The Best Rhode Island Homeowners Insurance Companies
Older homes and a high risk for natural disasters keep the average Rhode Island home insurance policy $250 above the national average — and that’s just for the basics. If you’re planning on adding hurricane damage or home-sharing coverage, you’ll end up paying even more. With prices like these — and your precious home at stake — it’s important to make sure you choose the right company and coverage for your situation. And because a whopping 42% of Rhode Island homes are rented, landlords will want to pay close attention to endorsement protection for their property.
There are many factors that determine your home insurance premium, including your home’s age and your credit score, so the only way to see your options is to get quotes from multiple insurers. You can begin right here with our quote tool. Just enter your ZIP code and start exploring.
How We Found the Best Rhode Island Homeowners Insurance Companies
We used a similar methodology to our national homeowners insurance review in order to find the best home insurance providers in Rhode Island. First, we gathered a list of the largest insurers by market share and compared their coverages, endorsements, discounts, and online resources. Next, we checked out what others had to say. We relied on J.D. Power and Consumer Reports for information on customer satisfaction and claims handling, while A.M. Best, Moody’s, and S&P Global told us about the companies’ financial strength and long-term stability. Finally, we got on the phone and got quotes for $250,000 homes in four major Rhode Island cities.
The 5 Best Homeowners Insurance Companies in Rhode Island
Amica
Amica scored highest in the J.D. Power and Consumer Reports surveys, beating out 29 other insurance companies. It was the only insurer to score five out of five in every metric with J.D. Power, and it also received a near perfect 94 out of 100 rating from Consumer Reports readers — a difficult feat in an industry where the majority of your communication with your provider will be under distressing circumstances. Clearly, customers are happy with the quality of the service they receive and the way their claims are handled.
But this excellent service comes at a pretty steep price. Amica was consistently among the most expensive providers in our quote analysis. It came in 54% more expensive than our cheapest provider, Liberty Mutual. Fortunately, there are several ways you can bring that cost down. You’ll save for bundling your home and auto coverage, enrolling in autopay, and installing protective devices. There’s also a discount for remodeling your home, something that is extremely valuable in a state known for older homes. Amica is also unique among insurers in that it offers a dividend between 5% and 20% at the end of term, depending on Amica’s financial success that term. So despite the higher initial premium, you’ll receive a guaranteed dividend payout that could offset it.
Unfortunately, Amica is one of only two companies on this list that doesn’t offer landlord insurance. If you’re one of the many Rhode Island residents that rents out your property for some extra cash, you’ll want to choose a different company, like Allstate, Liberty Mutual, or Nationwide.
Allstate
Allstate gave us some of our most affordable Rhode Island homeowners insurance quotes, while still receiving average scores from J.D. Power and Consumer Reports, so it’s a great place to begin if your budget is tight.
Its discount selection is unmatched, with eight opportunities to save in total. This includes standard discounts like bundling your home and auto coverage, remaining claim-free, and installing protective devices, as well as more unique offerings like a welcome discount, one for seniors, and early signing discounts. You can also save by enrolling in its Claim-Free Rewards program. Every year you go without filing a claim, Allstate will issue you a bonus check.
It also stands out for its good selection of endorsements. Allstate offers all of your basic coverages, including water and sewer backup, identity theft protection, and scheduled valuables coverage. But there are also rarer options, like Allstate HostAdvantage. If you list your home on Airbnb or another home sharing site, this endorsement protects against any damage done by your renters. Allstate also offers Claim RateGuard, which prevents your rates from going up after your first claim.
If you’re new to homeowners insurance, Allstate’s website is a great place to begin. There’s a breakdown of all of your coverage options and a Common and Costly Claims Tool to help you figure out what type of natural disasters of which your neighborhood may be at risk. You can also look up your local agent if you prefer to deal with them directly.
Liberty Mutual
Liberty Mutual is your best bet if you’re interested in customizing your policy with endorsements. It offers nine of them — the most of any company on this list — including options for water and sewer backup, replacement cost, scheduled valuables, and identity theft. Like Allstate, Liberty Mutual offers a home sharing endorsement for those who regularly rent out their homes on Airbnb. In addition, Liberty Mutual has an ordinance and law endorsement for bringing your home up to code after a claim. This is especially important for older homes with out-of-date utilities. It also offers Inflation Guard, which continually adjusts the value of your policy to keep up with inflation.
Liberty Mutual’s home insurance quotes rivalled Allstate’s in terms of affordability, and in Providence and Pawtucket, it was our cheapest option. It boasts a generous 12 discounts in total, including multi-policy, claim-free, and new and remodeled home discounts. You’ll also save when you insure your home to 100% of the replacement cost.
It doesn’t take long to get a quote online, either, but you do need to know some basic information about your home’s construction. Liberty Mutual is the only company on our list that lets you purchase your policy online without speaking to an agent first, although we still recommend hopping on the phone. An agent can better explain coverage options and help you find discounts you may have missed.
Nationwide
Of our top picks, Nationwide scored second-highest in the Consumer Reports customer satisfaction survey, with a score of 86 out of 100. It fared particularly well on the simplicity of the claims process and the timeliness and amount of the payment. Ideally, you won’t have to find out how the claims process works, but given the high natural disaster risk in Rhode Island, it’s best to be prepared. With Nationwide, you don’t have to worry about your insurer adding to the headache.
Nationwide’s quotes fell in the middle of the pack in our quote analysis, but they were still pretty reasonable compared to the prices Amica and UPC Insurance offered us. In Providence, Nationwide quoted us $753 per year, which isn’t too far behind Liberty Mutual’s $636 and a significant savings compared to UPC Insurance’s $1,455. Nationwide only offers eight homeowners discounts, but that’s not too shabby when compared with companies like Allstate and Liberty Mutual. You can also score a better rate if you bundle home and auto, remain claim-free, install protective devices, or update your roof.
