Can I get home insurance with knob-and-tube wiring in Toronto?

Getting home insurance with active knob-and-tube wiring in Toronto is increasingly difficult, and many major insurers will either decline coverage entirely or charge significantly higher premiums with restricted terms. If you're buying a century home in neighbourhoods like the Annex, Cabbagetown, Riverdale, or High Park, the insurance question is something you need to address early in the process.

Most mainstream Ontario insurers — the ones you see advertised on television — have tightened their policies on knob-and-tube wiring over the past decade. Some will flat-out refuse to write a policy if any active K&T is present. Others will issue a policy but exclude electrical fire coverage, which essentially defeats the purpose of having insurance. A few specialty insurers still cover homes with knob-and-tube, but premiums can be 30 to 50 percent higher than comparable homes with modern wiring, and they typically require a certified electrical inspection confirming the K&T is in serviceable condition.

The key distinction insurers make is between active and disconnected knob-and-tube. If a licensed electrician has disconnected all K&T circuits and replaced them with modern NMD90 wiring, most insurers treat the home as rewired even if remnants of the old K&T are still physically present in the walls. What matters is that no current flows through the old wiring. Your electrician can provide a letter confirming all K&T has been disconnected and replaced, and the ESA inspection certificate serves as official documentation.

If you currently own a home with knob-and-tube and your insurer is pressuring you to remediate, you generally have a few options. A full rewire is the most thorough approach — removing all K&T and replacing it with modern copper NMD90 throughout the home. For a typical pre-war Toronto home, this runs $8,000 to $20,000 depending on size and wall accessibility. Some homeowners opt for a phased approach, rewiring the most critical circuits first (kitchen, bathroom, bedroom) and completing the rest over a year or two. Your insurer may accept a phased plan with a written commitment and timeline.

Before purchasing a home with knob-and-tube, get insurance quotes first — not after closing. Contact your insurance broker with the home inspection report detailing the K&T, and get a firm answer on coverage terms and conditions. Factor the cost of rewiring into your purchase offer. Many real estate transactions in older Toronto neighbourhoods include negotiated price reductions of $10,000 to $25,000 to account for required electrical upgrades.

An ESA-permitted rewire with a certificate of inspection is the strongest documentation you can provide to your insurer. It confirms a licensed electrician performed the work, it was inspected by the ESA, and it meets the current Ontario Electrical Safety Code. Keep this certificate permanently — it's one of the most valuable documents a homeowner in an older Toronto home can have. If you need to find a licensed electrician for a K&T assessment or rewire estimate, Toronto Electrical Repair connects homeowners with local electrical professionals through the Toronto Construction Network.