you. Thus, in either of these scenarios, a tenant would quickly discover the limits of landlord insurance. To further hit home the differences between landlord and renters insurance, landlord insurance covers damage to your physical rented space (i.e. dwelling insurance). It may also cover damage to permanent fixtures in the space, like HVAC units or window coverings. However, it will not cover any damage or losses relating to your unit's personal belongings. So if a fire broke out, damaging the walls and windows in your unit, along with all of your furniture, clothing, and electronics, landlord insurance would only cover the cost of repairing the walls and windows.

Thus, you could be in serious trouble if you decide to forgo your own tenant insurance policy in lieu of landlord insurance. If you still have questions about landlord and tenant responsibilities and how these types of insurance policies differ, reach out to a BrokerLink home insurance specialist today.

We’re in your community

BrokerLink is honoured to provide the residents of Hamilton with quality home, auto, business, travel, and pet insurance. On top of this, we are an insurance brokerage that aims to give back to the community by participating in local events, festivals, and charity fundraisers. Find out more about BrokerLink’s five core values - integrity, excellence, respect, generosity, and customer-driven - by getting in touch today.

Contact us

At Hamilton BrokerLink, we’re here to help you with any insurance needs you may have. Whether it’s insuring your home, car, business, recreational items, or pets, let us help you find the best coverage possible. We can also explain complicated industry terms, like additional interest home insurance and provide tips for first-time renters.

You can reach us by phone, email, or in person at any Ontario location. No matter how you choose to get in touch, a BrokerLink insurance advisor will be happy to assist you. We also encourage you to take advantage of our free online quote tool that can provide you with a competitive quote in minutes.

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Hamilton renters insurance FAQs

What does Hamilton renters insurance not cover?

Hamilton renters insurance policies have their limits. In other words, your tenant insurance policy will not cover everything, even if you purchase several endorsements and riders. A few circumstances that Hamilton tenant insurance will not cover include damage to a unit that is caused intentionally, damage to a unit that has been rented illegally, damage to a unit caused by war, an act of terrorism, or a peril that is not named in your policy, and damage to a unit that is caused by a flood, unless the tenant insurance policy features the relevant type of flood insurance, whether that be overland water coverage or sewer backup coverage.

I live with roommates. Do we each need our own Hamilton tenant insurance policies?

It depends. Some insurance companies allow multiple people who live together to share the same tenant insurance policy, but not all do. Thus, you will first need to contact your provider to find out if adding a second or additional person to your tenant insurance plan is even possible. If it is not possible, then you and your roommates will have no choice but to purchase your own individual policies. If it is possible, make sure to ask about any restrictions or conditions that must be met. For example, most tenant insurance companies have a maximum number of people that can be added to a single policy. This might be two, three, or four tenants. Finally, it is worth noting that even if your insurance company and landlord agree to multiple tenants being added to one policy, this doesn’t mean that it’s the right choice for you. There are several risks that come with multiple policyholders on a single policy.

Can I add flood insurance to my Hamilton renters insurance policy?

Most likely. It depends on whether your insurance provider offers flood insurance. However, if they do, then you should be able to add flood insurance to your Hamilton renters insurance policy. More specifically, you should be able to choose which types of flood insurance you want to add to your policy. Most insurers offer both overland water and sewer backup coverage, either of which can be added to your tenant insurance plan as a rider or endorsement. Given how expensive water damage from a flood can be, adding some or multiple forms of flood insurance to your policy is a wise choice.

What are the most common types of tenant insurance claims in Hamilton?

Some of the most common types of tenant insurance claims in Hamilton relate to theft, third party liability, fires, and flooded basements. Theft is by far the most common type of claim filed by tenants in Canada.

Where can I get a free tenant insurance quote?

Reach out to an insurance agent or broker near you to obtain a free tenant insurance quote today.

If you have any questions, contact one of our local branches.