Have you had an insurance policy you can customize according to your needs? Square One gives you just that.
A first in the industry, its customizable insurance policy lets you choose what you want to insure and how much.
As for Square One, we will discuss its coverage, customization feature, pros and cons, cost and how home insurance protects your assets.
Key Takeaways
- Square One is a licensed insurance agency that offers a one-of-a-kind home insurance product that lets you decide what to include in your coverage and how much you will pay.
- A customizable insurance policy lets you personalize your limits, coverage and deductibles.
- A tenant insurance policy from Square One costs as little as $12/month, $40 per/month for condo owners, or $75/month for house owners.
Who is Square One?
Square One is a licensed insurance agency, or brokerage, that opened in 2011 to offer home insurance policies that you can personalize to your individual needs. One of North America’s original online home insurance providers, the insurance agency operates from the head office in Vancouver, BC.
The company was formed out of the desire for a modern home insurance system and to develop an insurance product that would meet the specific needs of customers. Square One also aims to keep its costs low and pass on the savings to its clients.
To keep its overhead low, Square One eliminates paperwork and manual tasks. It centralizes its functions and provides sales and service support from its head office. To save on costs, the company uses local claims adjusters and vendors.
Square One sells insurance, while The Mutual Fire Insurance Company of British Columbia (MFI) underwrites its home insurance. MFI is a provincially-registered insurance company serving Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, Ontario and Saskatchewan.
Types of Insurance Offered
Square One offers policies that provide comprehensive protection, which protects against all types of loss, except for those that are specifically excluded. Below are the two main types of insurance.
House Insurance
When you have a property to your name, you should ideally purchase insurance to protect it and your belongings inside it from unforeseen damage or loss. What Square One offers is an option to customize your policy according to what you need.
Square One’s house insurance policy is Canada’s first customizable policy. It lets you personalize your limits, coverage and deductibles. It allows you to insure what you want and decide how much to pay for it.
Its house insurance policy protects against unexpected events like break-ins, theft, fire and windstorms. And, if you approve of their suggested limit, they will guarantee building replacement coverage even if the cost exceeds your insurance coverage.
Tenant Insurance
Tenant insurance is essential if you are a tenant or renter because it will protect the things you own, such as when your belongings become damaged or destroyed while renting. With a Square One tenant policy, you choose your coverages, limits and deductibles.
While it is typical for your landlord to have a home insurance policy in place, it is also sensible for you to purchase tenant insurance as this will secure your belongings and protect you from theft, fire, accidental damage and other covered damages or losses.
Like house insurance, tenant insurance also covers your temporary living arrangements if the house you rent has experienced significant loss. A tenant policy from Square One can also cover financial loss from identity theft if you choose to include that coverage.
What Does Square One Cover?
Square One offers a comprehensive (all-risk) policy, which protects against all types of commonly covered losses, including break-ins, fires, hailstorms, burst pipes, water backups and others.
Standard home insurance covers the main structure of the house as well as attached garages, swimming pools and hot tubs. The policy also covers, on an unlimited basis, additional costs due to building code changes.
For personal property, you decide how much protection you want. Personal property coverage is mandatory and protects all the other “moveable” items you own, including household goods, electronics, clothing, furniture and appliances in your house, garage and storage.
Square One also includes liability protection and additional living expenses that you incur due to damage from an insured loss or a sudden event that causes you to evacuate your home.
Your Square One policy can also protect against identity theft and financial loss in addition to personal and premises liability, in which you accidentally injure a person or cause damage to their property.
Where is Square One Available?
Square One is available in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario and Quebec. It is licensed and regulated by official insurance regulators in all the provinces it does business in.
Square One sells and services policies by phone and online from its head office
How to Get a Quote at Square One
Over 2 million customers have received personalized home insurance quotes from Square One. If you want to get your personalized quote, you only need to follow these steps:
- Go to the Square One home page and enter your home address on the box or click Get A Quote in the upper right-hand corner of the website.
- Specify the location of the house you are insuring.
- Describe your home and its characteristics, including the type of house, its age and condition.
- Answer other questions such as the year you purchased your house or when you moved into it, how many mortgages were taken on your home, and who will live in it.
- Provide some basic details about yourself.
- Choose the items you want to insure.
- Get your premium.
In 5 minutes, you get your customized home insurance quote, wherein the rate you see is the rate you pay. If you approve of it, you can buy it online or save it for later. If you have questions about your quote, call Square One at 1-855-331-6933 to speak with an insurance agent.
Cost
The cost of your home insurance depends on the type of insurance you choose, the cost to rebuild your home in the event of a loss, the age of your house, your address, and other details the insurer will typically require of you.
At Square One, you can purchase a home insurance policy for as little as $12 a month. If you own a detached house, you can get a Square One insurance policy for about $75 a month and about $40 per month if you own a condo.
