Auto-Owners home insurance reviews consistently rate the company among the best available. Beginning in 1916, Auto-Owners has a long company history, and it ranks well in our review of the best and cheapest home insurance companies. Homeowner’s insurance annual premium rates vary. However, the lowest average rates are between $1,500 and $1,900.
Auto-Owners’ Better Business Bureau accreditation, A+ grade, multiple pricing discounts, and useful coverage options help it rate well among industry experts.
Pros
Competitive rates with discounts
Long company history
Personalized customer service through local agents
Has a reputation for fast claims processing
Cons
Only available in 26 states
Limited online tools compared to industry leaders
Customer service may vary due to the independent agent model
Auto-Owners Home Insurance Overview
Auto-Owners homeowners insurance is available in just 26 states and only through its network of independent agents. While the average home insurance rates through the company can be higher than those of some of its competitors, it offers several benefits in exchange. Flexible coverage options include add-on protections, such as identity theft protection, guaranteed replacement cost, and ordinance coverage that protects against building code violations.
A lucrative marketing strategy for Auto-Owners involves offering several pricing discounts for customers. Bundling and paying your annual premium in advance are just two from the long list of possibilities.
Auto-Owners Home Insurance Reviews: Features and Benefits
Having a long-standing reputation for processing claims quickly is one of Auto-Owners Home Insurance’s stand-out features. The company also offers other insurance protection options, each with similar features and benefits.
- Meets many and diverse customer needs
- Features a network of independent agents
- identity theft protection is available as an add-on
- Multiple discount opportunities are available
- Flexible payment options
- Online policy management and claim filing
- Offers programs designed to help prevent losses before they occur.
- Customizable coverage limits and deductibles.
- Mobile app available
About Auto-Owners
Auto-Owners Insurance offers more than just auto insurance. While the company’s rates for homeowners coverage are a little higher than some of its competitors in our review, they’re still well below the national average of just over $1,900. Additionally, Auto-Owners’ car insurance rates are highly competitive, averaging between 10% and 30% below typical prices across the country, depending on your coverage selections, driving record, and other criteria.
The company’s services are offered only through its network of independent insurance agents in 26 states nationwide. While Auto-Owners does offer a mobile app, it receives mediocre reviews and doesn’t feature the ability to receive quotes or file an insurance claim. Those actions, plus getting insurance with Auto-Owners, must be handled through an agent.
That said, Auto-Owners Insurance is highly regarded in the insurance industry. While consumer ratings are somewhat mixed, AM Best awards the company an A++ (Superior) credit rating. Multiple other insurances are available through Auto-Owners, including automobile, life, renters, mobile home, and business policies.
Auto-Owners Available Home Insurance Coverages
Auto-Owners Home Insurance can provide protection from all of the typical perils that most companies offer, including the following:
- Dwelling insurance for your home and attached structures to cover replacement costs
- Other structures coverage for structures not attached to your home
- Personal property protections with worldwide possession coverage
- Medical payment to others in case of injury on your property
- Global personal liability, which offers protection against lawsuits
- Additional living expenses in case you’re unable to stay in your home after a covered loss
Optional Additional Coverages
To customize your home insurance policy, Auto-Owners also offers a long list of additional coverage options, including the following:
- Guaranteed home replacement cost
- Sewer or drain water backup
- Identity Theft coverage
- Ordinance or law coverage
- Equipment breakdown
- Cyber Protection – in-home
- Auto-Owners car insurance quotes are also available
- Homeowners Plus
Homeowners Plus Package
A unique additional coverage option from Auto-Owners is its Homeowners Plus package. It features coverage for property damage caused by a leaking household appliance and increases the coverage limits for things like spoiled food and power failures.
Auto-Owners Mobile App
Auto-Owners Insurance offers a mobile app to help manage your policy. However, its functions are somewhat limited compared to some of the company’s rivals. While you can’t file a claim or receive a quote through the app, it does provide a convenient way to access your policy information, follow the claims process in the event of a loss, and manage your payments.
The app is more useful for those with automobile coverage, as it functions as an easy place to manage your documents and provide proof of insurance when necessary. The app is rated at 3.6 in the Play Store and 3.0 out of five in the App Store.
Auto-Owners Other Insurance Types
Auto-Owners Insurance Group offers several other insurance policy types besides homeowners, and bundling discounts are available for those who choose to insure more than one option.
- Auto
- Motorcycle
- ATV and off-road vehicles
- RV
- Boat
- Trailer
- Condominium
- Renters
- Rental dwelling
- Mobile home
- Property
- Farm
- Pet
- Flood
- Several life policies
- Several business insurances
Related Article: Best Pet Insurance Companies in California
How Much Does Auto-Owners Cost?
