In This Review: Pros and Cons | Cost and Discounts | Coverage | State Availability | Filing a Claim | Customer Reviews | Conclusion | Comparison | Company Information | FAQ | Methodology
The Cincinnati Insurance Company has been offering homeowners insurance in 43 states for over 50 years. Its policies include liability, loss of use, dwelling, personal property, other structures, and medical payments coverage, along with the option to add three endorsements. Keep reading for an in-depth review of the company that will help you decide if The Cincinnati Insurance Company is the best homeowners insurance provider for you.
Pros and Cons of The Cincinnati Insurance Company
Learn about the costs and benefits of insuring your home with Cincinnati Insurance Company:
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Its premium is about half the national average of $101 per month | Not available in Alaska, Louisiana, Maine, Mississippi, New Mexico, Oklahoma, or South Dakota |
| Offers coverage to high-value homes worth more than $1 million | Offers only three endorsements |
| Provides 70% of dwelling for personal property coverage instead of the industry average of 50% |
How Much Do The Cincinnati Insurance Company Policies Cost?
The Cincinnati Insurance Company offers its insurance policies through independent agents scattered throughout the country. To determine how much a policy would cost, we contacted an agent near us for a quote.
Sample Pricing for The Cincinnati Insurance Company
| Type of Coverage | Amount of Coverage |
|---|---|
| Dwelling | $285,000 |
| Other structures | $57,000 |
| Personal property | $199,500 |
| Loss of use | $57,000 |
| Liability | $500 |
| Medical payments to others | $2,000 |
| Deductible | $1,000 |
| Monthly cost | $55.90 |
Discounts
Cincinnati offers homeowner discounts for the following situations:
- Bundling home and auto insurance
- Owning a new home
- Installing a centrally monitored home alarm
- Having few or no claims
The Cincinnati Insurance Company Coverage
Your homeowners policy will protect against the following events:
- Fire and lightning
- Windstorm and hail
- Explosion
- Riot or civil commotion
- Vehicles
- Aircrafts
- Smoke
- Theft
- Vandalism
- Falling objects
- Weight of snow, sleet, or ice
Before signing up for a home warranty plan, we recommend reading a sample policy from The Cincinnati Insurance Company to determine what exactly is and isn’t covered under your policy.
Your policy will come with six types of coverage:
- Dwelling—If a covered event destroys your home, Cincinnati will pay to rebuild it with all of the same built-in features. The agent who gives you a quote will help you estimate how much it would cost to rebuild your home.
- Other structures—This covers detached structures on your property, like a fence or shed.
- Personal property—If your personal belongings are damaged by a covered event, Cincinnati will pay you to replace those items.
- Loss of use—The Cincinnati Insurance Company will reimburse you for additional living expenses if you have to leave your home due to major repairs.
- Liability—If you cause bodily injury to another person or property damage, your policy covers that person’s medical bills or repair costs.
- Medical payments to others—Your policy will cover a guest’s medical bills if they are injured in your home.
Here are your coverage options in North Carolina:
Available Coverage Options in North Carolina
| Type of Coverage | Coverage Options |
|---|---|
| Dwelling | 100% of rebuilding cost |
| Other structures | 20% of dwelling |
| Personal property | 70% of dwelling |
| Loss of use | 20% of dwelling |
Note: Contact an agent near you to see how coverage differs in your state.
Additional Coverage
You can add these protections to your policy for an additional amount each month:
- Earthquake
- Identity theft expense
- Golf carts
State Availability
The Cincinnati Insurance Company provides coverage across the 43 states below. Click on your state to discover other top tier providers near you:
Alabama | Arizona | Arkansas | California | Colorado | Connecticut | Delaware | Florida | Georgia | Hawaii | Idaho | Illinois | Indiana | Iowa | Kansas | Kentucky | Maryland | Massachusetts | Michigan | Minnesota | Missouri | Montana | Nebraska | Nevada | New Hampshire | New Jersey | New York | North Carolina | North Dakota | Ohio | Oregon | Pennsylvania | Rhode Island | South Carolina | Tennessee | Texas | Utah | Vermont | Virginia | Washington | West Virginia | Wisconsin | Wyoming
Customer Service and Claims Support
If you want to manage or file a claim, you can reach the claims center any time at 877-242-2544. For all other questions, you can call 888-242-8811 Monday through Friday, from 8 am to 5 pm, and Saturday from 8 am to 12 pm. Customers can also use the customer portal and mobile app.
The Cincinnati Insurance Company Reviews
The Cincinnati Insurance Company is accredited with the Better Business Bureau (BBB) with an A+ rating. Here are what some customers had to say about the company:
“This company takes the time to invest in their policyholders. They thoroughly go through each person’s policy and assist in whatever way is needed.” — Mark on November 21, 2019
“Recently our mortgage was bought by a new lender. The new lender attempted to reach Cincinnati on three separate occasions without any answer or return call. Cincinnati sent us a cancellation letter without warning and without contacting us that there was a payment issue. When I called Cincinnati, they were nonchalant, not remorseful, and we had to do the leg work in order for them to get their payment. When I asked why they didn’t send a notification of no payment, they said they sent a packet that ‘was not a bill.’ This packet contained no warning of lack of payment, no explanation of issues contacting our lender, no such thing.” — Callie on August 26, 2019
Our Conclusion
The Cincinnati Insurance Company’s homeowners insurance policy includes six levels of coverage for dwelling, other structures, personal property, loss of use, liability, and medical payments to others. The coverage amounts are higher than the industry norm, offering 20% of dwelling for other structures instead of 10%, and 70% of dwelling for personal property instead of 50%. Even with more coverage, you pay less. We received a quote for about $56 per month, which is close to half the national average.
However, you won’t be able to get an immediate quote since the company sells its policies through independent agencies. You’ll have to find an agent near you, call them, and wait for them to get back to you with a quote. This insurance company also provides only three endorsements, which means you have little opportunity to customize your coverage.
The Cincinnati Insurance Company vs. The Competition
See how The Cincinnati Insurance Company stacks up against other home insurance providers:
| Provider | Cincinnati | Foremost | Geico |
|---|---|---|---|
| Our score | 93.6 | 86.9 | 98 |
| State availability | 43* | 49** | 50 |
| BBB rating | A+ | A+ | A+ |
| Years in business | 52 | 92 | 84 |
| 24/7 claims service | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Protective devices/safety features discount | ✓ | X | ✓ |
| Mobile app | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
*The Cincinnati Insurance Company isn’t available in Alaska, Louisiana, Maine, Mississippi, New Mexico, Oklahoma, or South Dakota
**Foremost is not available in Hawaii
Company Information
- Company name: The Cincinnati Insurance Company/Cincinnati Financial Corporation/Cincinnati Casualty Company
- CEO: Steven J. Johnston
- Years in business: 52
- State availability: 43
- Address: 6200 S. Gilmore Road
- City/State: Fairfield, OH
- Zipcode: 45014
- BBB rating: A+
Other Homeowners Insurance Resources
Frequently Asked Questions
Our Methodology
The This Old HouseReviews 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 (BBB) ratings.
- Additional benefits (15): Companies that offered optional features, like discounts and endorsements, scored higher than competitors that didn’t.
Our 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.