The short answer
Aluminum wiring was used for household circuits in many Canadian homes built in the late 1960s and 1970s. The concern is at connections, where aluminum can loosen and overheat over time. Insurers often ask whether the connections have been remediated with devices or connectors rated for aluminum, or whether the home was rewired in copper. Gather an electrician's report and permit records, and a licensed broker can show those to insurers.
- Buyers of a 1970s bungalow, split-level or townhouse with aluminum circuits
- Owners whose insurer has asked for an electrical inspection at renewal
- Anyone who has pigtailed or rewired and wants the record corrected
- Condo unit owners in older buildings wired in aluminum
4 licensed brokers in the network handle this. In Alberta, Canada, a request for aluminum wiring insurance can be offered to up to three of them, chosen because they are licensed for this line and place. They are test brokers while we are in demo.
See the brokers → Outside Alberta, Canada you can prepare and save a request today; sending opens place by place. Brokers answer with their own quotes. Broker.insure does not quote, advise or take commission.
01 / What it covers
The parts worth understanding
Branch circuits versus the service cable
Insurers mean the wiring to outlets, switches and lights. A heavy aluminum cable feeding the main panel is common and treated differently, so be clear which one is being described.
Remediation methods
Electricians may replace devices with ones rated for aluminum, join a short copper lead to each aluminum end using connectors approved for that purpose, or rewire in copper. Each leaves a different paper trail.
Inspection requirements
Some insurers want an electrician to check every connection before offering cover, others accept a recent report. Ask what age of report each insurer will accept.
Fire claims on an accepted home
Once a policy is in place and the wiring was disclosed, an electrical fire is generally handled under the normal fire cover. Undisclosed conditions are where claims become difficult.
Do-it-yourself work
Outlets swapped by an owner using ordinary copper-only devices are a known problem with aluminum. An electrician's review of past amateur work is worth having on file.
02 / Get ready
Bring this, and expect these questions
Gather
- An electrician's report saying what wire type feeds the branch circuits and how the connections were handled
- Whether every outlet, switch and fixture was remediated, or only some rooms
- The permit and inspection record for the remediation or rewire
- Invoices naming the contractor, the method used and the date
- The home inspection report, if you are buying
- Photos of the panel and, if possible, a remediated outlet with the cover removed by the electrician
- The year the home was built and any later additions
- Any letter from your insurer asking about the wiring
A broker will ask
- Is the aluminum on the branch circuits, or only on the main service cable?
- Has every connection been remediated, and by what method?
- Who did the work, and was it under a permit with a final inspection?
- When was the most recent electrical inspection?
- Have you or a previous owner replaced outlets or switches yourselves?
- Have you noticed warm cover plates, flickering lights or a burning smell?
- Is the home owner-occupied, rented, or a condo unit in a larger building?
Not sure of an answer? Leave it. "Not known yet" is a fine answer, and a broker will help you fill it in.
03 / Build your request
Answer a few questions. Get your own list.
Pick what fits. Your answers shape the list beside them, and they are saved to your request as plain facts a broker can read. "Not sure yet" is always a fine answer.
04 / Three situations
See which one sounds like yours
A family buying a 1974 split-level
The inspection report notes aluminum branch wiring and a few warm outlets in the kitchen. The sellers have no records of any electrical work, and the closing date leaves about three weeks to arrange cover.
First steps. Ask an electrician to assess the connections and quote remediation, and send the report and quote to the broker quickly. Ask which insurers will offer cover now and which want the work completed first, so the closing date is not put at risk.
An owner who pigtailed the whole house
Five years ago an electrician remediated every outlet and switch with approved connectors under a permit. The insurer still lists the home as having unremediated aluminum, and the question keeps coming back on each renewal.
First steps. Find the permit, the final inspection and the invoice that describes the method, and ask the electrician for a short letter confirming every device was done. Send them through the broker and ask that the insurer's record be corrected in writing.
A condo owner in a 1970s low-rise
The building was wired in aluminum when it was built. The unit owner is buying a new unit policy, and the application asks about wiring inside the unit as well as in the building.
First steps. Ask the condo board or property manager whether any building-wide electrical work was done and request the records. Gather anything about your own unit, and ask the broker how the unit policy and the building's master policy each treat the wiring.
05 / Words you will hear
The jargon, in plain words
- Branch circuit
- The wiring that runs from the panel to outlets, switches and light fixtures. Aluminum questions on applications are almost always about these.
- Pigtailing
- Joining a short length of copper wire to the end of an aluminum conductor with a connector approved for both metals, so the device connects to copper.
- CO/ALR
- A marking on switches and outlets rated for direct connection to aluminum wire. Standard devices without it are not meant for aluminum circuits.
- Remediation
- Electrical work that addresses aluminum connection risk, either by repairing every connection point or by replacing the wiring entirely.
- Material disclosure
- Telling the insurer facts that could affect its decision to offer cover. Wiring type is one that application forms commonly ask about.
06 / Common mistakes
What trips people up
- Telling an insurer the house has aluminum wiring when only the main service cable is aluminum.
- Assuming partial remediation counts the same as full remediation.
- Using standard copper-only outlets when replacing devices on aluminum circuits.
- Keeping no invoice or permit for remediation done years ago, so it cannot be shown.
- Ignoring warm switch plates or a burning smell until after a renewal.
Ready when you are
Turn this into one clear request.
Save it, add what you know, and choose when to send it. A licensed broker who handles aluminum wiring insurance takes it from there.
07 / Questions people ask
Straight answers
Can I get home insurance with aluminum wiring?
Often, yes, though the choice of insurers and the conditions vary. Many will consider a home where an electrician has remediated the connections and documented it. Some ask for an inspection before offering cover, and a few may decline unremediated aluminum. A broker can place the same documents in front of several insurers at once.
What is aluminum wiring remediation?
It is work by an electrician to make aluminum circuits safer at the points where problems start: the connections. It can mean installing devices rated for aluminum, attaching short copper leads with connectors approved for joining the two metals, or replacing the wiring with copper. Ask the electrician to state the method used on the invoice.
How do I know if my house has aluminum wiring?
Look at the cable jacket where it enters the panel or in an unfinished basement; it is often printed with AL or ALUMINUM, and the bare conductor looks silver rather than copper coloured. Homes built in the late 1960s and 1970s are the usual suspects. An electrician can confirm it and tell branch circuits from the service cable.
Is aluminum service cable the same problem?
Generally not. The large cable bringing power from the utility to the main panel is often aluminum in homes of every age, and it is sized and installed for that purpose. Insurers asking about aluminum wiring usually mean the smaller circuits feeding outlets and lights. Clarify which one you have before you answer an application.
Does my insurer need to know about aluminum wiring?
If an application or renewal form asks about the electrical system, answer it accurately, and tell the insurer or broker if you learn something new. Leaving out a known condition can put a future claim at risk. Disclosing it along with remediation records puts you in a much stronger position than having it discovered later.
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General information, not insurance advice. Broker.insure is a directory and request service: it is not an insurer and does not quote, bind or advise. Policy terms, availability and what is required where you live depend on your situation and on licensed professionals. Updated 2026-10-31.