Best Cheap Homeowners Insurance in Pennsylvania

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  • Best Cheap Homeowners Insurance in Pennsylvania

Homeownership is a classic aspect of the American dream. The time and money you put into your property is likely the largest investment you’ll make in your lifetime. 

According to the latest census, over two-thirds of people own their homes in Pennsylvania. This success and effort shouldn’t go unprotected, which is why wise homeowners invest in homeowners insurance.

Pennsylvania can also experience many types of hazardous seasonal weather that can cause substantial property damage, from noreasaters to hurricanes.

Use this guide to make an informed decision on homeowners insurance in Pennsylvania. We break down Pennsylvania home insurance rates, some of the best home insurance companies in Pennsylvania, and much more.

How Much is Homeowners Insurance in Pennsylvania?

The average cost of homeowners insurance in Pennsylvania is $1,318 for $300,000 of dwelling coverage. You may pay more or less than this, depending on how much insurance you need and several other factors. 

The brief home insurance price index for Pennsylvania below illustrates how the average cost of homeowners insurance in Pennsylvania can change based on your dwelling coverage, which is the largest property coverage in home insurance policies. Typically, the more coverage you need, the more you’ll pay for insurance.

Average Cost of Homeowners Insurance in Pennsylvania

Cost of House

Annual Premium

$200,000

$961

$300,000

$1,318

$400,000

$1,646

What Does Homeowners Insurance in Pennsylvania Cover? 

In Pennsylvania, standard homeowners insurance policies include six coverages labeled A-F. These coverages describe different ways your policy protects you. Each coverage area often has a separate dollar limit.

Coverage A: Dwelling

As we touched on earlier, dwelling coverage is the part of your plan that financially protects the physical structure of your house. This includes your roof, walls, floor, windows, and patios. It also covers the “guts” of your home, like your electrical wiring, HVAC, plumbing, and more.
 
Dwelling coverage is the largest property coverage you’ll have in your plan, so it’s one of the most substantial policy factors in determining your premiums. Your dwelling coverage should be at least enough to cover your home’s replacement cost fully.

Coverage B: Other Structures

Other structures coverage protects features and fixtures on your property that aren’t attached to your house. These include fences, sheds, detached garages, pools, and more.
 
Your other structures limit is normally 10% of your dwelling coverage limit. So, if you have $300,000 of dwelling coverage, you’d likely have $30,000 of other structures coverage.

Coverage C: Personal Property

Personal property coverage in Pennsylvania home insurance is for your personal belongings. Furniture, electronics, art, tools, clothes, and more fall under personal property coverage.
 
You determine the amount of personal property coverage you want. Providers may give you a default option of setting your limit at 50% of your dwelling coverage, but you can adjust this depending on how much you need to cover your items sufficiently. The best way to know how much personal property coverage you need is to conduct and maintain a home inventory.

Coverage D: Loss of Use

Loss of use coverage only applies when you’re forced to move out of your home after a covered loss. Your insurer can cover expenses you incur while they’re fixing your home, such as costs for a hotel, groceries, gas, and more. A standard loss of use limit is around 20% of your dwelling coverage.

Coverage E: Personal Liability

Personal liability coverage protects you if someone pursues your finances after getting injured on your property. Personal liability coverage can cover associated medical bills and legal fees if a visitor gets injured on your property and you’re found liable.
 
Insurers typically require you to carry at least $100,000 of liability coverage in your policy, but most will recommend at least $300,000 or more. You can adjust your liability coverage easily and with relatively little effect on your premiums.

Coverage F: Medical Payments

Medical payments coverage is similar to personal liability coverage, but it’s designated only for minor injuries. Where you might use liability coverage to cover a major slip and fall or dog bite claim, for instance, you would use medical payments coverage to cover someone getting a few stitches.
 
Medical payments limits are in the thousands of dollars, while personal liability limits are in the hundreds of thousands.

It’s Time to Switch Your Homeowners Insurance

We partner with the nation’s top homeowners insurance companies so you can get a custom policy at an affordable price.

Best Home Insurance Companies in Pennsylvania

The best home insurance companies in Pennsylvania will offer the coverage you need at a price that works for you. State Farm, Erie, Progressive, Farmers, and Liberty Mutual are the largest homeowners insurance companies in Pennsylvania. But, these are far from the only options. There are over 200 licensed providers that sell home insurance in Pennsylvania.

Because so many factors influence rates and coverage needs, the best choice for you may not be the best choice for someone else when it comes to choosing a provider, which is why shopping around for homeowners insurance is crucial.

Everyone is usually concerned about price first. You always want the best bang for your buck. But, keep in mind that cheap homeowners insurance in Pennsylvania isn’t always the best. You want to compare rates, but you also want to compare available coverage options, endorsements, discounts, and customer service experiences. 

Companies That Offer Cheap Homeowners Insurance in Pennsylvania

Nevertheless, knowing affordable Pennsylvania home insurance options is always a good start in deciding which insurer to go with. Based on our table below, Allstate and Erie have some of the cheapest home insurance in Pennsylvania. These are average rates, and your quote from one of these providers may vary based on many factors.

Average Cost for Homeowners Insurance in Pennsylvania for a $300,000 House


Allstate$1,080
Erie$1,052
Farmers1,129
Nationwide$1,266
Travelers$3,153
State Farm$1,339

What Does the Best Homeowners Insurance in Pennsylvania Look Like?

The best homeowners insurance in Pennsylvania will cover your property and liability sufficiently. You may need to raise your coverage limits or purchase optional endorsements for the best coverage. 

