Mercury Homeowners Insurance Review 2024
Many, or all, of the products featured on this page are from our advertising partners who compensate us when you take certain actions on our website or click to take an action on their website. 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.
Mercury
Coverage options
Discounts
NAIC complaints
Mercury
Coverage options
Discounts
NAIC complaints
Why trust NerdWallet
Mercury home insurance review
Mercury homeowners insurance earned 4 stars out of 5 for overall performance.
Mercury is one of the biggest home insurers in California, but it also sells homeowners policies in several other states such as Texas, Virginia and New York. Its policies generally come with extra dwelling coverage in case your house costs more than expected to rebuild after a fire or other disaster. Mercury sells homeowners insurance through independent agents.
Where Mercury home insurance stands out
Coverage. Mercury’s default policies generally include an extra cushion for your dwelling coverage, plus replacement cost coverage for your personal belongings. These are both more generous types of coverage than many standard homeowners policies have.
Discounts. Mercury offers plenty of ways to save money on homeowners insurance.
Where Mercury home insurance falls short
Availability. Mercury’s homeowners insurance is available in only 10 states.
Consumer complaints. Mercury draws a higher volume of complaints to state regulators than expected for a company of its size.
Choose Mercury home insurance if...
State availability
Mercury sells homeowners policies in 10 states.
Mercury 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?
Mercury’s homeowners policies include all the standard types of coverage above. They may also include the following:
Extended replacement cost coverage, which pays up to 150% of your dwelling limit to rebuild your home after a covered claim.
Replacement cost coverage for personal property, which pays enough to buy brand-new replacements for damaged or destroyed belongings. Without this coverage your insurer would pay the items’ actual cash value, which reflects depreciation.
You may be able to add the following optional types of coverage to your policy:
Identity theft coverage, which pays costs related to recovering your identity, up to $25,000.
Equipment breakdown coverage for repairs to air conditioning systems, kitchen and laundry appliances, water heaters, electrical panels and more.
Service line coverage, which pays to repair or replace damaged service lines, such as sewer, water and gas pipes. Without this coverage, you would be on the hook for these repairs, even though they connect to city-owned or utility-owned lines. Coverage is available up to $10,000 per claim.
Additional coverage for valuables, such as jewelry or fine art.
Personal cyber coverage, which reimburses you if you’re the victim of an online attack such as online fraud or extortion. Coverage up to $50,000 is available.
Water backup coverage to pay for damage from backed-up drains or failed sump pumps.
For California homeowners who have fire coverage through the state’s FAIR Plan, Mercury offers difference in conditions insurance to cover scenarios the FAIR Plan won’t, such as theft, personal liability and water damage from broken pipes.
What's not covered
Like most homeowners insurance companies, Mercury doesn’t cover damage from flooding or earthquakes with its standard policies. If your home is at risk, you’ll want to look into adding extra coverage. Learn more about flood insurance and earthquake insurance.
Discounts
Depending on where you live, you may be able to save by:
Owning a newer home.
Having fire-resistant construction materials in your home.
Living in a gated community.
Having multiple policies with Mercury (also known as bundling).
Installing protective devices such as smoke alarms, deadbolts or water leak detectors.
Not filing any claims for at least three years.
Signing up for electronic billing.
Protecting your home against wind damage.
Getting a quote in advance of when you need coverage to start.
Being a recent homebuyer.
Taking steps to prevent wildfires or living in a community recognized by the National Fire Protection Association as a Firewise USA site (California only).
» MORE: The cheapest home insurance
It can be tough to find affordable homeowners insurance coverage in some parts of the country, especially places like California that are at risk of wildfires. One way to lower your rate is to choose a higher deductible, which is the amount subtracted from your payout if you ever have to file a claim. Make sure you choose an amount you’d feel comfortable paying out of pocket.
Consumer complaints
Mercury had more 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: On Mercury’s website, you can pay bills, view policy details, request changes and file claims. However, you’ll need to contact an agent to get a homeowners quote.
App: You can use Mercury’s app to see policy information, pay bills and contact customer service.
Claims: Mercury offers 24/7 claims filing online or at 800-503-3724. Once you’ve submitted your claim, you can check its status through your online account. Learn more about how to file a home insurance claim.
Customer service: For support, contact your agent, call 800-503-3724, send an email through the website or chat live with a representative.
What Reddit users say about Mercury
Reddit is an online forum where users share their thoughts in “threads” on various topics. The popular site includes plenty of discussion on financial subjects like home insurance, so we sifted through Reddit forums to get a pulse check on how users feel about insurers. People post anonymously, so we cannot confirm their individual experiences or circumstances.
Reddit comments about Mercury homeowners insurance are mixed, with many posters complaining about how the company handles claims. However, there are a few posts that describe a smoother claims process.
Several Redditors, particularly in California, report that Mercury is requiring inspections or documentation before it will renew their policies. These requests typically focus on the home’s roof and its plumbing, electrical and HVAC systems, according to commenters. Some of them lost their coverage or decided to switch providers as a result.
Questions from Reddit: Our experts answer
Can Mercury require a home inspection?
Yes, insurance companies can perform home insurance inspections at any time to be sure the houses they’re covering are in good shape. Companies may send an inspector out in person or use aerial imagery to survey your home from above. Because issues like worn roofs, older pipes or trees overhanging your home could potentially lead to claims, insurers may require you to address these problems in order to maintain your coverage.
Why did Mercury drop my homeowners policy?
As long as it gives you sufficient notice, an insurance company can refuse to renew your homeowners policy for a variety of reasons. For example, it may no longer want to cover homes in your area due to increasing wildfire risk. Or it may have changed its underwriting requirements, and your home no longer fits the risk profile it's looking for. An insurance company can also drop you if you refuse to fix problems it identifies with your home. Learn more about home insurance non-renewals.
Other home insurance companies to consider
See how Mercury stacks up against other popular homeowners insurance companies.
Insurer | NerdWallet star rating | Policy highlight |
|---|---|---|
Sold through independent agents in California and select other states. | ||
Widely available, with lots of coverage options and discounts. | ||
Big national brand with plenty of ways to save. | ||
Policies may include coverage to bring your home up to current building codes after a claim. | ||
Extended dwelling coverage included with standard policies. |
How we rate homeowners insurance
NerdWallet’s star ratings reward companies for consumer-first features and practices. We evaluate factors such as financial strength, consumer complaints, coverage, discounts and customer experience.
In our research, we analyzed:
More than 270 million homeowners insurance rates.
More than 50 insurance companies.
Nearly 200 homeowner profiles.
View our complete homeowners insurance rating methodology.
Methodology
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 2021-2023. 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.
In This Review . . .
DIVE EVEN DEEPER IN INSURANCE
The Average Home Insurance Cost in the U.S. for 2024
The Cheapest Home Insurance for 2024
