State Farm Home Insurance Review 2020
Your home is your most valuable asset, and protecting it from unforeseen disasters and burglary is a major consideration. It’s important you have the funds to repair or reconstruct your home, or replace your belongings, if an event like that were to occur.
Purchasing a home insurance policy can safeguard your investment. Unfortunately, choosing the best home insurance company for you may take a lot of research—evaluating coverage, discounts, customer service, availability, and more. The This Old House Reviews team has created this in-depth State Farm home insurance review to help you determine if it’s the best fit for your home.
Table of Contents
- Our Take
- Pros & Cons
- Coverage
- Availability
- How Much Does State Farm Insurance Cost?
- Discounts
- Reviews of State Farm Insurance
- Our Conclusion
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Company Information
- Our Methodology
Our Take
State Farm is the largest homeowners insurance company in the country, with 18% market share. It began as an auto insurance company, so bundling is an option that can give customers convenience as well as a discount. The company has strong financial backing and serves customers nationwide, offering basic coverage, a wide array of optional add-ons, and many discount options.
Unfortunately, the discounts vary from state to state. Discounts are especially limited for homeowners in Pennsylvania, North Dakota, South Dakota, New York, and Alaska. Ultimately, we gave State Farm a high score of 96.60 out of 100 based on various metrics, like coverage, availability, customer service, and more. On State Farm’s Better Business Bureau profile, common complaints cite issues with billing and discounts. Positive reviews note high levels of professionalism, and negative reviews concern negative customer service experiences.
Pros & Cons
Compare advantages and disadvantages of State Farm homeowners insurance.
State Farm Pros & Cons
Pros | Cons |
---|---|
Pros | Cons |
Largest homeowners insurance company in the country | Discounts are limited in certain states |
Available nationwide | |
Many user-friendly online resources | |
High degree of financial strength |
Coverage
State Farm offers industry-standard coverage in addition to several types of optional coverage to round out your homeowners insurance plan.
State Farm Coverage
Type | Description |
---|---|
Type | Description |
Dwelling + dwelling extension | Covers your home’s structure, both interior and exterior, as well as detached structures like garage or shed |
Personal property | Covers personal property inside and outside the home in case of covered loss, including furniture, clothes, and electronics |
Loss-of-use/Additional living expenses | Covers costs associated with temporarily living outside of your home if it is untenable due to covered damage or destruction, including hotel expenses and meals out |
Personal liability | Covers legal and medical bills if you are sued for injury or personal property damage to a guest while they are on your property |
Medical payments coverage | Covers the medical expenses of a guest who is injured at your home, regardless of fault |
State Farm also offers a wide range of additional coverage.
State Farm Additional Coverage
Type | Description |
---|---|
Type | Description |
Full replacement cost | Pays for the cost to rebuild your home at current prices, which may be greater than the home’s value |
Umbrella coverage | Supplements liability coverage if the covered loss’ cost exceeds the limit of the underlying policy |
Energy efficiency upgrade | Pays to replace a damaged or destroyed appliance with a more energy-efficient alternative |
Home systems | Pays to repair or replace permanently installed systems (air conditioning, water heater, etc.) post-failure |
Water backup and sump pump | Pays for damage caused by a drain backup or a failed sump pump |
Service line | Pays to repair or replace underground electrical, water, sewer, and data lines |
Off-premises structures | Provides coverage for buildings you own that are not on your property |
Depreciated loss | Pays for repair or replacement of damaged property, minus depreciation, at the time of loss (excluding specific items) |
Personal injury liability | Increases personal liability coverage to protect against lawsuits from injuries to others |
Cyber event, identity restoration, and fraud loss | Provides coverage for legal fees and lost income from fraud, identity theft, or cyberattack |
Loss assessment | Pays for amount assessed for HOA fees or repairs |
Availability
State Farm home insurance is available in all 50 states.
How Much Does State Farm Home Insurance Cost?
The exact cost of State Farm homeowners insurance depends on a variety of factors, including your property value, size, the materials it was constructed with, where you live, the coverage limits you select, the insurance deductible you choose, and more.
