What 2nd Home Insurance Covers in Quebec
A properly written homeowners' insurance policy on a second home in Quebec includes the following coverages:
Buildings Insurance
Covers the physical structure written on a replacement cost basis.
Detached Structures
Boathouses, sheds, and detached garages are usually covered up to a sub-limit (often 10 percent of the building amount).
Contents Coverage
Standard contents coverage is set between 50 to 70 percent of the building amount. High-value items (jewellery, watercraft) require a scheduled personal property rider.
Civil Liability
Protection if someone is injured on your property. A $2 million limit is now the recommended baseline for second homes in Quebec, especially waterfront properties.
Additional Living Expenses
Pays for somewhere else to stay if a covered claim makes your second home temporarily unlivable.
What Is 2nd Home Insurance?
Buying a second home in Quebec is exciting — a Laurentian chalet, an Eastern Townships cottage, a Mont-Tremblant ski condo, a Charlevoix retreat by the river. Insuring it is where most owners get tripped up.
2nd home insurance (also called secondary residence insurance, vacation home insurance, or cottage insurance in Quebec) is a homeowners insurance policy designed for a property you own but do not live in as your principal residence.
It protects several core components:
- The buildings — the structure of your second home and any detached structures like a garage, boathouse, or shed
- The contents — your furniture, appliances, and belongings inside the property
- Your civil liability — if someone is injured on your property, or you accidentally damage someone else's property
Homeowners insurance on a second home is not the same as your principal home policy, and it is not the same as landlord insurance. It sits in its own underwriting category, and pricing reflects the unique risks of a property that is not lived in full-time.
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Quebec's Three Types of Second Properties
- Secondary Residence (Year-Round Use)
A secondary residence is a property you use year-round, just not as your main home. It has winter insulation, year-round road access, heating that stays on, and live utilities.
Coverage type: Usually all-risks (also called comprehensive form) — the broadest protection available, covering everything except what is specifically excluded. - Seasonal Dwelling (Part-Year Use)
A seasonal dwelling is a property usable only part of the year — a three-season cottage with no winter insulation, a cabin reached only by boat, a fishing camp boarded up from October to May. Because the property sits empty for months, frozen pipes, undetected leaks, break-ins, and roof damage from heavy snow loads are real risks.
Coverage type: Usually named-perils only. The insurer covers a specific list of risks (fire, lightning, theft, vandalism, and a few others) and nothing else. - Income Property (Rented Out)
If your second property is rented to tenants for income, it is not a 2nd home in insurance terms. It is a rental property and needs landlord insurance instead. Using a 2nd home policy on a rented property usually means the insurer denies the claim.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Got questions about coverage, payments, or claims? Find clear answers here, or reach out to us directly.
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Why Use an Insurance Broker for Second Home Insurance in Quebec
Second home underwriting varies enormously between insurers — some won't insure older cottages, others specialise in them; some exclude waterfront, others allow 60 days of vacancy.
A broker who knows the Quebec market puts your property in front of the right insurers and saves you the work. At Qubit Insurance, brokers like Manjot Singh work directly with you.
"Manjot and the team at Qubit made insuring our Magog cottage incredibly simple. They explained the 60-day vacancy rules clearly and found us a policy with overland water coverage that our old direct-writer wouldn't touch. Highly recommend."— David R., Magog (Verified Qubit Client)
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438 Rue Isabey Suite 210, Saint-Laurent, Quebec H4T 1V3 1155 Rue Metcalfe Suite 1500, Montreal, Quebec H3B 2V6
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