Cincinnati Homeowners Insurance Review 2024
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Cincinnati Insurance
Coverage options
Discounts
NAIC complaints
Cincinnati Insurance
Coverage options
Discounts
NAIC complaints
About Cincinnati home insurance
Cincinnati homeowners insurance earned 4.5 out of 5 stars for overall performance. Cincinnati Insurance sells homeowners insurance policies through local independent agents. Despite the company’s name, Cincinnati homeowners insurance is available in most U.S. states. The insurer offers customizable policies for standard homes plus more comprehensive coverage packages for higher-value homes.
Where Cincinnati Insurance stands out
Customer service. The company’s ultra-low volume of consumer complaints suggests that it treats its policyholders well.
Options for high-value homes. Cincinnati’s policies for expensive houses come with high coverage limits and lots of perks.
Where Cincinnati Insurance falls short
No online quotes. Cincinnati homeowners policies are available only through agents.
State availability
Cincinnati Insurance sells homeowners insurance policies in all states except Alaska, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma and South Dakota.
Cincinnati home insurance coverage
You can customize your homeowners policy with numerous add-ons, but below are the types of coverage that generally come standard:
Type of coverage | What it does |
|---|---|
Pays to repair or rebuild the structure of your home. | |
Covers damage to unattached structures such as sheds or fences. | |
Pays to repair or replace personal belongings such as furniture or clothing. | |
Pays for hotel stays, restaurant meals or other expenses if you have to live elsewhere while your home undergoes covered repairs. | |
Covers legal expenses and damages if you're responsible for injuries to other people or their property. | |
Covers injuries to guests in your home, regardless of fault. |
For more details, see What Does Homeowners Insurance Cover?
Beyond the standard types of coverage above, Cincinnati Insurance also offers a service to help protect your home from wildfires in select Western states.
You may be able to add the following options to your policy:
Identity theft coverage, which pays up to $25,000 toward expenses related to regaining your identity.
Personal cyber coverage, which pays to restore lost data, respond to extortion demands or recover from online fraud.
Extended replacement cost coverage, which pays up to 25% extra to rebuild your home after a disaster in case it costs more than expected.
Water damage coverage, which pays for damage from backed-up drains, a malfunctioning sump pump or water that seeps into your home from underground.
The company also has a bundle of extra coverage called Homeowners Plus. When you add this endorsement to your policy, you’ll get:
Replacement cost coverage for your personal belongings, which means you’ll get enough of a claim payout to buy brand-new replacements for damaged or destroyed items. Without this coverage, the insurer would reduce your payout to reflect your belongings’ loss of value in the time since you bought them.
Ordinance or law coverage, which pays to bring your home up to the latest building codes after a covered claim.
Increased credit card coverage, in case someone steals your card or uses it without permission.
Extra coverage for valuable items such as jewelry or watches.
Coverage for refrigerated items lost in a power failure or appliance breakdown.
For policyholders with higher-value homes, Cincinnati Insurance offers more comprehensive policies with some of the above benefits included. These policies also come with higher limits and a wide range of optional add-ons.
For example, Cincinnati’s Executive Capstone policy for houses worth $1 million or more includes guaranteed replacement cost for your home in most states. With this coverage, the company will pay whatever it takes to rebuild your home after a covered disaster, even if it’s above your dwelling coverage limit.
Discounts
Depending on where you live, you may be able to save money on your homeowners policy by:
Bundling home and car insurance with Cincinnati.
Having a newer house.
Going without claims for a certain length of time.
Installing a centrally monitored alarm system.
Consumer complaints
Cincinnati Insurance drew far fewer than the expected number of complaints to state regulators relative to its size for home insurance, according to three years’ worth of data from the National Association of Insurance Commissioners.
Consumer experience
Website: The Cincinnati Insurance website offers an agent search feature plus basic information on homeowners and other types of insurance. Create an online account to make payments, view policy documents and report claims.
App: Cincinnati’s app offers policy information, bill payments, claims reporting and agent contact details. It’s available for both iOS and Android.
Claims: You can report a homeowners claim through your online account, on the mobile app or by phone at 877-242-2544. You can also call your agent. Once you’ve filed your claim, you can check its status on the website or app. For advice, see how to file a home insurance claim.
Customer service: You can get help with your policy by contacting your independent agent or calling the company directly at 888-242-8811. You can also email [email protected]. Customer service is available on weekdays and Saturday mornings in the Eastern time zone.
The bottom line
Cincinnati Insurance may be a good fit for you if you want to discuss your coverage options with an independent agent before buying. If you’re looking for quick online quotes, you may want to look elsewhere.
Cincinnati Insurance may also suit you if you have a high-value home that needs comprehensive coverage.
Other home insurance companies to consider
Not ready to make a decision? You may be interested in these other homeowners insurance companies:
Current Product
|  |  |
|---|---|---|
NerdWallet rating 4.5 /5 | NerdWallet rating 4.0 /5 | NerdWallet rating 4.0 /5 |
Complaints to NAIC Far fewer than expected | Complaints to NAIC More than expected | Complaints to NAIC Fewer than expected |
Coverage About average | Coverage About average | Coverage About average |
Discounts Average set of discounts | Discounts Great set of discounts | Discounts Great set of discounts |
Bottom line Sells homeowners policies through local independent agents across the U.S. | Bottom line Widely available across the U.S. with lots of ways to customize your policy, but receives more complaints than expected. | Bottom line Those seeking policy add-ons like diminishing deductibles and claims forgiveness may want to consider Farmers. |
Homeowners insurance star ratings methodology
NerdWallet’s homeowners insurance ratings reward companies for customer-first features and practices. Ratings are based on weighted averages of scores in several categories, including financial strength, consumer complaints, coverage, discounts and online experience. These ratings are a guide, but we encourage you to shop around and compare several insurance quotes to find the best rate for you. NerdWallet does not receive compensation for any reviews. Read our full ratings methodology for home insurance.
Insurer complaints methodology
NerdWallet examined complaints received by state insurance regulators and reported to the National Association of Insurance Commissioners in 2020-2022. To assess how insurers compare to one another, the NAIC calculates a complaint index each year for each subsidiary, measuring its share of total complaints relative to its size, or share of total premiums in the industry. To evaluate a company’s complaint history, NerdWallet calculated a similar index for each insurer, weighted by market shares of each subsidiary, over the three-year period. NerdWallet conducts its data analysis and reaches conclusions independently and without the endorsement of the NAIC. Ratios are determined separately for auto, home (including renters and condo) and life insurance.