Auto-Owners Home Insurance costs well below the national average prices for similar coverage. The average price after discounts for homeowners with a $300,000 property is $1,500. However, the figure reaches almost $1,900 in some locations. Multiple discounts are available to help manage the cost.
Available Pricing Discounts
While most insurance companies offer a handful of discounts to customers, Auto-Owners takes the concept to another level. In addition to receiving a discount on your home insurance rates for bundling more than one type of insurance, Auto-Owners customers can receive additional price cuts for the following items:
- Paperless policy and billing
- Multi-vehicle
- Increased deductible
- Advanced quote before your policy ends
- Paid-in-full
- 36-month on-time payment history
- Mortgage free
- Your home has an automatic backup generator
- Your home has a water shut-off system
- Your home features deadbolt locks
- Your home has smoke detectors
- Your Southeastern-state home is windproofed
- No prior insurance claims
- Good student discounts apply to car insurance policies
Auto-Owners Home Insurance Reviews: Editorial Rating
Trusted Company Reviews Rating Score for Auto-Owners Home Insurance: 8.8
Our Auto-Owners review highlights a home insurance company that provides numerous other services. Scoring 8.8 out of 10 points based on our rating criteria, Auto-Owners earns a solid spot in our review of the best and cheapest home insurance companies.
We awarded Auto-Owners a high score because of its multiple coverage options, long list of available discounts, esteemed grading at the Better Business Bureau, strong company history, A++ rating from AM Best, and value pricing after applying discounts.
| Lowest Annual Cost for $300-$400k dwelling coverage with $1,000 deductible and applied discounts | BBB Rating | Other Insurance and Financial Products Available | Available Discounts |
| $1,500 | A+ | Auto, motorcycle, RV, life, business, renters, mobile home, commercial, more | Pay in full, bundling, paperless, payment history, protective devices, mortgage-free, construction features, more |
What We Like
We particularly like Auto-Owners Home Insurance’s transparency regarding pricing discounts. A few clicks on the company’s website reveals a long list of options from which you can choose to help keep costs to a minimum. Additionally, while the company’s customer reviews aren’t as stellar as we’d like, the company’s high standing and lack of complaints at the BBB pleased our researchers.
What We Don’t Like
A simple upgrade we think Auto-Owners could make is to include more features on its mobile app. While it’s convenient to have, more functionality would increase its standing among consumers. However, the feature that keeps Auto-Owners from being closer to the top of our ratings is that it’s not the cheapest available option, at least before applying multiple discounts.
Auto-Owners Home Insurance Reviews
Auto-Owners scores well among experts. It’s solid financial balance sheet and multiple policy options make it stand out from competitors. Experts rate the company anywhere from a high 3-stars to five. The company is also well-known for its rapid response time and claims-processing efficiency.
However, from a customer service standpoint, consumers offer a less rosy overview. Earning just two stars on Trustpilot, many of the complaints concern automobile policies. However, some that apply to homeowners insurance include reports of claim denials and lower-than-expected payouts.
That said, customer review scores for insurance companies, in general, often land towards the lower end of the scale for similar reasons.
Who Auto-Owners is Best For
You must live in one of the 26 states where Auto-Owners Home Insurance is available to purchase a policy. Beyond that, the company’s numerous policy types and an extensive list of discount options make it a solid choice for a wide range of homeowners.
Those who can bundle policies and qualify for more than a couple of discounts will get the best rates, making further investigation worthwhile. Additionally, those looking for a highly customizable policy can take advantage of Auto-Owners’ excellent add-on protections.
Is Auto-Owners a Good Insurance Company?
The AM Best rating for Auto-Owners Insurance Company is A++ Superior. AM Best is an independent credit rating authority specializing in insurance ratings and analytics. Additionally, despite some mixed customer review scores across several platforms, Auto-Owners is BBB accredited and carries an A+ grade with the organization with surprisingly few customer complaints on file.
Auto-Owners Home Insurance Alternatives
Auto-Owners Home Insurance reviews showcase a highly flexible insurer that can meet the needs of many consumer types. However, its pricing is slightly higher than some of its closest competitors.
Despite the many and varied discounts available through Auto-Owners, some customers may find better prices from other companies in our review. Credible Home Insurance works for many consumers as an appropriate alternative for those looking to save money. Other options that rate highly against our review criteria include the following companies:
Rating Criteria
| Attribute | Rating weight (%) |
| Cost | 20 |
| Cost variables | 10 |
| Complaints | 20 |
| Features | 10 |
| Company Finances | 20 |
| Coverage | 5 |
| Consumer reviews score average | 10 |
| Average app rating | 5 |
Frequently Asked Questions
How many states is Auto-Owners Insurance in?
Is Southern-Owners Insurance the same as auto-owners?
Source
Logo image source: auto-owners.com
Deane Biermeier
