Is Mortgage Protection Insurance Worth It?

Buying a home is likely the biggest financial decision you’ll ever make. While your home may be your greatest asset, your mortgage is likely your largest liability. A home is not just a place to live — it’s where you create memories, build a family, and a life. But if the unexpected happens — whether it’s disability, serious illness, or death — the future you’ve worked so hard for could be at risk without the right protection.

Ever thought about Mortgage protection? Here’s why you should consider it. Mortgage protection insurance can help cover some or all of your mortgage payment if you are unable to work or help pay off your balance if you pass away. It can help shield you and your family from financial uncertainty and provide peace of mind to your family and loved ones when they need it most.

Key takeaways

• Mortgage protection insurance is an optional product that you can purchase when you secure or renew a mortgage. It can help pay off or pay down the balance of your mortgage if you become critically ill, pass away, or cover your payments if you become disabled.

• You can choose a standalone life insurance product or purchase additional critical illness or disability insurance protection with RBC Insurance.

• Unlike life insurance that may require a medical exam, applying for mortgage protection insurance is easy. While coverage can begin immediately, it usually requires completing a few health questions. If you answer “no’” to the applicable questions, no additional health examinations are required.

What is mortgage protection insurance?

Mortgage Protection Insurance is an optional insurance product that you can purchase from your lender when you take out a mortgage. In the event of death, mortgage protection insurance, such as RBC’s HomeProtector^® Insurance, pays off all or part of your outstanding mortgage balance. This form of Creditor Insurance is not meant to compete with other Insurance products but is a coverage that can go hand in hand.

You may also opt for additional mortgage protection, such as critical illness or disability, which may reduce your outstanding mortgage balance or maintain regular mortgage payments for a period.

How does mortgage protection insurance work?

When you are approved for a mortgage, you will have demonstrated to your lender that you can maintain your mortgage payments based on your family income and other debt obligations. But will your family still be able to make those mortgage payments in the event of critical illness, disability, or death?

That’s where mortgage protection insurance comes in, as it pays off or pays down your outstanding mortgage balance. Your insurance premium is based on your age and your mortgage balance at the time you apply.

Coverage options can be customized to your family’s needs:

Life insurance: Pays off or reduces your outstanding mortgage balance in the event of death. Your policy will indicate the maximum mortgage amount that is covered.

Critical illness insurance: Pays off or reduces your outstanding mortgage balance if you are diagnosed with a covered critical illness, such as life-threatening cancer, heart attack, or stroke. Your policy will indicate the maximum mortgage amount that is covered.

Disability insurance: Maintains your regular mortgage payments in the event of a disability. Typically, your insurance will cover your mortgage payment up to a certain amount each month for a set time, such as $3,000 per month for 24 months.

Is mortgage protection insurance the same as mortgage default insurance?

While mortgage protection insurance is an optional product that you can purchase when you take out or renew your mortgage, mortgage default insurance is required by the Canadian government if you have less than a 20 per cent down payment on your home.

Mortgage default insurance protects the mortgage lender if you are unable to make your mortgage payments. It does not, however, pay off the balance of your mortgage if you become ill, disabled or pass away.

Pros and cons of mortgage protection insurance

Mortgage protection insurance offers financial help to you or your family due to death, disability or critical illness. To understand if it’s the right type of insurance for you, it’s important that you understand the benefits and drawbacks.

Pros of mortgage protection insurance

Peace of mind: If you become ill, disabled or pass away, mortgage protection insurance helps give your family financial security and peace of mind, should the worst happen.

Simplified approval process: Unlike traditional life insurance, mortgage protection insurance typically doesn’t require a medical exam. The approval process is quick and streamlined, and you’ll simply need to complete basic health questions to qualify.

Targeted coverage: As your mortgage could be your biggest debt, paying off or paying down your mortgage should take a tremendous financial load off your family. The targeted coverage helps to remove the burden of having to worry about your mortgage payments allowing you to focus on other priorities.

