Home Insurance in Pennsylvania

Having a comprehensive insurance policy is an absolute must for any homeowner, but finding the right policy isn’t always easy. Getting covered doesn’t have to be a hassle! With Obrella, you can take the stress out of choosing a home insurance policy. Obrella connects you with friendly and knowledgeable insurance experts, whose familiarity with the nuances of Pennsylvania home insurance policies makes it easy to find the best policy for you. They can identify your needs, help you sort through your options, and get you set up with the best policy for you. With just a single phone call, you can choose a policy and even get it bound—hassle-free!

Pennsylvania Home Insurance Costs

Are you shopping for a new homeowners insurance plan? The average home insurance premium in Pennsylvania is $804 per year, which is over $200 less than the national average of $1,034. This makes Pennsylvania the 16th least expensive state for home insurance costs. Of course, nobody wants to pay more than they have to. Even though the average cost in Pennsylvania is cheaper than many other states, homeowners still want the best deal possible.

• Median Home Value: 179,300
• Household Income: 55,173
• Percent of Income on Home Ownership: 26.80%

In Pennsylvania, the median home value is $164,700, and Pennsylvanians spend approximately 28% of their total household income on home ownership. Residents here have a median household income of $52,007. This places Pennsylvania at number 30 when it comes to how much residents spend on home ownership costs across the country.

If you’re just buying your first Pennsylvania home, or have enjoyed your house for years, you know it’s important to have the right home insurance policy. While Pennsylvania isn’t at risk of some of the greater hazards, even a small claim can cost thousands of dollars.

Let one of our insurance experts help you determine if your insurance policy meets all of your needs as a homeowner. Call [mapi-phone-link /] to get a home insurance quote in Pennsylvania today!

How Are Pennsylvania Home Insurance Premiums Determined?

Insurance companies look at a range of factors when determining the cost of your home insurance policy. They start with information about your home and your area, including local building costs, crime rates, the size of your home, and the year it was built. If you live in an area that has a history of natural disasters like earthquakes, floods, or tornadoes, this will impact your rates as well. A range of other factors can also impact your insurance premiums like your credit score or home add-ons such as a swimming pool, guest house, or private deck.

Why do these aspects matter? They all relate to risk. If your insurance provider determines that these factors make your home riskier to insure, you’re likely to wind up paying more for your homeowners insurance policy. You have the ability to reduce these risks, however. Making your home more secure is a good start. Installing a complete home security system, for example, means your home is less likely to be burglarized, lowering the chance that your insurance company will have to replace stolen items. Even installing motion-sensitive lights and surveillance cameras can lower your risk and therefore your premium.

Just being at your house on a regular basis can be the biggest factor, though. In the winter especially, pipes can crack or burst. If you’re out of town or just out of the house, even a small leak can do a lot of damage leading to mold. If you’re at the house, you can turn off the water and call repair companies immediately. Water leaks are an example, but this applies to many aspects of maintenance and loss prevention.

What Plans Does An Insurance Company Offer?

The majority of Pennsylvania home insurance companies have multiple coverage options to pick between; here are a couple of those options:

• HO-1: Limited Coverage
  • An HO-1 policy covers damage to your home that occurs as the result of any of the first 10 classified disasters fire or lightning, windstorms or hail, explosions, riots, damage caused by aircrafts, damage caused by vehicles, smoke, vandalism, theft, and volcanic eruption. However, this type of policy is no longer available for purchase in most states.
• HO-2: Basic Policy
  • HO-2 policies are designed to provide coverage in the event that your home is affected by any of the 16 classified disasters. This is a named peril policy. So if the cause of the damage is not specifically named in your policy, your home insurance companies don’t have to cover the damage.
• HO-3: Standard, most popular
  • HO-3 policies are open peril policies. So unless it’s named in the exclusions, the insurer will cover the damage. Keep in mind, many of the exclusions are very broad. So if you searched for something specific like a “broken water pipe”, you wouldn’t find it in the exclusions. But you might find something else that would cover water damage.
• HO-8: Older Home
  • As your home ages, its market value may be less than the cost of major repairs. With an HO-8 policy, you’ll receive reimbursements for damage on an actual cash value basis, rather than the full cost of the repairs. Older homes may not qualify for policies that cover the full replacement cost of the home in the event of a total loss.
• HO-6 policies are meant exclusively to cover condos. They cover everything from the walls-in meaning flooring, carpeting, cabinets, appliances, etc. But they do not cover the building itself.
• Landlord policies can be adjusted to cover more personal property, etc. The average cost is often lower, though, because it’s focused on covering the building, but not necessarily all the liability and personal property it would if the property owner lived there.

What Will Standard Pennsylvania Homeowners Insurance Cover?

Home insurance policies usually dictate specific situations that grant you coverage for damages. If damages to your home result from a situation not explicitly covered in your policy, your provider usually won’t reimburse you. So, if your home is damaged in an earthquake, you’ll only be covered if your policy specifies that you have earthquake coverage. Limiting the hazards they cover is one way companies can control the cost of homeowners insurance. Here are some common home insurance coverage definitions to help you determine the coverage you need:

• Coverage A – Dwelling
  • Insures your home in the event of damage to the home and attached structures. This includes damage to the home’s plumbing, wiring, and permanent air-conditioning and heating systems. This type of coverage often provides actual cash.
• Coverage B – Other Structures
  • Other Structures coverage insures any structures that are not connected to the house, such as tool sheds, guest homes, free-standing garages, and fences. While this could include a small storage shed, it can also include more expensive additions that act as your office, workshop, garage, etc.
• Coverage C – Personal Property
  • In the event of damage or loss of personal possessions, Personal Property coverage will compensate the homeowner for the value of the item be it clothing, furniture, electronics, or jewelry. Personal Property coverage even covers damage to or loss of personal belongings if the theft, loss, or damage occurs outside the home meaning any items kept in a storage unit are covered as well. You can add extra coverage for especially expensive items while keeping your annual premium reasonable.
• Coverage D – Loss of Use
  • If home repairs prevent you from inhabiting your house, Loss of Use coverage can help. Insurance products like this address very real risks reimbursing the homeowner for their living expenses for as long as they are unable to live in their home.
• Coverage E – Personal Liability
  • In the event of a lawsuit in which the homeowner is deemed accountable for another person’s injuries or sustained damages, Personal Liability will cover the homeowner’s monetary losses.
• Coverage F – Medical Payments to Others
  • If someone gets hurt on your property or by your pet, this coverage will take care of any resulting medical bills.

Where Can You Go in Pennsylvania for Insurance Resources?

Pennsylvania Insurance Department : Monitors insurance activity across the state. Although Pennsylvania law doesn’t require homeowners to insure their property, many mortgage lenders do. You can turn to the department for help in understanding the insurance marketplace and comparing home insurance policies and rates. If you have questions about homeowners insurance in Pennsylvania, you can call the Consumer Hotline at 1 (877) 881-6388.