If you are looking for competitive tenant insurance policies in Toronto, it’s easy to get overwhelmed with the number of insurers around. You would typically choose a policy that assures adequate liability coverage, personal belongings insurance, and provision for additional living expenses.
The reputed insurers would decide the premiums depending on your location in Canada, type of accommodation, and the overall value of your belongings.
Tenant insurance in Canada is not expensive, and you can get quotes as low as $12 a month. However, this should not blind you to the insurers’ authenticity, as you need to be sure of their credibility.
You can consult the experts at Surex to get the best quotes for tenant insurance in Toronto at https://www.surex.com/insurance/tenant/toronto. This article demonstrates how you can obtain the best policies at affordable rates in the city.
Be sure to continue reading if you’d like to learn more about getting the best tenant insurance Toronto has to offer.
Tips to get the best Toronto tenant insurance rates
While you move to a rented property, it makes sense to keep your belongings secure with an adequate renter’s insurance policy. Here are certain guidelines that would help you narrow down your options:
1. Deciding the right amount of coverage
Reputed insurers come up with renter’s insurance policies that can typically cover the expenses to replace your possessions following a natural disaster, fire, or accident. On average, a renter has belongings worth more than $35,000. It would be wise to have enough insurance coverage to replace your assets at the current market price.
Therefore, insurance experts advise tenants to produce a complete inventory list of their possessions. Accordingly, you can get an estimate of the overall value of your belongings.
Now, add the amount of coverage you would consider for liability coverage and additional living expenses. If any of your visitors sustain an injury on your premises, this will help you manage the litigation expenses and medical bills. This limit might range from $100,000 to $500,000, and you need to plan out how you want to be protected.
2. Consider things that are not covered
Although you can secure your property from a number of perils with renter’s insurance in place, you might not be able to file a claim under certain conditions. For instance, insurers would not cover damage inflicted by disasters like floods and earthquakes (you can protect yourself from these risks with insurance add ons).
You need to purchase an additional policy or rider to cover these perils. When you get quotes from reputed insurance companies, make sure to consider risks that the policy would not cover. If you are unsure which insurers would offer the best policies, you can consult the insurance experts.
3. Understanding the nature of coverage
When you shop around for tenant insurance, it would be wise to go for coverage for replacement value rather than the actual cash value.
A policy promising the actual cash value would consider aspects like depreciation when the insurer calculates the property’s value. Therefore, the insurance premiums would be considerably lower than the replacement value policies.
In the case of replacement value policies, you won’t have wear and tear or depreciation, lowering the value of your property. This implies that you can get your possessions replaced at the current market value.
Since the property value is higher at the current market price, be ready to shell out higher premiums if you go for the second type of coverage.
4. Pay a higher deductible
A deductible refers to the amount you have to pay from your pocket before the insurer pays for the rest. In the case of a tenant insurance policy, the deductible would range from $200 to $1,000. For tenants, the natural instinct would be to opt for a policy with a lower deductible. This way, you can file a claim any time your property sustains damage.
However, this wouldn’t be a smart move, as lower deductibles would invite higher monthly premiums. Considering long-term premium payments, you might find that the savings on the premium would be more than what you need to pay out of your pocket. Therefore, experts advise policyholders to go for a higher deductible.
Factors that affect your tenant insurance premiums
Several factors combine to determine tenant insurance premiums. While some of these are not under your control, others are.
Credit score
In many Canadian provinces, insurers consider the tenant’s credit score while calculating the premiums. A high credit score can help you save as much as 25% on your premiums.
Past claim record
Your insurer would consider you to be a higher risk vector in case you have a record of filing claims. This would increase your monthly premiums. This explains why you need to make a calculated move while filing your claims. The premiums would keep escalating with more claims being filed.
Therefore, it would be advisable to fix a mere plumbing issue or a leakage that would cost you around $200 yourself. However, it would be obvious to file a claim in cases where the repair cost is much more than the deductible.
Your belongings
The overall value of your belongings directly influences the tenant insurance premiums. So, if you have expensive electronics, furniture, or jewelry at home, the premiums would be high. Also, pet owners need to shell out higher premiums, as homeowners consider them dangerous for visitors. Besides, dogs and other pets might inflict damage to the property.
Do you have unanswered questions about how to find the best tenant insurance around?
Now that you are aware of the different aspects that determine your renter’s insurance premium, you can select a policy that would suit your needs. However, it takes time to study the reputation of the leading insurance companies in Canada and reach out to them individually for quotes.
It would be wise to consult the insurance experts, who would assess your requirements and recommend the best policy to you. This is one of the most effective ways to save money on insurance premiums.
Besides, you can bundle policies together and bag significant discounts. No wonder why forward-thinking tenants in Canada consult insurance experts for the best recommendations on their policies.
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