UPC Insurance
UPC Insurance is offered through a network of independent agents throughout the state. Its website provides little more than a general overview of its basic coverages and endorsements, and you’ll need to contact your local agent to get detailed information to compare with other providers. UPC didn’t fare too well in J.D. Power’s customer satisfaction survey, coming in dead last with a two out of five in overall satisfaction. This is difficult to measure with an insurer that relies on independent agents, however, because every agent provides a different experience. Ours was very knowledgeable, helpful, and got back to us promptly with a quote.
That quote was priced high in comparison to the other companies on this list, but there’s a possibility that your particular circumstances align for a cheaper price. One way to discount is by bundling your home and auto insurance, enrolling in autopay, installing sprinklers or burglar alarms, and obtaining a roof certification. Seniors are eligible for a special discount as well.
UPC also stands out for its unique endorsements, including equipment breakdown protection. This functions much like a home warranty, covering major appliances and systems in your home so you don’t get stuck paying for expensive repairs or replacements out of pocket. It also offers water damage, identity theft, replacement cost, scheduled valuables, and ordinance and law coverage. Unfortunately, there’s no landlord coverage, so UPC isn’t a good choice if you have rental properties.
Honorable Mention: USAA
USAA came in at the No. 6 spot in the list of top 10 homeowners insurance companies based on market share. However, we would be remiss not to give a shout-out to one of the best insurance providers in Rhode Island. USAA is only available to active and retired military service members, but if you qualify, it’s absolutely worth a look.
Earning an impressive 92 out of 100 on Consumer Reports, USAA got the highest possible score in all five metrics. It received perfect five out of five scores across the board from J.D. Power, too, something we only saw matched by our top pick, Amica. If you’re one of the 3,371 active service members living in the Ocean State or happen to be retired, you should definitely include USAA in your quote comparisons.
Guide to Rhode Island Homeowners Insurance Companies
Rhode Island law prohibits rate increases in certain instances
According to a 2014 CoreLogic study, Rhode Island has the second-highest natural hazard risk in the nation — a major contributing factor to its high home insurance rates. Fortunately, the Rhode Island Department of Business Regulation has taken steps to prevent homeowners from suffering unfairly at the hands of insurers. State law says that insurers are not allowed to increase your rate or cancel or fail to renew your policy based off the following:
- A policy or claim inquiry
- A loss with no payout or a loss with a payout of less than $500 unless there has been more than one non-catastrophic claim in the last three years that has resulted in a payout
- A loss sustained as a result of a catastrophic event
- Prior claims experience of the property based off the previous homeowner
This doesn’t mean that your insurer may never raise your rates. It’s still entitled to do so for expensive claims, so it may be worth exploring options like Allstate’s Claim RateGuard if you’re worried about potential surcharges.
The main advantage of Rhode Island’s law is that it gives homeowners the opportunity to use their insurance for small claims, like food spoilage, without penalty. It also gives you the right to talk to your insurer about potentially filing a claim without fear of retribution on your next insurance bill. So if something happens and you’re not sure how to proceed, it’s worth at least talking to your insurer before you pull out your wallet.
Hurricane damage coverage may come with its own deductible
Like all states on the East Coast, Rhode Island is at some risk of hurricane damage, which are some of the most costly natural disasters there are. Between 1851 and 2017, nine hurricanes have hit the state directly, and many others have caused severe storms and flooding. It’s wise to purchase additional protection from your insurer to guard against this, but you should note that even with the right coverage, these disasters may still be costly.
Many insurance companies opt for a percentage deductible for hurricane damage instead of a traditional dollar amount. Rhode Island law limits insurers to a maximum hurricane deductible of 5% of the home’s value, and while that may not sound like a lot, it makes a big difference. A traditional home insurance deductible, which covers all claims besides hurricanes, is around $1,000 to $1,500, while the hurricane deductible may be as high as $10,000 on its own. The exact cost of your deductible will vary based on the location of your home, the value of your home, and the company you choose. If you’re concerned about the cost, you should get quotes from several companies before you make a decision.
The good news is, you only pay a single hurricane deductible for the entire year, and there are ways to waive it altogether. If you install plywood shutters, roof tie-downs, permanent storm shutters, or hurricane glass, you may qualify for a waived deductible. You will have to submit proof to your insurer that you have done this or have one of its agents come out to inspect it. The requirements to qualify for the waiver will vary depending on which part of the state you live in. If you’re not sure what you need to do in order to have your hurricane deductible waived, contact your home insurer or the Rhode Island Department of Business Regulation.
If you’re renting out your home, you need extra protection.
A recent study by the International Insurance Institute found that Rhode Island ranks the fourth-lowest for owner-occupied homes in the nation. Approximately 42% of Rhode Island homes are inhabited by renters. And while this can be a great way to earn some money on the side, it’s important to make sure your rental homes are adequately protected.
Allstate, Liberty Mutual, and Nationwide offer landlord insurance to individuals who rent out their homes to a long-term tenant. This is the more common type of insurance for those who have a large portfolio of rental properties. But with the rise of home sharing sites like Airbnb, a gray area has developed that isn’t served well by traditional homeowners policies or landlord policies.
Enter home sharing coverage. Currently, this is only available from a few insurers, including Allstate and Liberty Mutual. This endorsement protects you in case your guests damage or steal your property. It’s an optional coverage that you can tack on to your existing homeowners policy, and it doesn’t cost that much. (Allstate claims its HostAdvantage coverage costs less than $1 per week.) These programs are a good place to begin if you’re looking to get started in the home sharing business, but if your preferred insurer doesn’t offer this coverage, ask about a home business policy instead. Sometimes these policies will cover home sharing as well.