For instance, you may have the option of actual cash value or replacement cost coverage in your personal property coverage. Actual cash value will factor in depreciation when reimbursing you for your items, while replacement cost does not. Replacement cost will generally pay you what you paid for an item, regardless of age. You may want to find an insurer that has this option at an affordable rate depending on your home inventory.

Additionally, getting the best homeowners insurance in Pennsylvania may also mean fitting your most valuable items into your policy adequately. Personal property coverage has sub-limits for high-value items like art, memorabilia, jewelry, and more. You can schedule these things with some insurers, which qualifies them for complete coverage at an additional cost.

Depending on your property history, location, and more, you may also be interested in some optional riders. Providers offer sinkhole, water backup, ordinance or law, and other optional endorsements that you might be interested in to create the best homeowners insurance in Pennsylvania for you.

Common Pennsylvania Homeowners Insurance Questions

There’s a lot to keep in mind when shopping for homeowners insurance. Many consumers need help figuring out where to start, especially if they’re buying their first home or switching carriers after a long time with one company.

Below, we’ve answered two common Pennsylvania homeowners insurance questions regarding price factors and requirements. We also explained some home insurance rules and regulations you might want to know.

It’s Time to Switch Your Homeowners Insurance

We partner with the nation’s top homeowners insurance companies so you can get a custom policy at an affordable price.

What Affects the Average Cost of Homeowners Insurance In Pennsylvania?

As we mentioned earlier, homeowners insurance rates in Pennsylvania are influenced by many factors, some of which you can control while others you can’t. Insurance companies must consider a myriad of variables to determine your rate accurately. 

Some factors that affect the average cost of homeowners insurance in Pennsylvania are:

  • Home location
  • Home age
  • Home features
  • Policy deductible
  • Claims history

Although Pennsylvania has no coastline along the Atlantic, the state can still experience effects from hurricanes and tropical storms. This is evidenced as recently as 2021, when remnants of Hurricane Ida made their way into the state and, notably, the Delaware Valley. Ida caused substantial flooding and damage, and spawned separate tornadoes.

Providers check to see if your home is in an area more prone to hurricane, tornado, or flooding damage. If so, you will likely pay higher premiums to offset this potential risk. 

Your home’s age and features also influence the average cost of homeowners insurance in Pennsylvania. Older houses are inherently riskier since they may not be up to the latest building and safety codes. And, they tend to have more issues that lead to claims, like old roofs. 

Features of your property that can increase your rates include pools, trampolines, wood-burning stoves, outdated wiring, and polybutylene pipes.

You choose your deductible when you get your insurance policy. Raising your deductible can lower your premiums, while choosing a low deductible — which puts your insurance company on the hook for more damage – can raise your rates.

Having a history of filing home insurance claims can raise your rates, too. When shopping for coverage, providers will ask if you’ve filed any claims in the past three to five years. Pennsylvania homeowners insurance companies will likely charge you higher rates if you’ve filed several claims recently since you’re more likely to file again than someone who has never filed.

Is Homeowners Insurance Mandatory in Pennsylvania?

No, homeowners insurance isn’t mandatory in Pennsylvania by law. But, mortgage lenders can require their homeowners to get and maintain coverage for the life of the loan. If you don’t have a mortgage, no one will require you to have a home insurance plan.

Lenders mandate homeowners insurance to protect their investments in your property. You would still have to pay off your home loan if your house got destroyed. Your homeowners insurance enables you and your lender to recoup the money you spent on your property from the insurance company in case of serious damage.

If you don’t keep home insurance for the life of your loan, your lender can force place insurance on you. Force-placed insurance is inadequate coverage at exceptionally higher rates. It isn’t a good idea to have force-placed insurance, and you should avoid it by choosing your own coverage and paying your premiums on time.

It’s Time to Switch Your Homeowners Insurance

We partner with the nation’s top homeowners insurance companies so you can get a custom policy at an affordable price.

Pennsylvania Homeowners Insurance Laws to Know

The insurance sector is highly regulated. There are many Pennsylvania homeowners insurance laws that companies have to follow, but there are also rules you should know that can help potential claims go as smoothly as possible.

If you file a claim, your provider must respond within 15 days. There is no timetable for how long a home insurance claim can stay open in Pennsylvania since every claim is different, and some may be very complex.

When filing a claim in Pennsylvania, insurers have 60 days to underwrite your plan. During this time, they can cancel your coverage for any valid reason they specify. In Pennsylvania, home insurers can consider your credit score when determining premiums and rate increases or decreases at renewal time.

Your carrier will likely outline some steps that you may need to take during your policy life, too. For instance, they may request that you file any claims as soon as possible. Waiting to file claims can exacerbate existing damage and may interfere with your provider’s ability to intervene. 

You must also generally pay your premiums on time. In Pennsylvania, your insurer isn’t required to extend a grace period for premium payments. Check your plan’s details for more information on what your carrier expects from you.

How to Get Home Insurance Quotes in Pennsylvania

Getting home insurance quotes in Pennsylvania is easy with Clovered. You can get a quote entirely online and compare your options with several providers.

If you have questions or need any help along the way, our team of licensed agents would love to assist you. We’re available by phone at 833-255-4117 during business hours, or you can email us at agent@clovered.com

Homeowners
It's Time to Switch Your Homeowners Insurance

We partner with the nation's top homeowners insurance companies so you can get a custom policy at an affordable price.

The editorial content on Clovered’s website is meant to be informational material and should not be considered legal advice.

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