Geico Home Insurance Review
Home insurance isn’t always a requirement, but if you want to protect your most valuable asset, it’s a must. Unfortunately, choosing the best homeowners insurance company for your needs can be challenging. Companies vary in coverage, cost, availability, customer service, and more.
The This Old House Reviews Team created this in-depth Geico home insurance review to help you decide if it’s the best fit for you and your home.
To get home insurance quotes in your area, call 855-948-5219 or enter your zip code in our free quote tool:
Our Take on Geico Homeowners Insurance
Geico has a solid reputation and strong financial backing as the second-largest auto insurer in the country. Existing customers can find attractive bundling options that can lower their auto insurance premium.
While Geico does offer home insurance, the company acts as a broker instead of offering direct policies. The company partners with 31 underwriters, including Liberty Mutual and American Family.
This adds an extra layer of complexity when it comes to claim tracking and customer service, and coverage and costs might vary. This concern contributed to Geico’s overall score of 98 out of 100, reducing it slightly for the inconvenience.
On Geico’s Better Business Bureau profile, common complaints note sudden increases in premiums and other payment issues. Reviews on the site are largely negative, referencing poor customer service and price increases.
Pros & Cons of Geico Home Insurance
Compare the advantages and disadvantages of Geico home insurance.
Geico Homeowners Insurance Cost
The exact cost of Geico home insurance depends on a variety of factors, including your property value, size, where you live, the coverage limits you select, the insurance deductible you choose, and more.
Because Geico is not a direct insurer, the overall cost might vary between its individual partners.
We requested a quote for a single-family, 2,200-square-foot home in North Carolina with Liberty Mutual as the underwriter.
We found the monthly cost of $116.16 is only slightly above the national average, which is $101, according to the Insurance Information Institute.
Type of Coverage | Amount of Coverage |
---|---|
Dwelling |
$239,100 |
Other structures |
$23,910 |
Personal property |
$167,370 |
Loss of use |
$47,820 |
Liability |
$300,000 |
Medical payments to others |
$1,000 per person |
Replacement cost |
Yes |
Expanded coverage |
Yes |
Deductible |
$1,000 |
Monthly Cost |
$116.16 |
Geico Homeowners Insurance Discounts
Geico typically only offers three discount options, and the dollar value of these discounts could vary between its partners.
When you receive a quote, be sure to look for any discount opportunities and check your eligibility.
- Multi-policy: Bundling Geico auto and homeowners insurance policies can lower auto insurance premiums
- Home security systems: Discounts for alarm system installation
- Fire safety features: Having smoke detectors alarms and fire extinguishers can qualify you for saving
Geico Home Insurance Coverage
Geico offers all of the industry-standard basic coverage through its partners. The company offers limited add-ons compared to many of its competitors, so its coverage is not particularly flexible.
However, additional coverage may vary depending on the specific insurance partner’s offerings.
Type | Description and options |
---|---|
Dwelling |
Pays for repair and replacement of home structures, interior and exterior. Coverage is typically closely equal to the appraised value of your home. |
Other structures |
Pays for repair or replacement of structures that aren’t considered part of your home such as a fence or shed. Geico covers up to 10% of your dwelling coverage amount. |
Personal property |
Pays for covered losses of personal belongings, including electronics, clothing, and furniture. Geico offers coverage for 70% of your dwelling limit. |
Personal liability |
Pays for medical and legal expenses if someone is injured on your property. Geico gives you the option for coverage of $100,000, $200,000, $300,000, $500,000, or $1 million. |
Loss of use/Additional living expenses |
Pays for additional living expenses if your home is temporarily untenable due to damage or destruction. Geico covers up to 20% of dwelling. |
Medical payments to others |
Pays for medical expenses if someone is injured in your home. Geico gives you the option of $1,000, $2,000, $3,000, $4,000, or $5,000. |
Deductible |
The amount you pay during a claim before Geico begins to make payments. With Geico, your options are $250, $500, $1,000, or $2,500. |
Geico does offer umbrella insurance, which increases the personal liability maximum.
The additional coverage does not exclusively relate to homes, as it includes identity theft protection and pet insurance. However, Geico can assist customers with purchasing flood insurance from the National Flood Insurance Program.
Geico Home Insurance State Availability
Geico offers home insurance in all 50 states through its different partners.
Alabama | Alaska | Arizona | Arkansas | California | Colorado | Connecticut | Delaware | Florida | Georgia | Hawaii | Idaho | Illinois | Indiana | Iowa | Kansas | Kentucky | Louisiana | Maine | Maryland | Massachusetts | Michigan | Minnesota | Mississippi | Missouri | Montana | Nebraska | Nevada | New Hampshire | New Jersey | New Mexico | New York | North Carolina | North Dakota | Ohio | Oklahoma | Oregon | Pennsylvania | Rhode Island | South Carolina | South Dakota | Tennessee | Texas | Utah | Vermont | Virginia | Washington | West Virginia | Wisconsin | Wyoming
Geico Home Insurance Reviews
Geico is not accredited by the Better Business Bureau (BBB), but the company holds an A+ rating from the organization. However, while there are both positive and negative customer reviews on BBB, its profile shows 1 out of 5 stars from real customers.
Here’s what some had to say about their experience with Geico.
