The Best Home Insurance in Washington, D.C., for 2024
Many or all of the products featured here are from our partners who compensate us. This influences which products we write about and where and how the product appears on a page. However, this does not influence our evaluations. Our opinions are our own. Here is a list of our partners and here's how we make money.
The average cost of homeowners insurance in Washington, D.C., is $1,190 per year, or about $99 per month, according to a NerdWallet analysis. For comparison, the national average is $1,915 per year.
NerdWallet analyzed data from numerous insurance companies to help you find the best home insurance in Washington, D.C., in the following categories:
Best for affordability: Travelers.
Best for coverage: Erie.
Best for consumer experience: Nationwide.
The rates in our analysis are estimates based on many factors, so your rate may differ.
Note: Some insurance companies included in this article may have made changes in their underwriting practices and no longer issue new policies in Washington, D.C. Even if an insurer serves the city, it may not write policies for all homes in all areas.
Best affordable homeowners insurance in Washington, D.C.: Travelers
Travelers
Coverage options
Discounts
NAIC complaints
Travelers
Coverage options
Discounts
NAIC complaints
In Washington, D.C., the average annual premium for Travelers is $1,155, which is below the city average of $1,190.
Travelers offers a robust online experience. You can use the website to get a homeowners insurance quote, file and track claims, make payments, and learn about insurance basics.
Its coverage offerings are similarly strong. For example, you may be able to add extra coverage in case the dwelling limit on your home isn’t enough to rebuild your house after a disaster. One unique option is Travelers’ green home coverage, which pays extra if you want to use eco-friendly materials when repairing or rebuilding your home after a covered claim.
Learn more in our Travelers homeowners insurance review.
Note: USAA had cheaper rates in Washington, D.C. However, only members of the military, veterans and their families are eligible to buy its policies. Read more in our USAA homeowners insurance review.
Best homeowners insurance in Washington, D.C., for coverage: Erie
Coverage options
Discounts
NAIC complaints
Erie
Coverage options
Discounts
NAIC complaints
Erie offers guaranteed replacement cost for the structure of your home. With this coverage, the company will pay to rebuild your home completely after a disaster, even if the amount exceeds your dwelling limit.
Got a car to insure, too? If you bundle your home and auto insurance with Erie, you could get a discount of upwards of 16%. You may also be able to save if your home has certain safety and security features such as smoke alarms or sprinkler systems.
For more details, read our Erie home insurance review.
Best homeowners insurance in Washington, D.C., for consumer experience: Nationwide
Nationwide
Coverage options
Discounts
NAIC complaints
Nationwide
Coverage options
Discounts
NAIC complaints
The Nationwide website makes it easy to manage policies, file and track claims, and set up automatic billing. The company also has a highly rated app for Android and iOS that allows customers to file and track claims, review policy documents, and set up autopay.
In addition, Nationwide’s customers have several ways to get assistance, such as reaching out to their agent or calling the company’s customer service hotline. Outside of business hours, they can use the Nationwide website to get proof of insurance, pay bills and schedule callbacks. A chatbot is also available to answer basic questions.
Learn more with our Nationwide homeowners insurance review.
The best homeowners insurance in Washington, D.C.
NerdWallet analyzed a variety of companies to find the best home insurance in Washington, D.C. Here are all of the insurers that received a NerdWallet star rating of 4.5 or higher:
Company | NerdWallet star rating | Average annual rate |
|---|---|---|
Not available | ||
Not available | ||
Not available | ||
Not available | ||
Not available | ||
$1,355 | ||
$1,155 | ||
USAA* | $925 | |
*USAA homeowners policies are available only to active military, veterans and their families. | ||
How much does homeowners insurance cost in Washington, D.C.?
The average annual cost of home insurance in Washington, D.C., is $1,190. That’s 38% less than the national average of $1,915.
In most of the U.S., including Washington, D.C., many insurers use your credit-based insurance score to help set rates. Your insurance score is similar but not identical to your traditional credit score.
In Washington, D.C., those with poor credit pay an average of $2,175 per year for homeowners insurance, according to NerdWallet’s rate analysis. That’s 83% more than what those with good credit pay.
The cheapest home insurance in Washington, D.C.
Here are the insurers we found with average annual rates below the Washington, D.C., average of $1,190.
Company | NerdWallet star rating | Average annual rate |
|---|---|---|
$1,155 | ||
USAA* | $925 | |
*USAA homeowners policies are available only to active military, veterans and their families. | ||
What to know about Washington, D.C., homeowners insurance
You may face certain risks when living in Washington, D.C. Here are a few of the most common, along with steps you can take to insure your home properly against them.
Flooding
Standard homeowners insurance doesn’t cover flood damage, so homeowners at risk should look into separate flood insurance.
To find out your risk, check out the Federal Emergency Management Agency's flood maps and RiskFactor.com, a website from the nonprofit First Street Foundation. Even if your property is deemed low risk, it may be worthwhile to buy flood insurance for extra peace of mind. Approximately 20 to 25% of all flood claims come from properties in low-risk areas.
Remember that while you can purchase flood coverage at any time, there’s typically a 30-day waiting period before the insurance takes effect. Here’s more information about flood insurance and waiting periods.
Winter weather
Homeowners insurance generally covers winter storm-related damage, but some types of winter weather damage may require extra coverage. For instance, you’ll typically need a separate flood insurance policy to cover flood damage caused by snowmelt, and insurers may refuse to pay for damage caused by frozen pipes if it appears you neglected to take steps to reduce risk by, for example, keeping your home at an adequate temperature when you’re out of town.
Washington, D.C., insurance department
The District of Columbia Department of Insurance, Securities and Banking oversees the district’s insurance industry. In addition to providing information about homeowners insurance, the department can also help if you have a dispute with your insurer. You can submit a complaint form online, by mail or fax, or by delivering it directly to the office. Call the department with questions at 202-727-8000.
Amanda Shapland contributed to this story.
A previous version of this article incorrectly stated that homeowners insurance in Washington, D.C., is more expensive than the national average. This article has been corrected.
NerdWallet calculated median rates for 40-year-old homeowners from various insurance companies in every ZIP code across the state. 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.
We changed the credit tier from “good” to “poor,” as reported to the insurer, to see rates for homeowners with poor credit.
These are sample rates generated through Quadrant Information Services. Your own rates will be different.
Star rating 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, coverages, 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 homeowners insurance rating methodology.
Complaint 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 with 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.
On a similar note...
