Farmers Home Insurance Review 2023
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Farmers
Coverage options
Discounts
NAIC complaints
Farmers
Coverage options
Discounts
NAIC complaints
Farmers home insurance is well suited for a variety of homeowners. Its coverage comes in three tiers, and its standard policy includes several money-saving features that help offset an annual rate that tends to be higher than that of its competitors.
Farmers home insurance star rating
Farmers homeowners insurance earned 5 out of 5 stars for overall performance. NerdWallet’s ratings are determined by our editorial team. The homeowners insurance scoring formula takes into account policy coverage options and discounts, ease of filing a claim, website transparency, the financial strength of the company, complaint data from the National Association of Insurance Commissioners and more.
Based on this rating, Farmers is among NerdWallet’s Best Home Insurance Companies for 2023.
State availability
Farmers home insurance is available in 41 states.
Farmers 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 a shed or fence. | |
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. | |
Medical payments | Covers injuries to guests in your home, regardless of fault. |
For more details, see What Does Homeowners Insurance Cover?
Besides the typical home insurance coverage, Farmers may include in its standard policy:
Personal property replacement cost coverage, to fully reimburse the cost of replacing a damaged or destroyed item rather than paying out a depreciated amount.
Extended replacement cost coverage, which pays out a percentage above your dwelling coverage if your home is destroyed and the cost to rebuild is more than your policy limit.
Farmers also offers several optional features and perks, including:
Eco-Rebuild, which provides up to $25,000 extra if you choose to rebuild a damaged part of your home with “green” materials.
Identity theft coverage, which helps pay expenses associated with having your identity stolen.
Higher limit coverage for valuable personal items such as jewelry or art.
Personal injury coverage, which can protect you if someone sues you for slander, libel or invasion of privacy.
Equipment breakdown coverage pays to fix or replace HVAC or large appliances if they stop working for reasons beyond typical wear and tear.
Guaranteed replacement coverage covers the cost to replace your home, even if it exceeds your policy limits.
Homeshare coverage, which offers extra protection if you rent your home to others.
Ordinance or law coverage pays to bring your home up to building codes when you’re repairing or rebuilding it. This may be included at no additional cost in some states for up to 10% of your dwelling coverage limit.
Service line coverage, which pays for damage to utility, electric or water lines.
Water backup or sump pump failure coverage, which applies if sewer lines or sump pumps back up and cause water damage to your home.
Claims forgiveness, which means your rates won’t increase because of a claim if you’ve been claim-free for at least five years.
Declining deductibles take $50 off your deductible each year you have a Farmers home insurance policy.
Farmers may also offer two upgraded versions of its standard policy, depending on your state. The Enhanced package has higher policy limits than the standard version. If you are eligible, it covers the costs of replacing your roof or personal belongings with new items.
The Premier package goes a step further, offering higher limits on personal property coverage, and, in some cases, it includes guaranteed replacement cost, which fully reimburses the cost of rebuilding your home regardless of your policy’s limits.
Farmers home insurance rates
The average annual rate for Farmers home insurance is $2,190, according to a NerdWallet analysis. That means Farmers tends to be more expensive than the national average homeowners insurance cost of $1,820.
Among highly rated, large national insurers, Farmers is one of the more expensive options on average for homeowners insurance. Here’s how the insurers stack up:
Company | Average annual rate |
|---|---|
$1,500. | |
$1,660. | |
$2,180. | |
$2,190. | |
USAA* | $1,775. |
*USAA homeowners insurance is available only to active-duty military members, veterans and their families. | |
The sample rates above are for 40-year-old homeowners with good credit, a $1,000 deductible, $300,000 in dwelling coverage and $300,000 in liability insurance. Your rates will be different.
Discounts
Farmers offers a few easy ways to save as part of its standard policy. Your deductible declines each year you’re with Farmers, and you can receive a discount if you’ve been claim-free for three or more consecutive years. Once you’ve hit the five-year mark without a claim, your rate won’t go up if you file one.
Homeowners can also earn discounts from Farmers by:
Making home safety improvements like installing fire alarms and extinguishers, indoor sprinklers and security systems.
Not smoking for at least the past two years (in most states).
Bundling a home insurance policy with another Farmers product such as auto insurance.
Working in or retiring from a designated profession such as a teacher, doctor or firefighter.
Agreeing to go paperless.
Owning a new home (less than 14 years old).
Paying in full or signing up for automatic payments.
Consistently paying homeowners insurance bills on time.
