Compare Pennsylvania home insurance quotes.
Whether you’re in Pittsburgh or Philly, Erie, Stanton, or Pennsylvania Dutch country, this is an incredible, highly-desired state to set some roots.
Both existing and new homeowners alike require homeowners insurance in Pennsylvania.
There are many homeowners insurance providers, so it’s always a good idea to shop around and find the best possible quotes with the company that has the best home insurance rate for you.
We at Insurance Geek are excited to be able to get homeowners connected with the best possible insurance policies available anywhere in the state of Pennsylvania – regardless of your ZIP code.
Not only do we connect homeowners with a variety of quotes to look for the cheapest rate, but we also aim to offer the best protection possible for our clients.
Now, let’s find out how a Pennsylvania homeowners policy can help keep you protected.
Pennsylvania Home Insurance: The Basics
Pennsylvania is another US state with a high percentage of owner-occupied housing.
Between 2013-2017, Pennsylvania households were occupied with 69% homeowners, which are some of the highest rates of homeownership in the country. This is true even for urban areas of Pennsylvania.
The Keystone State is characterized by impressive scenery. The bountiful forests, mountains, and plateaus are intersected by canyons, valleys, and rivers.
Crime may be an issue in Pennsylvania, but other natural disasters such as wind, hail, and snowstorms are also possible and can wreak havoc on a home and personal belongings.
A PERIL is about anything that could damage your home.
The size of the damage doesn’t matter – if a peril is present, your home could be damaged or destroyed.
If you live in Pennsylvania, you may face:
- Property damage
- Sewer backup – most bathroom flooding situations are due to drain and sewer backups, so you might need some kind of flood insurance, too
- Natural disasters
- Wind damage
- Lightning
- Hail and ice dams damage
- Fire
- Theft and vandalism
What your home insurance in Pennsylvania will protect you against depends on the structure of your policy.
If a covered risk causes damage to your property, you can file claims, and your home insurance company will defray the costs of reconstruction.
We are going to cover the most common types of insurance policies down below, so keep reading!
How are Premiums Determined in Pennsylvania?
The state average home insurance cost may vary with multiple conditions, one of which is the geographical location of the state, the risks associated with it, and how frequent insurance claims are.
That said, the average homeowners insurance rate in Pennsylvania is a bit lower than the average cost of an insurance program in some other states.
The reason is that – although there are certain risks – such as crime, wind and hail damage, etc., weather extremes are less frequent than in some other states, such as Louisiana or Texas.
As of 2018, Pennsylvania is the 33rd most dangerous state, with 313 reported crimes per 100,000 people.
Urban areas will have higher crime rates, so naturally, you can expect this may drive up the cost of premiums in Pittsburgh or Philadelphia.
Other than that, the average home insurance rates from one insurance company to another. We always make sure to pick out the homeowners insurance companies that offer the most affordable home insurance rates for your particular case and state.
Types of Policies
There are two major types of policies you can get: a NAMED and an ALL PERIL policy.
An ALL PERIL policy allows you to protect your home and file a claim against all perils (aka risks), except those that are specifically omitted.
On the other hand, a NAMED policy requires perils to be explicitly stated.
What Policy You Need in Pennsylvania
ALL PERIL policies are ideal for Pennsylvania homeowners insurance if you want coverage from all the possible disasters.
Typically, all of the perils mentioned above as the most common risks in PA will be covered in ALL PERIL deals.
This type of insurance is available in all states.
If you already purchased home insurance and would like to fill in missing gaps or need additional policies, then a NAMED policy would be a better choice.
Also, it is possible to add an endorsement, which will protect you in more specific scenarios. Different companies offer different kinds of endorsements, so you need to consult a professional when determining which ones you need.
You can find the details about your coverage on your home insurance declarations page or ask one of our agents to assess it for you.
What is the Cost of Homeowners Insurance in Pennsylvania?
We briefly mentioned that multiple elements affect home insurance rates.
Depending on the location of the home, materials used for its construction, your credit rating, and other factors, homeowners insurance coverage rates can change drastically.
Pennsylvania homeowners insurance is no different, and a number of factors may impact it.
Let’s cover them in more detail:
- Your credit score.
The credit score of an individual provides homeowners insurance companies with an insight into his/her financial history. If the credit score is bad, it may negatively affect the cost of your insurance policy and result in higher premiums. On the other hand, a positive credit score is a sign to the insurance company that you are consistent with your payments and get you a better deal.
- The current home value.
Your home insurance should be based on the replacement cost of your home at the moment when you are getting insured. Basically, what matters is the age of your home, along with the materials, structures, and their condition – rather than the market value of the home when you purchased it.
- Whether you’ve filed a claim before.
If a homeowner has already filed a claim on homeowners insurance for the property, it’s a signal to the insurance company that there’s a higher risk the incident may happen again. Hence, this could increase homeowners insurance rates.
- Car insurance bundle and other discounts.
Most home insurance companies will give you discounts if you protect yourself with more types of coverage. For example, you can combine a car insurance (auto insurance) policy with a home insurance policy and save up a large sum of money. Or, you can add life insurance to it. It all depends on your needs!
Get Home Insurance Quotes
Wondering how to get a quote for your homeowners insurance in Pennsylvania? We have created an easy-to-use tool!
The process is simple:
We ask you to provide basic info about you – your ZIP code, address, the type of insurance that you want to get – and we generate the quotes for you directly from the home insurance companies.
Precisely because we get the quotes from the insurance companies, they are real-time and give you a precise estimate of how much you would pay.
P.S. We promise, no spam emails and calls! We use your info only to generate the quotes.
In our experience, Nationwide, Safeco and Progressive are the insurance companies that provide our customers with the best possible homeowners insurance rates!
