$30K personal property coverage
$215 /year
$18 /month
Nationwide has a good variety of coverage options to choose from, but its policies cost more than the national average.
Coverage
About average
Discounts
Great set of discounts
NAIC complaints
Close to expected
About Nationwide renters insurance
Nationwide renters insurance earned 4.3 out of 5 stars in our analysis. Nationwide's website and app make it easy to submit claims and manage your policy. If you need more personalized help, Nationwide also has a network of local agents.
The company’s default renters policy is solid. For example, it includes coverage in case someone makes unauthorized charges on your credit or debit card. You can also add coverage for things like valuable jewelry or identity theft recovery. But Nationwide’s policies cost more than average, according to NerdWallet’s rate analysis.
Best for: Renters who want to get quotes and manage their policies online.
Not ideal for: Those who want the cheapest possible option.
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What Nationwide renters insurance covers
Nationwide renters insurance covers your belongings for problems like fire or theft. It can also pay for you to live elsewhere after a covered claim while your home is repaired. The personal liability section of the policy can cover things like dog bites or guest injuries. Learn more about what renters insurance covers.
Beyond these standard types of coverage, Nationwide also includes the following in its basic policy:
Building additions and alterations. Pays for damage to elements of your home that you’ve updated or improved during your time there.
Credit card coverage. Pays you back for unauthorized financial transactions on your credit or debit card. It can also pay if you’re the victim of forged checks or counterfeit money.
Optional Nationwide renters insurance coverage
Nationwide offers several optional types of coverage:
Brand New Belongings. Pays you back for damaged or stolen items in two steps. You get the depreciated value of the item first. Then, after you repair or replace it, Nationwide pays you the difference. Without this coverage, you’d get only the depreciated amount (known as actual cash value).
Valuables Plus. Provides extra coverage for big-ticket items like jewelry or art.
Water backup. Covers damage from backed-up sewers or drains.
Theft extension. Offers extra coverage for personal items in a motor vehicle, trailer or boat.
Earthquake insurance. Pays for damage caused by an earthquake.
Identity theft protection. Pays up to $25,000 of covered expenses and connects you with cybersecurity experts.
Personal injury coverage. Extends the liability coverage on your policy to include lawsuits for things like slander or libel.
Coverage options may vary by state.
What’s not covered
Nationwide renters insurance doesn’t cover:
Flood damage.
Bedbugs or other infestations.
Home business property such as a work laptop.
Damage you cause intentionally.
Wear and tear.
» MORE: Flood insurance for renters
Nationwide renters insurance rates
Nationwide renters insurance costs an average of $215 per year, or about $18 per month, according to NerdWallet’s rate analysis. That's more expensive than the U.S. average of $165 per year. See how Nationwide stacks up against other major insurers below.
Rates are based on a sample renter with $30,000 in personal property coverage, $100,000 in liability coverage and a $500 deductible.
Where Nationwide renters insurance is available
Nationwide renters insurance is available in 46 states and Washington, D.C. Coverage isn’t available in Alaska, Hawaii, Louisiana or Oklahoma.
Availability may change at any time. Coverage may not be available to all renters in a given state.
» MORE: Get renters insurance quotes
Discounts
Nationwide offers several discounts for renters insurance. You may be able to save by:
Bundling your renters insurance with another Nationwide policy, such as auto insurance.
Having protective devices like fire alarms, smoke detectors or water leak monitoring systems in your home.
Going a certain period of time without filing any claims.
Consumer satisfaction
Complaints: One strong sign of consumer satisfaction is how many people complain about their insurance company to state agencies. Nationwide gets a middling score on this measure, drawing an average proportion of home insurance complaints compared to other U.S. insurers.
We determined our complaint scores by analyzing three years' worth of data from the National Association of Insurance Commissioners. When comparing insurers, we accounted for company size and total premiums.
JD Power rating: Nationwide renters insurance ranked slightly below average for customer satisfaction in JD Power’s 2026 U.S. Home Insurance Study.
Online tools
Website: Nationwide’s website offers online quotes, bill payment and claims filing. It also has a range of educational articles about insurance.
Mobile app: The Nationwide app is available for iOS and Android. You can use it to file claims, pay bills and see policy documents.
How to file a claim with Nationwide
You can file a claim online, through the mobile app or by calling 800-421-3535. You can also contact your local agent. Once your claim is in progress, you can check its status online.
How to contact Nationwide customer service
Phone: Call your local agent or 877-669-6877.
Email: You can send an email to Nationwide using an online form.
Chatbot: Nationwide’s chatbot can help with simple questions.
Other Nationwide products
NerdWallet's reviews of other Nationwide insurance products can help you find the right coverage for your needs:
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How we evaluate renters insurance companies
👋 I’m Sarah Schlichter, a senior writer and content strategist covering renters insurance. I built NerdWallet’s renters insurance rubric and did the research for this page to evaluate companies. I gathered and analyzed data across four major categories:
Companies get better scores when they have consumer-friendly features and low rates of complaints.
Consumer complaints
We analyze the number of consumer complaints reported to the National Association of Insurance Commissioners. The higher the rate of complaints, the lower a company's score.
Digital tools
We look at how easy it is to interact with insurers by evaluating their digital tools, website and customer support methods. The best insurers have user-friendly features like online quotes and live chat.
Companies earn points based on how generous and customizable their policies are.
Coverage for personal property
Insurers that cover your belongings on a replacement cost basis by default get higher scores. Those with less generous actual cash value coverage score lower.
Optional coverage
For this category, we look at whether each company offers some of the most useful add-ons, such as extra coverage for valuables.
The more affordable a company's policies are, the better its score.
We evaluate the discounts a company offers and, when available, its median rates.
Companies score well when they have a healthy balance sheet.
We evaluate an insurer’s ability to pay future claims by using assessments from independent agencies such as AM Best and Demotech. The top renters insurance companies have financial strength ratings of A, A+ or A++.
NerdWallet writers are subject matter authorities who use primary, trustworthy sources to inform their work, including peer-reviewed studies, government websites, academic research and interviews with industry experts. All content is fact-checked for accuracy, timeliness and relevance. You can learn more about NerdWallet's high standards for journalism by reading our editorial guidelines.
- 1.JD Power. 2026 U.S. Home Insurance Study. Accessed Sep 23, 2026.
Renters insurance star ratings methodology
NerdWallet’s renters insurance ratings reward companies for customer-first features and practices. Ratings are based on weighted averages of scores in several categories, including affordability, financial strength, consumer experience and coverage quality. 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 renters insurance rating methodology.
Insurer complaints methodology
NerdWallet examined complaints received by state insurance regulators and reported to the National Association of Insurance Commissioners from 2023 through 2025. 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.
Renters insurance rates methodology
To find the average cost of renters insurance in the U.S., NerdWallet calculated the median rate for tenants from multiple insurance companies in every ZIP code across all 50 states and Washington, D.C. Rates were rounded to the nearest $5.
Sample tenants were nonsmokers with good credit and no recent claims, living in a two-bedroom apartment. They had a $500 deductible and the following coverage limits:
$30,000 in personal property coverage.
$100,000 in liability coverage.
$10,000 in additional living expenses 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 then compared the insurer's median rates to the median rates for other companies.
These are sample rates generated through Quadrant Information Services. Your own rates will be different.
