Wawanesa Home Insurance Review (Updated 2024)

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Information verified by  Alexandre Desoutter

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Alexandre Desoutter updated on 2 December 2022

Protecting your home is important to be able to make plans and have peace of mind. Your home is the place where you spend time with family and friends, where you work and, for homeowners, your biggest investment for the future. But how to find the right insurer to make sure you have actually protected it? Every year thousands of Canadians find out that the policy they purchased doesn't cover things they thought it did.

In this review we introduce you to Wawanesa home insurance, take you through what it covers, what It costs and what its strengths are.

Good to know

Wawanesa: the basics

  • Founded in 1896 in Wawanesa by Alonzo Fowler Kempton
  • Originally focused on insuring farmers
  • Assets of over $11 billion
  • Hold over 2 million policies
  • Its current headquarters are in Winnipeg

Our review of Wawanesa home insurance

Wawanesa is a mutual insurance company, which means that its policyholders own it. The main difference between a mutual insurance company and a publicly-traded insurance company is that profits made by a mutual insurance company are distributed to policyholders, usually in the form of dividends or reductions to premiums. Wawanesa began as mutual insurance for farmers but has expanded into private property and car insurance. They have a long history of being very involved with the rural communities they serve and have special knowledge and coverage for rural customers.

On the other hand, Wawanesa has received some negative customer reviews for its customer service. Some customers who have purchased Wawanesa insurance policies through brokers have found the process of getting answers from the company via their broker to be lengthy.

Pros

  • Comprehensive coverage
  • Specialize in rural and farm needs
  • Good range of discounts
  • Competitive rates

Cons

  • Limited deductible range
  • Some clients have reported problems contacting a representative

Want to see how Wawanesa measures up to other home insurance providers?

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What does Wawanesa's home insurance cover?

Home insurance is a catch-all term for a number of different insurance policies that protect various kinds of homes. Wawanesa offers specific policies for homeowner insurance, condo insurance and tenant insurance. These policies share certain coverages but also have their own specific features.

Wawanesa's home insurance will pay for the cost of repairs to your property if it is damaged by causes included in the contract. For homeowners, Wawanesa covers property rebuild costs as well as any expenses incurred if you have to live somewhere else during the process of rebuilding. Condo insurance will cover damage to common areas, for example, if the roof of your building is damaged in a storm your condo insurance will cover your share of the repairs. All types of home insurance include personal liability. Personal liability coverage protects you if someone is injured while on your property, for example, if they fall down your stairs or are electrocuted.

Below we have laid out the coverage offered by Wawanesa's home insurance so you can easily check which coverages apply to which types of home insurance.

CoverageWawanesa insurance homeownerWawanesa insurance condoWawanesa insurance tenant
All risks
Water damage coverage
Extended water damage coverage
Add-onAdd-onAdd-on
Rebuilding to code
Personal liability
Additional living expenses
Legal and home assistance
Additional living expenses
Unit improvements
Loss assessment
Common areas
Wawanesa insurance Canadian home

Good to know

Are you still unsure how home insurance works? Our home insurance guide has answers to your questions.

Does Wawanesa have enhanced home insurance?

Enhanced home insurance is a more comprehensive package of protection that you can purchase if you own your own property. Wawanesa offers basic, broad and comprehensive home insurance packages

Basic home insurance is also known as 'named peril' insurance. It will cover you only for things that are named in the insurance policy. Wawanesa basic insurance covers the following:

  • Water
  • Fire and smoke
  • Hail, wind and lightning
  • Glass breakage
  • Explosion
  • Vandalism
  • Impact by a vehicle
  • Theft or attempted theft

Comprehensive home insurance is the most expensive and has the most protections. You are protected from everything except the threats specifically mentioned in the exclusion section of the insurance policy. Wawanesa's comprehensive home insurance exclusions are:

  • Terrorism
  • War
  • Nuclear events
  • Business or farming operation
  • Vacancy over 30 days
  • Wear, tear or deterioration

Wawanesa also offers a mid-range policy, the broad home insurance plan. This protects the contents of your house from threats that are specifically mentioned in the policy. However, the actual building and property itself are protected against everything except the things specifically mentioned (which you can see in the list above).

Interested in seeing what enhanced protection other providers are offering?

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What optional add-ons are there?

No one is more knowledgeable than you about which coverage you might need. Whether you are purchasing the basic or the comprehensive coverage of Wawanesa's home insurance there may be supplementary ways in which you need to be protected. We have put Wawanea's additional coverage into a table below

For example, if you live in Longueuil, you might be interested in the additional coverage Wawanesa provides for damage from spacecraft. If you live in the Yukon you might be interested in the extra coverage for forest fires.

