Do we each need our own title insurance when buying with a partner or co-owner?

No — when two or more people buy a property together in Ontario, a single owner's title insurance policy covers all the registered owners named in it. The policy does not need to be obtained separately for each person. Your lawyer will arrange a joint owner's policy that names all co-owners on closing, whether you are buying as spouses, common-law partners, friends, family members, or business partners.

The insured amount on a joint policy typically reflects the full purchase price, protecting the combined ownership interest. If a covered title issue arises, the policy responds to protect the interests of all the named owners together.

One scenario to be aware of: if you are buying with someone who is already a property owner (for example, you are added to title on a property your partner already owns, rather than buying together in a fresh transaction), that is not a typical purchase and does not automatically generate a new owner's title insurance policy. Adding a name to an existing title is a different transaction. Your lawyer can arrange appropriate coverage in that context, but it is worth specifically asking about it because it does not happen automatically the way it does on a purchase.