Their insurance products, customer service, and insurance claims success are testimony to the fact that they are the most reliable carriers in the US.
Discounts
If you need life, health, or auto insurance on your vehicle, you can bundle those and save with a particular insurance company.
Naturally, carriers want your business, so they’ll give you a price break on policies if they can get your business.
There are also many other types of discounts – talk to our agents about what you’re looking for, and Insurance Geek can help you reduce the amount you’ll pay!
Who Needs Homeowners Insurance?
All Pennsylvania homeowners need homeowners insurance coverage – regardless of whether you are a new homeowner or not.
It will help protect your house and belongings against all possible events and accidents.
Not only that – but a homeowners insurance policy comes with peace of mind that cannot be substituted with anything else.
The protection you get will ensure you and your family are covered not just in the event of a natural disaster, but in case of fire, sewage or plumbing failure, or other factors.
Besides, a mortgage lender requires proof of insurance, which is another reason to get this type of policy if you are a homeowner.
Coverage
What does a homeowners insurance policy look like?
The typical structure of your homeowners insurance coverage includes:
- Coverage A – Dwelling coverage
Out of all home insurance coverage options, the dwelling coverage is probably what most people are already familiar with.
It refers to the physical structure of your home –the walls, the roofing, the floor, etc.
Your insurance will come with a dwelling coverage limit that is calculated based on the current value of your home and how much it would take to repair it to the same state.
And in the case that the limit is not enough, your insurance company of choice can provide you with additional policies for extra coverage of this sort that exceeded the set limits.
- Coverage B – Separate structures
The dwelling coverage does not encompass the replacement cost of those structures that are physically detached from your home.
These separate structures can include garages, pools, fences, and so on.
As they are equally vulnerable to the perils that may occur, your insurance will cover any loss to those structures, too.
- Coverage C – Personal property
As a homeowner, you care about your personal property items, and they can also get destroyed or stolen.
Luckily, your homeowners coverage can compensate for any loss caused to your personal belongings due to a covered peril. These include furniture, appliances, clothes, etc.
If the portion of the coverage dedicated to your belongings is not enough and you want protection for your high-value items, you can get additional policies for that purpose.
For instance, Safeco offers Valuable Articles Coverage and Nationwide Liberty Mutual Insurance company Valuables Plus Insurance. These optional policies account for your valuables such as jewelry, heirloom, antiques, etc.
- Coverage D – Loss of Use
Loss of use coverage pays out for the additional expenses that you face when you are unable to live in your house for a certain period – for example, due to it being rebuilt.
After you provide proof for increased spending (in the form of bills), your insurance company can cover things such as transportation, a place where you had stayed, food, etc.
- Coverage E – Personal liability insurance
This type of homeowners coverage deals with the expenses that may arise if you are found liable for a certain accident.
For example, say that you are charged against injuring someone on your property. If this had happened by accident, your insurance could cover the defense cost.
- Coverage F – Medical payments
The final type of basic coverage of your home insurance policy is similar to the previous one in the sense that it pays for an accident you caused.
The main difference is that medical payment coverage reimburses only the medical bills.
Not Included
Now that you are aware of the different coverage options in your Pennsylvania homeowners insurance policy, it’s important to mention that some things will not be included.
Your home insurance policy typically does not encompass:
- Flood insurance
Flood insurance is a separate policy. You can obtain it through the National Flood Insurance program.
However, it is possible to add a certain type of flood insurance to your Pennsylvania homeowners insurance with the right insurance company.
Thus, Nationwide, Safeco, and Progressive protect you against water damage with their additional policies. The “water damages” that are covered include sump pump failure, sewer and drain backups.
- Auto insurance (car insurance)
Although it might seem logical, it’s worth mentioning that car insurance is not a part of your homeowners policy.
And yet, your car is vulnerable to the same risks as your house if it is parked in your garage or the yard!
Also, if you get auto insurance from the same insurance company that provides you with your home insurance, you can qualify for a discount.
In case you need any additional info about this, you can reach out to our customer service, and we’ll gladly assist you.
Places in Pennsylvania for Homeowners
In our experience, our customers who are homeowners from Pennsylvania come from all around the states, including the biggest cities, such as:
- Philadelphia
- Pittsburgh
- Erie
- Scranton
- Allentown
- Lancaster
- Reading
- Bethlehem, etc.
The most popular suburbs for homeowners in Pennsylvania include:
- Chesterbrook
- Penn Wynne
- Berwyn
- Swarthmore
- Ardmore
- Devon
- Mount Lebanon Township
- East Whiteland Township
- Devon
- Blue Bell
- King of Prussia
- Franklin Park
- O’Hara Township
- Marshall Township
- Radnor Township
- Nether Province Township, and more.
What is your ZIP code? Tell us, and we’ll help you find the best deal for your home insurance!
FAQ
Q: What are the best insurance companies in Pennsylvania?
A: Out of all home insurance companies in Pennsylvania, our vote goes to Safeco, Progressive, and Nationwide. These companies have a low complaint index, excellent Financial Strength rating, and consistently positive customer reviews. We’ve decided to work with them because they provide the best offers for home insurance, and all of that at a budget-friendly price.
Q: How much is homeowners insurance in Pennsylvania?
Q: The average cost of home insurance in Pennsylvania is lower than in other states, and it is around $801 per year. The national average is $1,228, which means that you are in a favorable position if you are getting insurance in PA.
Final Words
Use our tool and get a quote & the most affordable rates for insurance at Insurance Geek!
We work with companies that offer products that are available in all states, including Pennsylvania.
Why us?
Because we won’t settle for less than your complete satisfaction and the tailored insurance deal you were looking for.