Extra coverageWhat it protects againstWawanesa homeowner insuranceWawanesa condo insuranceWawanesa tenant insurance
Impact by land vehicle
Damage caused by a land vehicle striking your property
Impact by aircraft
Damage caused by an aircraft striking your property
Impact by spacecraft
Damage caused by a spacecraft striking your property
Wildfires
Protection against smoke and fire damage
Lightening
Damage caused by lightning to property or outbuildings
Vandalism and Malicious Damage
Deliberate damage caused by a third-party
Property Removed
Protects belongings for 90 days outside your home if they must be removed due to repairs
Grave Markers
Up to $3,000 to protect gravestones and mausoleums
Food Spoilage
Up to $3,000 to cover the cost of spoiled food due to electricity cuts
Fire Department Charges
Up to $10,000 reimbursement for charges from a fire department
Lock Replacement
Up to $1,000 to replace locks
Forgery
Up to $5,000 for costs incurred due to identity theft

Wawanesa insurance home canada

Interested in seeing what additional protection other providers are offering?

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What does Wawanesa's home insurance not cover?

Every insurance policy contains exclusions that the insurance provider uses to minimize the risk to them. You should always read a contract thoroughly to make sure there are no surprises.

Below we have listed the exclusions found in the contract for the basic Wawanesa home insurance package.

  • Normal degradation of a property
  • Wet rot, dry rot or fungi
  • Pests and vermin
  • Damage that occurs after a property has been vacant for 1 month
  • Damage due to the purchaser's criminal activity
  • Terrorism and war
  • Nuclear incidents
  • Damage done during refurbishment

What does home insurance from Wawanesa cost?

Every home insurance quote is specific to the individual property and the profile of the policyholder, such as the size of your home and if you have a previous history of making claims. According to Wawanesa home insurance reviews, some of the questions that an insurance broker will ask you are the following:

  1. What year was it built?
  2. How large is it?
  3. What type of building is it?
  4. How many levels does it have?
  5. Does it have a garage?
  6. Do you rent any of the rooms to tenants?
  7. What are the walls made of?
  8. What type of wiring does it have?
  9. What type of roof does it have?
  10. What type of heating does it have?

Wawanesa does not offer online quotes. the company state that quickfire quotes can fail to take into account a full situation and may not end up with you purchasing the right policy. For this reason, they advise all potential customers to get in touch with a broker who can talk through and fully understand their situation.

Good to know

You get in touch directly by using the Wawanesa contact number or you can use the Find A Broker tool on their website.

Wawanesa does offer discounts which could help you to negotiate lower premiums when you are buying a policy. take a look at the discounts below and see if they could help you save money.

Wawanesa DiscountHow It Applies
Multi-Line
Up to 20% if you bundle Wawanese home and auto insurance
Non-Smoker
Non-smoking households are eligible
Burglar Alarm
Burglar alarms and other security systems should be mentioned to your broker
Sprinkler
A sprinkler reduces fire risk and can lower your premiums
Water Alarm
If you live in an area at risk of flooding, a water alarm can be a great investment

Many insurance providers do offer online quotes, you can compare them by clicking the button below.

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Can you bundle Wawanesa home and auto insurance?

Yes, bundling your home and car insurance will save you money. If you combine your Wawanesa auto and home insurance you can reduce your monthly premiums and also raise the payout limits. Bundling is an efficient option as it combines the paperwork you have to deal with and therefore reduces your admin!

Wawanesa offers an auto and home bundling package that saves up to 20%

Good to know

Are you in the market for car insurance? Check out our car insurance guide to learn more and compare rates.

How to buy Wawanesa home insurance?

Wawanesa has a company policy of wanting to find the best-fit insurance policy for each customer. It started out as a small, personal company that worked within communities and understood the specific needs of its clients. For this reason, Wawanesa does not provide online quote services. The only way to get a Wawanesa home insurance quote is by contacting a licensed broker

To find a local broker you can go to the Wawanesa home insurance website and hit the Find A Broker button. This will take you to an address search page. Enter your address and hit Search. This will bring up a list of local brokers in your area with their websites and phone numbers. You can contact any of these companies and they will work with you to find the best, tailored insurance policy for you.

wawanesa find a broker
Find a Wawanesa homer insurance broker

Want a quick online quote instead?

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How to make Wawanesa home insurance claims?

To make a claim you can call a claims representative directly at the contact Wawanese home insurance number:1-844-929-2637. lines are open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Alternatively, you can make a claim online through the Wawanesa website Residential Claim portal. On the Wawanesa, homepage hit the Claims tab and select Submit Residential Claim. Wawanesa will need the following information:

  1. Your name and address
  2. Your policy number
  3. The date of the incident and your description
  4. Your police report number (if you have one)
  5. Whether your home has a mortgage

You can also contact the broker from whom you purchased the home insurance policy if you prefer to go through the process with someone helping you.

How to cancel Wawanesa home insurance?

To cancel your home insurance policy with Wawanesa you should directly contact the broker from whom you purchased the policy. They will be able to guide you through the process of cancelling your payments and ending your coverage.

If you have forgotten who you purchased the insurance through you can find your broker's contact details on the cover page of your home insurance policy documents.

Interested in an insurance provider with state-of-the-art apps and multiple avenues of contact?

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Alexandre Desoutter
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Alexandre Desoutter has been working as editor-in-chief and head of press relations at HelloSafe since June 2020. A graduate of Sciences Po Grenoble, he worked as a journalist for several years in French media, and continues to collaborate as a as a contributor to several publications.