Water deductibles came down
The typical BC strata water-damage deductible was $50,000 on 2023 renewals. On 2025 renewals it is $25,000.
Every strata insurance certificate we process gets parsed into its coverages, and the one buyers ask about is the water-damage deductible: the amount the strata (and often the owner whose unit the leak came from) pays before the insurer pays anything. We took 2,000+ samples drawn from our pool of BC strata reviews and grouped the policies by renewal year.
| Category | p25 | Median | p75 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | $25,000 | $50,000 | $75,000 |
| 2024 | $25,000 | $50,000 | $50,000 |
| 2025 | $25,000 | $25,000 | $50,000 |
| 2026 so far | $25,000 | $25,000 | $50,000 |
The median moved from $50,000 to $25,000 between the 2023 and 2025 renewal years, and the upper edge of the middle half came down from $75,000 to $50,000. Looking only at each building's most recent policy, about half now carry a $25,000 water deductible, a quarter carry $50,000, and roughly 7% carry $100,000 or more. Only about one policy in nine sits above $50,000.
That last figure is worth holding against the numbers still circulating from the 2019–2021 hard market, when six-figure water deductibles were the story. Brokers' 2026 outlooks describe the opposite market: strong competition, more capacity, premium reductions for many buildings and favourable rates expected through at least the first half of the year, with the caveat that insurers remain selective and buildings with claims or in higher-risk locations may not see the same relief. [1] The certificates say the deductible side of that story has already arrived.
Takeaway. Read the date on the certificate. A 2022 deductible in an old listing package is not the building's deductible today. And whatever the number is, check that your own condo policy's deductible-assessment coverage matches it.
How we counted. Based on 2,000+ samples drawn from our pool of BC strata reviews. Figures come from the insurance certificates in those samples, grouped by the policy's renewal year. Medians and middle half (p25–p75). Buildings are never identified; province-level only. Neighbourhood-level deductible benchmarks are on StrataStats. If you use these figures, a link back to this post is appreciated.