How Quickly Can I Get Home Insurance After a Quote

Whether you want your coverage to begin right away or wonder if you can schedule your insurance to start in the future, we’ll go over what you need to know about effective dates in your policy.

You can buy homeowners insurance in minutes, but it may take a few days for your application to process with your insurance company. And, before giving you coverage, your insurer may want a home inspection. 

Although the inspection itself should take under an hour, you may have to wait a day or two before a representative from the company can come to your home.

You can get home insurance online, over the phone, or at an insurance agent’s office. Getting quotes and binding online is likely the quickest option, but some people prefer the in-person care and feel of an insurance agent. Plus, insurance agents have industry knowledge and potential regional expertise that can help you get the right policy. Hammering out a policy with an agent can take at least a couple of hours.

Getting insurance online can take minutes. Plus, with the right comparison tool, you can compare quotes from several providers simultaneously. You may also be able to see real-time estimates of how changing certain coverages can impact your premiums.

With Clovered, you get the benefits of both agents and online shopping. You can compare quotes from companies in your area on our proprietary online platform, and you have the option to text or call a licensed insurance agent on standby, ready to help you. We partner with some of the country’s top home insurers, and we’d love to help you get coverage if you need it.

No matter how you’re getting your home insurance plan, there are a few pieces of information you’ll need:

You’ll also need to indicate whether you’ve filed any claims recently. You may need to pay higher premiums if you’ve filed multiple home insurance claims in the past 3-5 years. You’ll also have to disclose whether you have any pets if a company asks. Many providers are wary of historically dangerous dog breeds.

Old homes may require an inspection before getting a policy. Houses over 30 years old or with particularly old roofs may need 4-point inspections before getting or renewing coverage. If your home doesn’t meet certain thresholds, you may be eligible for an HO-8 policy instead of a standard HO-3 policy, or an insurance company may turn you down altogether.

You can secure a home insurance policy in one day, but that doesn’t mean you should rush the process. For such an important and valuable asset in your life, you want to make sure that you protect your house properly. 

Your insurance won’t take effect immediately since your paperwork will need to be processed.

After your policy is active, you normally have to wait a little while before you can file a claim. The amount of time you need to wait varies by company, but it’s usually at least 30 days. 

Insurers don’t often let policyholders file claims as soon as their policy becomes active to avoid fraud. Some people may try to claim that a pre-existing issue in the home, like a roof leak or broken air conditioner, should be covered under the policy. While a home insurance adjuster would likely find out this isn’t the case upon an inspection, insurance companies try to avoid this hassle beforehand.

When buying a policy, you can also sometimes choose when your insurance starts, called the effective date. You may not always want your insurance to start on the day you buy it. Carriers usually let you choose an effective date in the near future for coverage to begin if you want.

You can usually find your homeowners insurance effective date on the policy’s declaration page. The dec page may also contain lender information, a summary of coverages, and your potential discounts. 

One important reason for choosing an effective date relates to buying a home. You need to have your insurance in order before you close. A mortgage lender will require homeowners insurance if you’re buying a house. 

But, you can’t insure a property you don’t own yet, so you can choose to have the effective date of your homeowners insurance on or close to your closing date. You’ll also likely pay your first year of home insurance premiums as part of your closing costs.

Another time your effective date is critical is when you’re switching insurance companies. If you’re getting a new plan, you want to set the effective date of your new policy to a day or two before your current one expires. You don’t want a lapse in coverage.

Allowing home insurance to lapse even for a day can violate the terms of your mortgage. Your lender may try to get you force-placed insurance. Force-placed insurance is very costly and often not very helpful. 

If you don’t have a mortgage and you let your policies lapse, your home will be uncovered for the time when you’re between policies. You’d have to pay out of pocket for any damage you suffer.