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Legal protection insurance
This product is currently available in Canada, but not in the United States.
What would you do if you had a legal dispute with a contractor, neighbour or tenant? Would you contact a lawyer? Would you have the financial resources to cover the costs of securing advice and going to court? Legal protection insurance is designed to provide you with access to legal advice, assistance and cost coverage for just this situation and for many other common legal disputes. Continue reading to learn more.
Learn how you’re protected with Square One Insurance Services
Does home insurance cover legal protection insurance?
Legal protection insurance is very new to Canada, although it’s been in Europe for many years. As a result, it’s not found in most traditional home insurance policies.
What does legal protection insurance cover?
At Square One, we offer a legal protection insurance package that includes:
Legal advice helpline |
With our legal protection insurance you can discuss any personal legal matter (including legal tax advice) from 8 AM until midnight, seven days a week. When you’re dealing with an emergency situation, help is only a phone call away and it’s available 24 hours a day. |
Employee legal defence |
This coverage will pay any legal costs you may incur to defend yourself against any criminal prosecution arising from your work as an employee. For example, if you’re a nurse, and a patient is accidentally killed as a result of an injection you administered, you could be charged with manslaughter. This coverage would pay to defend you against this charge. |
Property protection |
This coverage will pay the legal costs to pursue your legal rights in a civil action relating to your home. For example, your neighbour cut down a common hedge. Or, your neighbour’s teenage son plays loud music till 3 AM and has not responded to your requests to stop. |
Tax protection |
This coverage will pay any legal costs you may incur as a result of a tax appeal or tax audit relating to your personal tax affairs. In order to qualify, you must have taken reasonable care to ensure your tax returns are correctly completed and submitted. |
Contract disputes |
Optionally, you can add this coverage, which will pay any legal costs you may incur to pursue or defend your legal rights in a dispute relating to an agreement that you entered into for: buying or selling goods; or, obtaining services. |
What does landlord legal protection insurance cover?
At Square One, we offer a landlord legal protection insurance package that includes:
Legal advice helpline |
With our landlord legal protection insurance, you can discuss any matter relating to the residential tenancy of premises you own and rent to others. The helpline is available 24 hours a day. |
Residential tenancy disputes |
This coverage will pay any legal costs from pursuing an application before a residential tenancy tribunal. For example, your tenant provides formal notice of rental termination so you rent the property to a new tenant. The original tenant changes their mind and refuses to leave. A lawyer would be assigned to handle and represent you in pursuing an eviction through the residential tenancy tribunal. |
Landlord order enforcement |
This coverage will pay the legal costs from enforcing an order that grants you vacant possession of residential premises you own and rent to others. For example, you secure the necessary eviction order from the residential tenancy tribunal, but the tenant refuses to vacate. This coverage will pay all legal costs relating to enforcement of the eviction order, including sheriff office and mileage fees. |
Landlord legal defence |
This coverage will pay any legal costs from defending against criminal prosecution that results from the residential tenancy of premises you own and rent to others. For example, a fire in the rental premises spreads quickly and results in the death of a tenant. A fire marshall investigation determines the fire prevention system was not up to code and you, as the landlord, are charged with criminal negligence. With this coverage, a lawyer would be appointed to represent you and it would pay all legal costs during the investigation and defence process. |
How much does legal protection insurance cost?
When you compare the cost of legal protection insurance with the hourly cost of legal representation, you’ll see what a great deal it is. At Square One, plans start at only $2.50 per month.
What company underwrites this insurance?
Legal expense protection insurance is sold by Square One Insurance Services Inc. and underwritten by DAS Legal Protection Insurance Company Ltd (DAS Canada). DAS Canada is part of the DAS Group, the global leader in the legal expense protection insurance market. The group is based in Germany and is a subsidiary of ERGO, itself part of the Munich Re Group – one of the world’s leading reinsurers.
The DAS Group has been specializing in legal expense products and services since the first office opened in Germany in 1928. Now, the group is an international entity operating in 18 countries across Europe, North America and Asia and has an annual premium income of more than $1.5 billion. To learn more about DAS Canada, please visit www.das.ca or call Square One at 1.855.331.6933.
Interesting facts about the Canadian legal system
Have you ever wanted to take someone to court? Maybe your neighbour has built a shed partially on your property, and refuses to move it. Or maybe you’ve just had your kitchen renovated, and the cupboard doors are already falling off.
Well, you’re not alone. In the last 5 years in Canada, 4,250,000 Canadians accessed the legal system in one way or another, not including criminal cases. But fewer than half of these people hired a lawyer to represent them, even though they would be significantly more likely to win their case. Why?
The average cost of hiring a lawyer in Canada is $379 per hour. This translates into $37,000 for a trial that takes 2 days. How many of us can afford that? If the trial drags out for a week, you could be looking at $124,000.
A survey was taken recently by DAS Canada Ltd, a company that provides legal protection insurance, to determine why people decided whether or not to access the legal system. Most people said that financial considerations would stop them from taking legal action. Many of them said they know someone who has gone into debt trying to solve a legal issue. Who wants to go into debt to take a case to court, when you may not get a positive result?
How would they expect to pay for a lawsuit? 39% said they would use their savings, but most people would either have to use credit or liquidate some assets in order to pay legal fees.
Most people decide not to take legal action, even when they have a pretty good case. Some of the reasons for this are:
- Too expensive.
- Don’t have insurance to pay legal expenses.
- Don’t know what resources are available to them.
What would allow you to have greater access to the legal system? Lower legal fees was the number one response, followed by access to free telephone legal advice, shorter average court case time, more mediation/arbitration, and better educational resources about the legal system.
Help is at hand. Legal protection insurance is available to cover your legal expenses in many situations. With this insurance, you have access to a legal advice helpline, where you can phone for information on any type of problem, be it divorce issues, child support, employment contracts, strata rights, wills and estates. Anything. Then, if you decide to pursue a case, the insurance covers your legal costs.
Don’t let high legal fees or lack of necessary information stop you from pursuing your rights. For all the details, call Square One at 1.855.331.6933.
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