Kenneth A. said:
“I’ve been a customer of Geico for close to 20 years. My kids have had a few accidents and they have been extremely professional and I have zero complaints about the claims they handled. Their service has been outstanding.”
Douglas M. said:
“I have been going back and forth with them for months. They make two different claims. A) I missed a payment. B) I made it, but they received it a day too late. When you pull out my bank statements and prove I never missed a payment, then they go to option B. Which is basically you made the payment, we kept it, but are ignoring it? When that fails, they go back to option A. After getting through to a ‘specialist’ I was assured this was totally RESOLVED. Next month, it’s back. It gets me wondering how many 1000’s they are trying this on to see if people just give up and pay them? A third excuse after all this is they’ve switched you to bi-monthly without your consent or knowledge. Either way that lizard needs to be fried!”
Katelyn T. said:
“Unfortunately I have had to contact Geico on multiple occasions for different things. However I have received beyond outstanding service each and every time! Specifically the Mechanical Coverage department. Way to go Geico!”
Courtney H. said:
“I had a recent claim with Geico and they have handled the claim very poorly from beginning to end. To start my claims rep has been unresponsive and I’ve had to follow up with her and give her info to move my claim along. Next, I used one of their preferred body shops, who damaged my vehicle further. I’ve been in contact with Geico and they have done nothing about it. I uploaded pictures and an email that was sent to the body shop. Their body shop claim to have put new parts on my vehicle but I believe they are used due to the fact they are not working properly. Geico has been very nonchalant about the ordeal and have left me hanging. They have been the absolute worst to deal with compared to other insurer’s. I am dropping them after all this is over.”
Our Conclusion
Geico is a trusted company with impressive financial backing. Customers who have existing auto insurance policies through Geico can save money by bundling them with Geico home insurance. The company’s widespread availability is a considerable advantage, along with its easy-to-use website and mobile app.
However, some homeowners may prefer to work directly with their insurance company instead of a broker. Having to go through an additional company for claims, customer service, and more can be seen as inefficient and takes time and additional research. It cannot be overlooked that because there are so many different partners, cost and coverage may vary. We gave Geico a score of 98 out of 100.
Because different home insurance companies have different offerings, we recommend getting quotes from multiple providers in your area. For free quotes from companies near your, call 855-948-5219 or enter your zip code in the tool below:
Geico vs. Other Home Insurance Providers
Let’s see how Geico Home Insurance compares to other top home insurance providers on the market today.
*Lemonade home insurance is available in AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, GA, IL, IN, IA, MD, MA, MI, MO, NV, NJ, NY, OH, OK, OR, PA, TN, TX, VA, WI
For more in-depth comparisons, refer to the following resources:
- Geico vs. Liberty Mutual Home Insurance
- Allstate vs. Geico Home Insurance
- Amica vs. Geico Home Insurance
- AAA vs. Geico Home Insurance
- Geico vs. USAA Home Insurance
Other Geico Insurance Product Reviews
Geico Home Insurance FAQs
Who underwrites Geico home insurance?
Geico’s home insurance is underwritten by 31 partners, including American Family and Liberty Mutual.
Does Geico insure homes?
Geico offers home insurance as a broker, partnering with 31 underwriters.
Does Geico offer discounts?
Geico offers multi-policy, home security systems, and smoke detector alarm or fire extinguishers discounts.
Company Information
- Company name: Geico
- Company type: Public
- CEO: Todd Combs
- Year founded: 1936
- State availability: 50
- BBB rating: A+
Our Rating Methodology
The This Old House Reviews Team is committed to providing comprehensive and unbiased reviews to our readers. This means earning your trust through transparency and having the data to back up our ratings and recommendations.
With that in mind, we created an objective rating system to score each home insurance company. Here’s what that review process looked like:
- We analyze the information on each company’s website. This allows us to determine what products and services are offered by each home insurance provider.
- We get a sample quote from the companies by either talking to a sales representative or by using the online quote tool. This tells us what a policy looks like and costs.
- We test customer service by talking to a company representative, finding out their hours of operation, and determining what technological features are available for customers.
- We update all of this information on a continuous basis, storing it in a proprietary database that allows us to compare dozens of home insurance companies against each other.
With this data, we created a rating methodology to score each home insurance company. Our rating system is a weighted, 100-point scale based on the following factors:
- Coverage (30): We rated home insurance companies higher if they offered the six main types of homeowner protection—dwelling, other structures, personal property, loss of use, liability, and medical payments to others coverage.
- State availability (7.5): Companies scored higher if they covered more states than their competitors.
- Customer service (15): This factor is based on our communications with the company representatives, as well as the companies’ claims and quotes processes, availability throughout the week, and customer service information found on their websites.
- Technology (12.5): Technology can increase the efficiency of filing and tracking home insurance claims. Companies scored higher if they had technology options like mobile apps and online chat functions.
- Reputation (20): We gauged trustworthiness based on years of experience and Better Business Bureau ratings.
- Additional benefits (15): Companies that offered optional features, like discounts and endorsements, scored higher than competitors that didn’t.
The This Old House Reviews Team has a full-time researcher who collects and regularly updates data points from every company to help us compare them on key factors such as coverage, service, and dependability.
To share feedback or ask a question about this article, send a note to our Reviews Team at reviews@thisoldhousereviews.com.