Home Insurance Prices Are Rising. Here’s How to Save

If you get a nonrenewal notice from your carrier, start shopping around at once since many states require only 30 days’ notice. “Ask the insurer the reason for the nonrenewal and see if you can make any improvements or changes to keep your insurance,” says Amy Bach, executive director of United Policyholders, a consumer advocacy organization.

Get professional help

Independent insurance agents and brokers can do the legwork of finding better coverage for you; they have access to policies and pricing information from multiple insurance companies, unlike captive agents who represent a single firm. “They can vouch for an insurance company that you may have never heard of,” Bach says. Ask how the broker or agent is compensated so you understand up front any potential biases. Visit trustedchoice.com to find more than 250,000 U.S. independent agents.

Widen your search

If you can’t find good options through regular channels, consider state-created insurers of last resort, like California’s FAIR Plan (for fire insurance) or Louisiana Citizens.

Should one of those not be available, you might even consider non-admitted carriers, which don’t have state insurance licensing and lack guarantees that claims will be paid if they go belly-up. Non-admitted carriers may be riskier, but they must meet state requirements, and many are affiliated with traditional insurers. Mortgage lenders will OK them if they meet their financial standards, typically based on ratings — which are publicly available — from companies such as A.M. Best, Demotech or Standard & Poor’s. Don’t go with a non-admitted carrier unless you research its finances and work with a reputable broker, advises United Policyholders.

Look for discounts

Ask your insurer about any price breaks it offers. Retirees can get up to 10 percent off with some insurers since they spend more time at home, making them likelier to spot issues quickly. Other insurers offer lower rates to people in specific occupations, like the military or members of certain credit unions or professional associations. Opting for paperless statements and setting up automatic payments may also shave a bit off your premium, as can living in a gated community.

Strengthen your home

Improvements that make your home more resistant to risk, like storm shutters, a fire-resistant roof or a reinforced roof, could reduce your premium and give you more insurance carrier options, DeLong says. In some states, insurers are even required to offer discounts to homeowners who show proof they’ve added such features. Homeowners with security systems save between 2 and 15 percent — $100 less on average, according to Policygenius. Before making any upgrades, check that your insurer will reward the change and that it meets the carrier’s requirements.

Your state insurance department may provide grants or other assistance to help offset certain improvement costs, DeLong says. Alabama, for instance, offers homeowners grants of up to $10,000 for roof fortification in select counties.

Improve your credit score

In most states, insurers can set your rates and decline to renew your policy based on your credit history and scores, DeLong says. Rightly or wrongly, homeowners with poor credit scores are viewed as less reliable and so pay higher premiums than those with good scores — as much as 102 percent more, based on data from Policygenius. To help boost your score, make on-time payments, chip away at credit card balances and review your credit report for errors.

Self-insure

Dropping supplemental coverage — like flood or earthquake insurance — or ditching home insurance altogether could save you thousands in the short run but puts your biggest asset at risk. “Without insurance, it’s entirely on you if something goes wrong,” says Dale Porfilio, chief insurance officer for the Insurance Information Institute. Anyone considering this option should have a financial plan for replacing possessions and obtaining housing in the event of a total loss. This may mean setting up a large emergency fund, deciding which assets to sell in a worst-case scenario or sacrificing retirement money. For most, even 20 years of investing saved premiums won’t equal the six-figure fund needed to rebuild entirely. If you have a mortgage on your property and drop coverage, your lender will make you pay for force-placed insurance, which is usually more expensive and protects only the lender’s financial interest, not yours.

Change your situation

If home insurance squeezes your budget so tightly that you’re cutting or charging necessary purchases and constantly dipping into savings, you may no longer be able to afford to live where you do, says Sheryl Hanshaw, who heads the county-run Greenville Financial Empowerment Center in South Carolina. Contact your lender, advises Bruce McClary of the nonprofit National Foundation for Credit Counseling (NFCC). The lender may be able to lower your monthly payments — at least temporarily — though you’ll typically pay more interest and fees over time.

If that isn’t possible, consider selling your home and moving to a place with lower insurance costs, Hanshaw says. But also assess whether after the change you’d be better off financially and whether you’d lose what’s important to you, like proximity to your support network. For free advice about your mortgage, find a nonprofit financial counselor via NFCC’s website at nfcc.org, or go to answers​.hud.gov/housingcounseling to connect with a local HUD housing counseling agency.