Installing a smart home system.
Having a roof made from UL-approved asphalt or fiberglass shingles.
Fortifying your foundation, windows, walls or roof against natural disasters or installing automatic gas or water shutoffs.
Having a green certification from the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, or LEED, rating system, Energy Star or the Environmental Protection Agency.
Renting to own. Available to current renters policyholders when they buy a home and get a Farmers home insurance policy.
Consumer complaints
Farmers had fewer than the expected number of home insurance complaints to state regulators relative to its size, according to three years’ worth of data from the National Association of Insurance Commissioners.
Consumer experience
Website: The Farmers website allows users to get quotes and manage claims, and it features educational content based on common insurance scenarios. It can be challenging, however, to find detailed policy information without contacting an agent.
App: The Farmers app is available for iOS and Android. You can use it to pay bills, view policy documents, report claims or get a quote for new coverage, among other features.
Claims: Farmers home insurance claims can be submitted through the website or mobile app. You can also report a claim by calling Farmers at 800-435-7764 or contacting your agent. For advice, see how to file a home insurance claim.
Customer service: You can contact customer service at 888-327-6335 from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. Central time weekdays and from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. CT on weekends. Farmers has a live chat and chatbot for policyholders when they are logged into the website. Customers can also reach out to Farmers via text.
Where Farmers stands out
Generous coverage. Farmers’ policies may include replacement cost coverage for your personal property and extended replacement cost coverage for the structure of your house — types of coverage other companies charge extra for.
Many discounts available. Most homeowners are likely to find at least one way to save on their premium.
Where Farmers falls short
Rates. It’s a good thing Farmers has a lot of discounts because its rates tend to be higher than those of competitors. That said, Farmers may include more coverage in its standard policies than other companies do, so it’s worth taking a closer look when comparing quotes.
Customer satisfaction. Farmers was ranked near the bottom for customer satisfaction in J.D. Power’s 2022 U.S. Home Insurance Study.
Farmers vs. competitors
Farmers vs. State Farm home insurance
The primary difference between Farmers and State Farm homeowners insurance is how much their policies cost. State Farm homeowners insurance was cheaper than the national average, while Farmers homeowners insurance cost more, according to NerdWallet’s rate analysis.
Otherwise, the companies have a lot in common. They’re two of the largest homeowners insurers in the country, and their policies are available in most states. Each may include extended replacement cost coverage for the structure of your home, and both offer other ways to customize your policy.
Learn more with our State Farm home insurance review.
Farmers vs. Allstate home insurance
The biggest difference between Farmers and Allstate home insurance is the way each company covers your belongings. Farmers includes replacement cost coverage for your stuff, while Allstate covers your belongings on an actual cash value basis (unless you upgrade to replacement cost coverage).
Actual cash value policies pay for damaged items based on what they’re worth at the time of the claim, which often reflects depreciation for older items. That means you might not get enough money to buy new replacements.
Beyond that, Farmers and Allstate have a long list of coverage options and numerous ways to save on your policy. Allstate’s policies tend to be cheaper on average, according to NerdWallet’s rate analysis. However, Allstate draws more consumer complaints to state regulators than expected, while Farmers draws fewer.
Get more details in our Allstate home insurance review.
Is Farmers home insurance right for you?
Farmers offers generous coverage and many discount options in most states, making it well worth considering for many homeowners.
Other home insurance companies to consider
Not ready to make a decision? You may be interested in these other homeowners insurance companies:
Amica: Great customer service plus an approved contractor program to help with claims.
Safeco: A solid option that's available in most states.
Travelers: Offers a decent slate of coverage, including an option to help you rebuild your home with environmentally friendly materials after a claim.
USAA: Insurance for active-duty military members, veterans and their families.
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 2019-2021. 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.
Homeowners insurance rates methodology
NerdWallet averaged rates for 40-year-old homeowners from various insurance companies in every ZIP code across the U.S. All rates are rounded to the nearest $5.
Sample homeowners were nonsmokers with good credit living in a single-family, two-story home built in 1984. They had a $1,000 deductible and the following coverage limits:
$300,000 in dwelling coverage.
$30,000 in other structures coverage.
$150,000 in personal property coverage.
$60,000 in loss of use coverage.
$300,000 in liability coverage.
$1,000 in medical payments coverage.
We made minor changes to the sample policy in cases where rates for the above coverage limits or deductibles weren’t available.
These are sample rates generated through Quadrant Information Services. Your own rates will be different.