So you can get a more accurate cost, I suggest going to their website and getting a quote. Fill out the online form, supply as many details as possible and get a customized quote in 5 minutes.
Is Square One Legit?
Square One has been in business since 2011. It has been an accredited member of the Better Business Bureau (with an A+ rating) since October 2012. Its team of professionals has worked in the industry for years.
Additionally, the company has a physical location, a directory of its personnel, and multiple local phone numbers in the provinces they serve. It is also an authorized agent for the Mutual Fire Insurance Company of British Columbia.
So you can find out what clients are saying, check out Square One insurance reviews on its Reviews page. The site says there are almost 45,000 customer reviews. Some are even video reviews, which the company says were submitted to them directly. The average rating Square One received was 4.7 stars out of 5.
I find it interesting that you can filter the written reviews to display those about sales and service only or just the ones about claims. This way, you can easily find what their clients are concerned about. It helps gauge the kind of service their customers are getting.
Square One Contact
Below are the varied contact details available to customers who want to communicate with the company.
| Phone Number | 1-855-331-6933 (8 AM EST – 9 PM EST, Monday – Saturday) |
| Local Numbers | Visit this page. 8 AM EST – 9 PM EST, Monday – Saturday |
| Fax | 1-855-331-6935 |
| [email protected] | |
| Square One Insurance Services 650 West Georgia Street Suite 1410 Vancouver British Columbia V6B 4N8 | |
| Company Directory | 1-855-331-6933 Extension numbers |
| Divisional Head for Policy Sales and Service: | Jas Sandhu [email protected] 1-855-331-6933 ext 106 |
| Divisional Head for Billing and Operations | Kristina Wheeler [email protected] 1-855-331-6933 ext 104 |
| Divisional Head for Claims | Wendy McCracken [email protected] 1-855-331-6933 ext 117 |
| Ombudsperson | [email protected] or mail to: Ombudsperson Square One Insurance Services 650 West Georgia Street, Suite 1410 Vancouver, British Columbia V6B 4N8 |
Pros and Cons of Square One
Knowing the advantages and disadvantages of Square One can help speed up our decision-making process in an objective manner and get a better understanding of the situation.
And as we can see on the list below, the pros of Square One outnumber the cons, so getting Square One to protect your property may be an ideal move. Nevertheless, it is better to go through each advantage and disadvantage and decide objectively.
Pros
- Only include the coverage you want and need to save money
- Personalized insurance quotes in 5 minutes
- Low insurance costs due to Square One’s low overhead
- No lock-in or fixed-term contracts
- Interest-free monthly payments
- Easy-to-understand insurance policy
- 24-7 claims line
- Most of the online claims process is done online
- Claims tracking
- Pays out over 90% of all submitted claims
- Its insurance policy uses easy-to-understand language rather than complex legal jargon
Cons
- No bundle options
- The first $50 of your premium is non-refundable
- Requires proof of value when registering your personal belongings over a certain value for home insurance
- Not available in the Territories or Maritime provinces
Is Square One Worth It?
Looking at Square One’s customizable policies, low insurance costs, high payout on claims, strong customer satisfaction rates and an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau, we could agree that Square One is worth it.
For me, the best part about Square One is that you can customize your home insurance policy. This way, you do not have to pay for coverage you do not need. Furthermore, you get the best rates for the type of coverage that suits you.
The company’s one-of-a-kind approach to insurance makes it a less expensive insurance product and suits anyone who prefers to pay only for the coverage they need. Plus, you do everything online, which gives you a generally fast and hassle-free experience. Of course, if you need help, their agents are a phone call away.
FAQs
The Square One contact number is 1-855-331-6933. Agents are available Monday to Saturday, from 8 AM EST to 9 PM EST. You can also call the number to get a quote, make changes to your policy, or report a claim.
You can cancel your Square One insurance policy anytime for any reason because the company will not lock you into a year-long contract. Cancel your policy by logging into your Square One online account, speaking with an agent at 1-855-331-6933, or emailing [email protected].
Square Insurance is being sold and serviced by phone and online from the insurance agency’s head office in Vancouver, BC. Home insurance is underwritten by The Mutual Fire Insurance Company of British Columbia.
President and CEO Daniel Mirkovic, CFO Chris Bayly, and CTO Jason Vander Zalm run Square One alongside an experienced management team. Daniel has 16 years of experience in senior positions in the insurance industry. He holds a Canadian Accredited Insurance Broker designation and a general insurance license level 3 in BC, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Ontario. To view the entire team, visit https://www.squareone.ca/about-us/team-members.
Related:
I purchased insurance from Square one based on the low rate they offered. However once I purchased this house they valued my home at double what it was worth then increased the premium higher? I was paying $112 a month with TD but Square one said I would pay lower at $90 per month? I am now paying more!?
I do not recommend this company, they are a scam!