Compare the best Nova Scotia home insurance quotes & save today

Getting the best home insurance usually means buying extra coverage, including things like flood insurance or upping your contents insurance limits. While burst pipes and furnishings are covered by a comprehensive home insurance policy, a standard policy won't cover sewer backup, overland water, or valuable items (e.g. jewellery) that exceed a certain limit. 

Understand that most comprehensive policies are otherwise relatively complete covering fires, windstorms, and other perils from damaging your house (dwelling) and detached structures (e.g. fence, gazebo, etc.)

You also get liability insurance for anyone that injures themselves on your property and chooses to sue.

Of course, the extra coverages increase your premiums. To save more money, consider renovations and upgrades that improve safety to reduce the risks of a home insurance claim. You can even go so far as to install a monitored alarm system to deter thieves which could result in a discount. 

The average price of homeowners insurance in Nova Scotia is $782 per year or about $65 per month. However, the price fluctuates greatly based on location, size of your home, and type of home insurance.

Condo insurance, for instance, is likely closer to $40 per month because the building also has its own insurance (which you pay for through your condo fees).

Renters insurance you could get a price for as little as $15 per month depending on the value of your possessions. Renters insurance does much more than just protect your contents, though. It also gives you liability in case someone injures themselves on your property and pays for room and board if you need to live elsewhere following a claim. 

We are also seeing prices rise each and every year due to a number of factors outside the average homeowners control, such as inflation. Learn more about how inflation is affecting the home insurance market.

Yes, you can save up to 25% by bundling your home insurance with your car insurance in Nova Scotia. When you use our quoter, check the box that asks if you also want car insurance. When you do, it alerts the broker you want to take advantage of this discount. The insurance broker helps to answer any questions you may have and puts the finishing touches on your new policy. 

If you're thinking Belair Direct (Intact), TD, or Allstate are the best insurance companies in Nova Scotia, know that while they are major insurers, each company evaluates your unique details to give you a quote. In other words, you could get far cheaper quotes from other insurers who will provide the same level of coverage. Arguably, you could get much better service from a smaller provider with fewer clients.

However, insurance companies change their rates all the time based on how they did the previous year. It's why it's so important to compare insurance quotes every year to ensure you're always getting the best price. It only takes 5 minutes and could save you hundreds.  

Getting the cheapest home insurance begins with quality maintenance and care of your home. 

There are things you can do right away like increase your deductible, bundle with your auto insurance, and opt for an annual payment, instead of monthly and they'll all result in cheaper premiums. 

You can also reduce your coverage if you're overinsured. For instance, does your home insurance cover the replacement cost of your home or the market value? If your house goes down in flames, you don't need to buy the land again. If you have add-ons like flood, earthquake, or jewellery insurance, you could consider forgoing those coverages with an increase to your risk. 

There isn't much excluded from standard policies. If it's not covered, it's most often due to wear and tear that gets worse due to negligence. For instance, mould is seen as a lack of maintenance from a homeowner. If a home insurance claim could have been avoided with regular maintenance, you can expect it to not be covered.

Other common exclusions include infestations from termites or rats, home businesses, dangerous dogs, and sewer backup.

Otherwise, you're likely covered. The question then becomes should you make a claim? The easiest answer is the cost of the claim should grossly outweigh the cost of your deductible. If your kid smashes a window and you want to file an insurance claim, first get an estimate on the repair. If the repair is $200 and your deductible is $1,000 then it really doesn't make any sense to file a claim. 

For more information, check out our blog on what home insurance won't cover.

Yes, if you’re unhappy with your rate or customer service, feel free to move on. However, before you do, it’s important to shop around for new home insurance quotes online, select your new provider, inform your old provider and ensure there are no coverage gaps while you transfer. For more details, read our blog how to change insurance companies.

A home insurance peril is an unknown or accidental event. For instance, if your home is struck and damaged by lightning, creating a hole in your roof, there is no way you could have prevented it. But a home insurance policy is not a maintenance plan so if your roof has slowly degraded over time and now needs replacing, it is not a peril since its eventual replacement is expected.

Make a complete list of damaged or stolen items. Call your insurance provider as soon as you can and ask about what you’re entitled to, especially if you can’t currently live in your home as you may be entitled to hotel and food expenses. A claims adjuster will be in contact with you to fill out a proof of loss form. Ask about using your own contractor or if you’re required to use one they supply to repair the property.

Your deductible is the portion of the claim you’re responsible for paying before the insurance company will pay the rest. A higher deductible, meaning you'll pay more than standard in the event of a claim, will result in lower premiums.

Yes, is the simple answer. While Airbnb does provide host protection insurance, it may not be enough. You should contact your insurance provider before any changes to your policy and that includes renting it out. If they’re not ok with you renting your property, you can move your policy to another provider who will. Keep in mind in order to list you house on Airbnb or another home sharing service, you will need to have a short-term rental insurance policy. This will increase your monthly payment over what a standard home insurance policy would cost.

You can check out our blog for more information on how Airbnb insurance works in Canada.