Get Cheap Home Insurance in Windsor

How home insurance works in Windsor

Located in southwestern Ontario, Windsor sits on the south side of the Detroit River, directly across from the City of Detroit. Though Windsor has become somewhat notorious for its extreme weather events, including floods, storms and tornadoes. This may be why the city has some of the most expensive home insurance premiums in the province, despite having relatively low crime rates, according to the 2021 Crime Severity Index in Canada.

While home insurance is not mandated by law in Windsor – unlike car insurance – you may still be forced to purchase it, as most mortgage providers require it. But that’s okay – we're here to help.

Types of home insurance in Windsor

Home insurance in Windsor typically comes in four types, differing mainly by price and coverage. As you might expect, the more coverage you get, the more you pay. Though their exact naming depends on the insurer, they usually boil down to the following:

• Basic: 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. It offers the least amount of coverage – if you exclude the ‘no-frills’ option, that is.
• Broad: 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.
• No-frills: Got a home that can’t be covered by typical insurance? Then no-frills coverage may be handy. This option exists for homes that are in such a poor state that they are too risky to insure under normal circumstances. For instance, their electrical system is so out of date it has a very high chance of causing fire. This type of insurance is best only as a temporary solution – usually for securing a mortgage and/or until you get the home all fixed up.

What home insurance covers in Windsor

Regardless of your coverage, your Windsor home insurance should always cover the following:

• Property: This doesn’t just entail the home itself but outbuildings and backyard decor, including your shed, barn, detached garage and even your garden. However, don’t assume right off the bat that everything is covered. Discuss this with your insurer to make sure that nothing gets ignored.
• Contents: Anything you own within your property, such as furniture, electronics, clothing and so forth, falls under ‘contents.’ And unless they are extremely expensive, they will all be covered by your insurance. Pricey artwork, jewelry or collectibles, however, may require purchasing a special ‘add-on’ to ensure they are fully covered.
• Liability: Should a person – a guest, for instance – get accidentally injured on your property, or should you accidentally damage someone’s property, this will cover the potential medical bills, repair costs and legal repercussions.
• Additional living expenses: If a covered peril makes your home temporarily unlivable, this will pay for your accommodation and food while you live elsewhere. Ask your insurer to learn what’s covered and for how long.

Commonly covered perils

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

• Fire: Should your home or possessions catch fire, this will pay for replacing, rebuilding or repairing whatever ends up damaged or lost. But since losing your home in a fire is incredibly inconvenient (and dangerous), check out these tips on how to avoid home fires altogether.
• 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.
• Lightning: If lightning were to strike your home and damage some of your appliances or electronics, this will pay for their replacement or repairs.
• 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, check out these steps.
• 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.
• 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 Windsor

Even your comprehensive policy won’t cover everything. So, if you believe your insurance could cover more, you can purchase additional coverage in the form of ‘add-ons’ or ‘endorsements.’ Here are some of the most prominent ones:

• Overland flooding: If your home or possessions suffer water damage due to overflowing water from a close by river, stream, lake or thawing snow, this will cover you. In the last decade, Windsor has become very vulnerable to floods caused by melting snow and rainwater, so this coverage might be useful to have. If you need more help, see our tips on how to protect your basement from flooding.
• Sewer back-up: This is another type of water damage coverage. It will protect your home and possessions if your home gets flooded because of backed up sewage pipes, toilets, drains or showers. Backed up sewage is usually the product of too much rainwater and melted snow entering the sewer system at the same time. Given how vulnerable Windsor is to floods, this is another useful coverage to have.
• Earthquake: This endorsement will protect your home and possessions from damage due to an earthquake, landslide, snowslide and volcanic eruption. Earthquakes, especially severe ones, are extremely rare in Windsor and the rest of southern Ontario, as are the other three perils in this category, so it’s unlikely that you’ll need this endorsement.
• Mass evacuations: If a mass evacuation due to a flood, wildfire or another major peril causes you to live away from your home, this will cover the costs of your accommodation and food.
• Valuable possessions: Should you realize that some of your possessions, such as jewelry, collectibles or artwork, are too expensive to be covered by regular insurance, this add-on will do the job. Before you purchase it, however, evaluate all your items and talk to your insurer to make sure you actually need it.

How much does average home insurance cost in Windsor?

According to the RATESDOTCA Insuramap data, home insurance in Windsor is estimated to be $2,124 per year on average, or roughly $177 per month. This is well above Ontario’s estimated average of $1,427 per year. Windsor is the second most expensive city for home insurance in the province, right after Lasalle, which has an average estimated premium of $2,411 per year.

There is a reason for this. Windsor has become infamous for its erratic weather – from extreme snowfalls and heavy rainfalls to floods, frigid winters and tornadoes. They’ve been causing a lot of damage to homes, which in turn has led to more claims and higher premiums. Though theft and vandalism certainly factor into the equation as well, they are not as plentiful in Windsor as they are in other Ontario cities, such as Toronto, for example, which has an estimated average premium of $1,467 per year – well below Windsor’s.

Some parts of Windsor are less affected by high premiums than others, so if you’re still shopping for a home, you may want to research which of them are the cheapest ahead of time.

Note that the above averages are based on the profile of a 45-year-old homeowner, who has been insured for at least 10 years and lives in a 2,500 sq ft house with brick veneer, wood frame construction, natural gas heat, a roof that is 10 to 15 years old and has the maximum available coverage for water protection. This means that your specific circumstances, including your personal claims history as well as property condition and size, will factor into your premiums, so take this all with a grain of salt.

Cheapest home insurance in Windsor

The cheapest average home insurance in Windsor is estimated to be $1,521 per year. It can be found in areas with postal codes starting with N8V – south of Windsor International Airport. The most expensive average premiums in Windsor are estimated to be $2,552 per year. They can be found in neighbourhoods with postal codes starting with N9K.

You’ll find these postal codes on the outskirts of Windsor, in the suburbs, which is somewhat unusual. In most cases, one would find the highest premiums in the most densely populated parts of the city, such as downtown, for example – and the other way around when it comes to cheap premiums.

This isn’t the case in Windsor – likely because the weather is what’s causing premiums to go up.  Due to its unpredictability, you’ll find expensive and cheap premiums in suburban and urban neighbourhoods alike, making it difficult to pinpoint a specific pattern. Your best bet is to shop around for cheap quotes using a website like InsuranceHotline.com and see where you stand – especially if you haven’t bought a home yet.

Top home insurance companies in Windsor