You may find yourself needing high-risk homeowners insurance for any number of reasons. Some of these could include, the condition of the building you want to insure, its location, how often it will be vacant and for how long, and your personal history with other insurers. Here’s a rundown on key issues that may affect your status. Rural properties: Traditional insurers can be reluctant to offer standard coverage to country homes as they are more exposed to risks such as damage from storms or forest fires. Some areas may be deemed prone to flooding or tornadoes. Rural homes are also less likely to have easy access to fire hydrants. Older buildings: Outdated systems such as knob-and-tube wiring or galvanized steel plumbing can put your home into the high-risk category. So can outdated building materials. Heritage features may also be more costly to insure as they may require special trades or materials for repairs. Occupancy: Homes that are not continuously occupied are at greater risk for damage than those that are. No one is monitoring the property on a continuous basis. It could be days or weeks before someone discovers that a pipe has frozen, a squirrel has chewed through wiring or that batteries in the smoke detector have died. Absentee landlord: If you live more than 100 kilometres from a property you rent out, you’re insurer will consider you an absentee landlord. That means you’ll probably require high-risk coverage. Insurance history: Just like your driving record will determine your auto insurance premium, your history with home insurance will be a factor in whether your policy is deemed high risk. Don’t expect welcoming discounts if you’ve had a policy cancelled in the past or have a record of late payments. Having made several claims against earlier policies won’t help your case either, nor will having multiple mortgages on your property. Use our free online tool to easily compare rates. If you have any questions, a broker is easily available to answer your questions that any Canadian has about high risk home insurance.