Summer House Insurance Ontario

A summer house insurance plan works by providing coverage for any damage to your summer property and protecting you from legal responsibility should a third-party visitor or guest get severely hurt while on your property. For example, you could find yourself facing a civil lawsuit if a guest was severely injured after falling down the stairs on your backyard deck due to a loose or broken step. Your summer house insurance policy would then cover your legal fees and any associated costs, like any medical bills from your guest.

Furthermore, something you will want to inquire about with your insurance provider is whether your policy includes restoration expenses or upgrading costs. Any upgrades can be expensive when ensuring your summer house meets safety and permit codes. Should something happen to your home, and you need it replaced, you will want to ensure that any money you put toward restoration or upgrades is also replaced.

Should you have any questions about your summer home insurance, please do not hesitate to reach out to a member of our team at R&R Plan Cottage Insurance. We put our clients first by collaborating with you to personalize your insurance plan to cover precisely what you need. We want you to be well-informed and feel confident about your comprehensive insurance policy.

Like with homeowners insurance, you need an insurance policy for your summer home that covers your property, any outbuildings and their contents. Your policy also needs to include liability coverage in case a third party, such as a visitor or guest, injures themselves on your property or claims property damage. 

Here’s what our R&R Plan summer home insurance plan covers:

• Fire damage 
• Storm damage 
• Theft and vandalism 
• Building collapse 
• Damage from bears
• Liability coverage available for up to $5,000,000 
• Protection for an outbuilding, decks, and docks without any additional costs.

If you plan to rent out your summer home, you will also need our short-term rental insurance. It offers coverage for up to six months for the following:

• Personal liability protection should a third party injure themselves on your property 
• Owner’s liability protection against loss or damage caused by your watercraft
• Rental income protection against financial loss due to damage or insured peril

Homeowners insurance and summer house insurance are generally very similar. They both protect the house, your belongings and your assets. But there is one main difference — the price. Insurance rates for summer homes are typically higher because they are at more risk of insurance claims. 

Here are some factors that typically affect your insurance premiums:

• How long your vacation home is vacant for
• Where the vacation home is located.
• If you plan to rent it out.

Because summer homes often remain vacant for extended periods, they are more susceptible to property damage due to break-ins and vandalism or even damage from a leak, fire or infestation. Depending on how isolated your summer home is, these could go undetected for months. Additionally, if your summer home is located along the waterfront, it’s also susceptible to damage from windstorms or hurricanes. These all contribute to higher insurance rates. 

Moreover, some owners of summer homes like to rent their house out when it’s not in use. If this is something you plan to do as well, you will need to purchase additional insurance for short-term rental to protect you and your home from any damage, loss, or liability.

As we mentioned before, primary home and summer home insurance share many of the same characteristics. But there are a few differences because you only occupy your summer property for short periods of time. 

At R&R Plan Cottage Insurance, we are excited to offer first-rate insurance policies for all summer house owners in Ontario. Here is how our insurance specialists are prepared to assist you:

Secondary Cottage Insurance 

With our secondary cottage insurance policy, we offer year-round, guaranteed replacement costs while protecting your cottage and personal belongings against the following:

• Fire damage 
• Storm damage 
• Theft and vandalism 
• Damage from bears, raccoons, and squirrels
• Liability coverage available for up to $5,000,000

Seasonal Cottage Insurance 

This seasonal cottage insurance policy protects your secondary home against the following: 

• Fire damage 
• Storm damage 
• Theft and vandalism 
• Building collapse
• Liability coverage available for up to $5,000,000 
• Protection for an outbuilding, decks, and docks without any additional costs.

Cottage Rental Insurance 

With the cottage rental insurance policy, you will have coverage that includes the following: 

1. Personal liability protection in the event a third party injures themselves on your property 
2. Owner’s liability protection against loss or damage caused by a watercraft (if “incidental” watercraft is included in your contract)
3. Rental income protection against financial loss due to damage or insured perils

This insurance plan will cover you for up to six months of the year.

Builders Cottage Insurance 

Start your summer house construction while protecting your structure against damage and liabilities. This coverage includes:

• Protection of building materials both on and off-site 
• Coverage during transportation and construction

Additional Cottage Insurance 

Additional coverage options for summer homes include:

• Protection from damage that results from squirrels, bears, raccoons, snow loads, freeze-ups, and short-term rental residents
• Protection for outbuildings, decks, docks, and outdoor equipment without any extra fees added
• Protection from damage that is caused by septic backup and flooding, earthquakes, fuel oil release
• Coverage for damage or total loss of motorized vehicles, campers, or trailers
• Coverage for buildings used for farming or other business operations

Before partnering with an insurance firm in Ontario, summer house owners should keep in mind that some features are not included in standardized summer house insurance plans. These omissions often include the following: 

• Septic backup and flooding 
• Earthquakes 
• Fuel oil release 
• Damage or complete loss of motorized vehicles, campers, trailers
• Buildings used for farming or other business purposes 

If you are uncertain of what coverages you need for your summer house, please reach out to your insurance advisor at R&R Plan Cottage Insurance about our additional coverage options.

Absolutely. 

Secondary properties like a cottage or summer house present more risks than your primary home. As such, it is essential to have a comprehensive insurance policy to ensure you are protected from personal liability for any damages and related expenses.

According to Ontario law, house, condo and tenant insurance are not required. However, it is often necessary to demonstrate proof of insurance to banks and lenders before they will advance a mortgage for you to purchase a summer house. Be that as it may, having summer house insurance is clearly beneficial. Don’t risk losing everything just to save a few dollars a month — your peace of mind is worth a lot more!

A big factor when determining how much your summer house insurance will be is the replacement cost. This means you can expect higher insurance premiums the more it costs to replace your house and contents. The larger the summer home, the more insurance it needs.  

There are a few things you should know about your summer house before you get an insurance quote:

• The age of your property
• How it was built
• The size of it (square footage)
• The number of floors it has
• Whether the basement is finished or unfinished

This information will help you accurately gauge the amount of insurance coverage you will need in the unfortunate event that you need to replace your summer house. In order to avoid having to pay part of your replacement costs out of pocket due to insufficient insurance coverage, it’s always best to know as much as you can about the house before you apply!

No summer house is too small or too large to insure when you partner with R&R Plan Cottage Insurance. As long as your summer house meets the requirements of a secondary home, you will qualify for one of our insurance policies!