Discounts
State Farm offers several different discounts to help lower the cost of your home insurance coverage.
State Farm Discounts
Discount | Description |
---|---|
Discount | Description |
Multi-policy | Discount for bundling homeowners insurance with another State Farm insurance policy (amount varies) |
Home alert protection | Discount for installing smoke, fire, or burglar alarms or a fire extinguisher |
Claim-free | Discount for no recent claims filing |
Roofing materials | Discount for impact-resistant roofing materials |
Higher deductibles | Discount on premium by raising your deductible |
Reviews of State Farm Home Insurance
State Farm is not accredited by the Better Business Bureau but holds an A+ rating from the organization. Its profile notes just over 1 out of 5 stars from customer ratings. Here’s what some real customers had to say about their experience with State Farm.
Toni S. said:
“This is the best insurance company I have ever dealt with. I am so happy with the services they provide. They are always happy to answer any questions I have and they are always there to guide me in the right direction.”
Julie S. said:
“It is absolutely disgusting that being a customer with multiple policies with State Farm for over 20 years means absolutely NOTHING to this company. You have basically stolen thousands and thousands of dollars from us over these 20 years, that you NEVER had to pay out until 3 years ago when I had my very first accident. And now you are considering NOT renewing my policy next year because of this. Horrible!”
State Farm vs The Competition
See how State Farm stacks up against some of its top competitors on key metrics.
Comparison
Provider | State Farm | Lemonade | Amica |
---|---|---|---|
Provider | State Farm | Lemonade | Amica |
Get a free quote | Not available through This Old House | Visit site | Not available through This Old House |
Our score | 96.60 | 83.50 | 96.60 |
State Availability | 50 | 23* | 47 (not available in AK, FL, or HI) |
BBB Rating | A+ | B+ | A+ |
Years in Business | 98 | 5 | 113 |
24/7 Claims Service | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Protective Devices/Safety Features Discount | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Bundling Discount | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Mobile App | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
*Lemonade home insurance is not available in AK, AL, AR, DE, FL, HI, ID, KS, KY, LA, ME, MN. MY, NE, NH, NM, NC, ND, RI, SC, SD, UT, VT, WA, WV
Our Conclusion
State Farm has a solid reputation and industry-best financial backing as the largest home insurance provider in the country, covering nearly one in five Americans’ homes. The insurance provider offers all basic coverage, in addition to optional coverage for energy efficiency upgrades, water backup, identity theft, and more.
The downside to State Farm depends on where you live. In general, many discounts are available to State Farm home insurance policyholders. However, if you live in New York, North Dakota, South Dakota, Alaska, or Pennsylvania, the discounts might be more limited. We gave State Farm a score of 96.60 out of 100.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does State Farm’s homeowners policy cover?
State Farm has industry-standard coverage, including dwelling, personal liability, personal property, medical expenses, and loss-of-use. Additional coverage is also available.
How do you get a State Farm home insurance quote?
You can use State Farm’s online quote tool, which will ask you questions about your location and your home, including building materials, square footage, year built, and more.
What does State Farm homeowners insurance not cover?
Like most homeowners insurance companies, State Farm does not cover damage or destruction caused by floods or earthquakes in its basic policy.
Does State Farm insure older homes?
The insurance provider covers homes older than 100 years if they have been properly maintained.
Company Information
- Company name: State Farm
- Company type: Public
- CEO: Michael L. Tipsord
- Year founded: 1922
- Headquarters: 1 State Farm Plz, Bloomington, IL 61701
- State availability: 50
- BBB rating: A+
Our Methodology
The This Old House Reviews team values accuracy, transparency, and trust. With that in mind, we created a thorough, objective rating system to score each home insurance company based on the following six factors:
- Coverage (30)
- State availability (7.5)
- Customer service (15)
- Technology (12.5)
- Reputation (20)
- Additional benefits (15)
Our Reviews team has a full-time researcher who collects and regularly updates data points from every company to help us compare them on key factors such as coverage, service, and dependability. Read more on our methodology here.
To share feedback or ask a question about this article, send a note to our Reviews team at reviews@thisoldhousereviews.com.