Cons of mortgage protection insurance

Cost: The cost of your insurance premium is based on your age and the amount of your mortgage when you apply. Mortgage protection insurance may end up costing you more compared to standalone life, critical illness, or disability insurance policies, especially for younger, healthy adults.

Declining benefit: While your premium remains the same for the life of your mortgage, the benefit declines as you pay down your balance. If your mortgage starts at $400,000, but only $25,000 remains when you die, that is the amount that will be covered.

Limited flexibility: With life insurance, your beneficiary can use the proceeds as needed. However, mortgage protection insurance is paid directly to your lender, removing any flexibility to direct the funds elsewhere.

Maximum payout: If your mortgage exceeds the maximum covered by the insurance policy, you may still have a balance remaining, as it is prorated to the original amount of the mortgage.

For example, the maximum coverage for RBC HomeProtector Insurance is $750,000. If and your mortgage was for $780,000 and the balance owing in the event of death is $380,000, the prorated benefit payable would be $365,385 ($750,000 / $780,000 x $380,000).

What to consider before buying mortgage protection insurance

No one can plan for every possibility, but mortgage protection insurance can make it easier to weather uncertainty brought on by illness, accident, or death.

While mortgage protection insurance is optional, it’s important to consider your overall financial picture and exposure to risk to decide if the investment is worth it.

Your financial situation

Start by assessing your family’s finances if you lose your income due to illness, death or disability. Do you have a large mortgage with little equity? Is there enough household income to cover your mortgage payments? How susceptible are you to economic changes such as interest rate increases? Questions such as these can help assess your family’s ability to make mortgage payments if the unexpected happens.

Existing insurance coverage

What other insurance coverage do you already have in place that could help support your family if you get sick, injured, or pass away? What are the terms of each policy and are there any exclusions? For example, life insurance coverage through your employer is often tied to salary (e.g. payout equivalent to one year’s salary) Consider whether this is enough to cover your outstanding mortgage and what happens once you leave that job or retire.

Additional savings or investments

Think of insurance as part of your broader financial portfolio. Do you have access to cash, like an emergency fund, that could help cover your mortgage if something unexpected happens? If so, how long would it last?

While investments, such as mutual funds or equities, provide a safety net, having to sell during a market dip could impact your expected returns, or money could be tied up for a period, such as GICs.

Eligibility requirements

To be eligible for mortgage protection insurance, you’ll need to meet certain requirements – such as age restrictions, employment requirements, residency, and the amount of coverage you’ll receive in the event of disability, critical illness, or death. Some products, such as HomeProtector Insurance do not allow you to be insured for both critical illness and disability insurance at the same time, on the same mortgage. If you have questions, talk to a bank advisor. 

Protect your home and your family

We can’t predict what will happen to us in the future, but with mortgage protection insurance, you can protect your greatest assets – your home and your family. Mortgage protection insurance provides a safety net, in the event of illness, disability, or death. Mortgage protection insurance has many benefits, including easy application, targeted coverage, and stable premiums.

FAQs about Mortgage Protection Insurance

Who should consider mortgage protection insurance?

Anyone in Canada who owns a property that carries a mortgage should consider mortgage protection insurance, as long as they meet the minimum eligibility requirements. While mortgage protection insurance is not mandatory in Canada, it offers homeowners financial security in the event of critical illness, disability, or death. Mortgage protection insurance can be especially beneficial for individuals or families who have a mortgage but haven’t built up enough equity to cover the cost if anything unexpected happens.

What are some alternatives to mortgage protection insurance?

Purchasing life insurance is one alternative to mortgage protection insurance. A term life or whole life insurance policy can provide sufficient coverage in the event of death so that your family can keep their home. Critical illness or disability insurance are also two alternatives that will protect your lifestyle and your mortgage payments for a period (however, critical illness is a lump sum payment and does not cover mortgage payments). An emergency fund could eliminate the need for mortgage protection insurance in the case of illness or short-term disability. Emergency savings give you the means to continue to make your mortgage payments in the short-term.

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