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Condo Insurance FAQ

General Questions

Westland Express is the digital branch of Westland Insurance, an independent, national insurance brokerage based out of Surrey, British Columbia.

We offer a digital option for quoting, purchasing and managing insurance policies in Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Prince Edward Island and Saskatchewan.

Policy Questions

Great Question!

Here is the breakdown:

  • Tenants Insurance – insures a location you rent from a third party. Can also be called renters insurance.
  • Condo Insurance – insures a condominium you own and live in as your primary residence.
  • Rented Condo Insurance – insures a condominium you own and rent out to a third party.
  • Home Insurance – insures a home you own and live in as your primary residence.
  • Rented Home Insurance – insures a home you own and rent out to a third party.

Thank you for thinking of us!

For a new condo or rented condo quote, please go to www.westlandinsurance.ca, click on Condo and follow the steps to get a quote! Please be sure to provide your email address on the quote so we can reach out to review the details with you. Once we receive the preliminary quote details, a licensed broker from our team will contact you to review and finalize the quote!

Once we receive a quote request, a broker will reach out to you via email within 24 business hours to review the quote details! Depending on how quickly we get all of the information, we typically can have a policy ready within 48 hours!

Insurance can be confusing – that’s where we come in! We will review the coverage with you as part of the application process. We’re not trying to be nosy! We ask a lot of questions to ensure we are insuring you, your family and lifestyle correctly!

You can refer to your policy documents to see what the renewal date is. If you cannot find or did not receive your policy documents, please email us at support@westlandexpress.ca and we will email you a copy for your records.

If you require proof of insurance for your bank or mortgage company, please email us at support@westlandexpress.ca and we will email a copy of your records.

If you are moving or require any other changes to your policy, please email us at support@westlandexpress.ca.

Every address and type of dwelling has a different rating for insurance. That means the premium can go up or down at the new address. We will ask you a number of questions about the property including the age of the building, updates to the heating and electrical, square footage and usage (do you operate a business out of your home, for example), etc. and then submit it to the insurance company to update your policy. Using the new information, the insurance company’s system will determine what the new premium will be.

Please check your junk mail, spam or trash folder as the e-mails may be there.

Please also add support@westlandexpress.ca, contact@westlandexpress.ca and admin@westlandexpress.ca as safe senders to ensure you receive all correspondence regarding your policy.

Please email us at support@westlandexpress.ca to make changes to your auto policy.

We will ask you a number of questions the changes you would like to make and then submit it to the insurance company to update your policy. Using the new information, the insurance company’s system will determine what the new premium will be.

Please email us at support@westlandexpress.ca to request to cancel your policy.

Once we receive the request, we will send a document to you via our e-signature program to be signed and dated by all named insured on the policy. When we get the signed document back, we will submit it to the insurance company and request they cancel the policy.

We highly recommend you wait until your renewal date to cancel any policies. If you cancel the policy on any date other than the renewal date, a cancellation surcharge will apply.

Claims

To submit a claim, please click on this link, click on Condo and then the company you are insured with: https://westlandexpress.ca/claims/

The name of your insurance company can be found on your policy documents.

An adjuster should contact you within 72 business hours to review the claim details and provide direction on what will happen next.

Please refer to your policy documents to confirm and review what your coverage is.

If you cannot find or did not receive your policy documents, please email us at support@westlandexpress.ca and we will email you a copy for your records.

Payments

For a new condo or rented condo quote, please go to www.westlandexpress.ca, click on Condo and follow the steps to get a quote! Once the quote has been reviewed by a broker, they will reach out to you to offer the quote and provide next steps to purchase the coverage!

Payment options vary from company-to-company. The most popular options are one, lump sum OR monthly payment. A licensed broker will review the options available to you when filling out the application.

Payment methods and dates vary by insurance company. When a policy is purchased, a broker will review your options prior to purchasing the policy. The payment schedule, including the amount due and due dates, will be included with your policy documents.

Payment methods and dates vary by insurance company. When a policy is purchased, the insurance company will include a payment schedule with your policy documents.

Payment methods and dates vary by insurance company. When a policy is purchased, a broker will review your options prior to binding coverage. Some companies do not allow a change in withdrawal date mid-term (any date other than the renewal), while others will allow you to change the withdrawal date mid-term.

Remember that insurance companies send the request to each bank 5 – 7 days prior to the requested withdrawal date. Please request any changes to the withdrawal date AT LEAST eight days prior to the withdrawal date. Please also note that any payments returned by the bank as NSF will result in an NSF fee; this is separate from the NSF fee charged by your bank.

The initial payment breakdown varies by insurance company. When a policy is purchased, the insurance company will advise you of the first payment on the policy documents. Generally, the first payment is equal to 2 – 3 months premium/payment so please review your payment schedule carefully.

When a policy is purchased, the insurance company will outline their fees in their policy documents.

Please note that any payments returned by the bank as NSF will result in an NSF fee; this is separate from the NSF fee charged by your bank. Please be sure to review your payment schedule and details very carefully!

If you cancel a policy on any date other than the renewal date, a cancellation surcharge will apply.

Hopefully we can help!

Here are some commonly used insurance terms, but by no means is a complete list of what is available with each insurance company:

  • Personal Property: think of it this way, if you were to take your apartment, turn it upside down and shake it, how much would it cost to replace all of your stuff that falls out? That is how much personal property coverage you should choose! There are limits for certain types of property and some that are not covered at all (most motorized vehicles) so be sure to review any unique items you own with an insurance broker!
  • Additional Living Expenses: This coverage helps with living expenses if you have to temporarily move out of your residence due to an insured loss, aka claim, that are above and beyond what you already spend. It can also be referred to as loss of use. For example, it won’t cover your existing rent or mortgage, but it will cover the cost of a hotel in the event that your home is uninhabitable above what you already spend on rent/your mortgage. It can also be used for moving costs, temporary storage of your stuff and eating at a restaurant while you are temporarily displaced. There is a limit to the amount you can receive so be smart – it is not a vacation!
  • Personal Liability: If you cause damage to someone else’s property, if someone is injured on your property (including the pizza delivery person!) or if anyone listed on your policy (or your pets!) injures someone else, your Personal Liability will cover you in the event they sue you for damages.
  • Actual Cash Value: the amount an item would cost today (same year, make and model), minus the depreciation (loss of value due to age or condition of item).
  • Betterments and Improvements: condo owners often make changes to their units that make them different from the original unit delivered by the builder and described as the “standard unit” in the condominium bylaws (or declaration). These changes are known as betterments and improvements and can increase the value of the unit considerably. The increase in value is not insured under the condominium corporation’s master policy, but rather under the individual unit owner’s personal property policy since it belongs solely to the individual owners.
  • Condominium dwelling: A private dwelling that is part of a condominium development. A condominium development is a residential complex in which dwellings are owned individually while land and common elements are held in joint ownership with others.
  • Condominium ownership: A household is considered to be in condominium ownership if some member of the household owns the dwelling and the dwelling is part of a condominium development.
  • Loss Assessment: Unit owners have a shared or joint interest in, and responsibility for, the common elements of the condominium, such as the entranceway, halls, elevators, recreation facilities, bearing walls, and structural supports. As a result, owners may be responsible for special assessments made as a result of the condominium corporation failing to arrange adequate insurance for the common elements.