In This Review: Our Take | Pros and Cons | Cost and Discounts | Coverage | State Availability | Customer Reviews | Conclusion | Comparison | Company Information | FAQ | Methodology
A home insurance policy can protect your home and finances when the unexpected occurs. If your home catches fire, is struck by lightning, or is burglarized or vandalized, your home insurance can help cover the cost of repairing or rebuilding your home’s interior and exterior, as well as replace your damaged or destroyed personal property.
However, selecting the best home insurance company for your needs can be difficult. Not all homeowners insurance companies are of the same quality, and they can vary in terms of coverage, cost, availability, and more. The This Old House Reviews Team created this in-depth Encompass home insurance review to help you determine if it’s the best fit for your needs.
Our Take
Encompass is a subsidiary of Allstate, one of the largest and best-known home insurance companies in the industry. Encompass was founded more than 120 years ago and benefits from Allstate’s strong financial backing. The home insurance provider offers comprehensive coverage, including a variety of uncommon endorsements like coverage for your coins, trees, and shrubs. We give Encompass Insurance an overall score of 88.50 out of 100 on key metrics like coverage, cost, and customer service.
On Encompass’ Better Business Bureau profile, complaints cite issues contacting claims adjusters. Reviews range from praising efficient customer service to concerns about delays in claims handling.
Pros and Cons
Compare the advantages and disadvantages of Encompass home insurance.
✔ Affiliation with Allstate
✔ More than 120 years of experience
✔ A+ BBB rating
✘ No online quote tool
✘ Only available in 40 states
How Much Does Encompass Home Insurance Cost?
The exact amount you pay for Encompass home insurance will depend on many key factors, including your property value, its size, the materials it was constructed with, where you live, the coverage limits you select, the insurance deductible you choose, and more.
We received a quote for a new construction, single-family, roughly 2,000-square-foot home in Oswego, Illinois. The monthly premium came out to $119.75.
Cost
| Type of Coverage | Amount of Coverage |
|---|---|
| Dwelling | $470,000 |
| Other structures | $47,000 |
| Personal property | $329,000 |
| Loss of use/additional living expenses | $94,000 |
| Personal liability | $500,000 |
| Medical payments to others | $5,000 |
| Monthly Cost | $119.75 |
Discounts
Encompass offers the following discounts to help lower your monthly premium:
- Multi-policy discount
- Central alarm system
- Sprinkler system
Coverage
Encompass offers all six forms of industry-standard basic coverages.
Encompass Coverage
| Type | Description |
|---|---|
| Dwelling + other structures | Covers the cost to repair or rebuild your home in the event of a covered loss, including detached structures like a shed or fence |
| Personal property | Covers the cost of damage or destruction of personal items, like furniture, clothing, appliances, and electronics |
| Personal liability | Covers the cost of legal fees if you are sued after a guest is injured on your property |
| Loss of use/additional living expenses | Covers the costs associated with temporarily living away from home, including accommodations and meals, due to covered loss |
| Medical payments to others | Covers the medical costs for injuries that occur to others while on your property |
Encompass offers a wide range of endorsements to allow you to customize your coverage:
- Jewelry and furs
- Silverware
- Money and coins
- Business property
- Firearms
- Electronic equipment
- Trees and shrubs
- Credit cards and forgery
- Sewer backup
- Mold
- Personal home computers
State Availability
Encompass offers home insurance in the following 40 states:
Alabama | Arizona | Arkansas | California | Colorado | Connecticut | Delaware | Georgia | Idaho | Illinois | Indiana | Iowa | Kansas | Kentucky | Louisiana | Maine | Maryland | Michigan | Minnesota | Missouri | Nebraska | Nevada | New Hampshire | New Jersey | New Mexico | New York | Ohio | Oklahoma | Oregon | Pennsylvania | Rhode Island | South Carolina | Tennessee | Texas | Utah | Vermont | Virginia | Washington | West Virginia | Wisconsin
Encompass Insurance Reviews
Encompass is not accredited by the Better Business Bureau and holds an A+ rating from the organization. As is the case with the majority of home insurance companies, reviews are mixed.
Linda R. said:
“I can’t say anything but good things about Encompass Home Insurance. They have taken really good care of my needs pertaining to the abatement, and restoration of my home which was due to major flood damage. They were professional, compassionate and sympathetic to my needs during my time of turmoil. Thank You Encompass!! I really appreciate you!”
Brennan M. said:
“Horrible service if you’re waiting on a claim. It’s been four weeks as of today, and I am still waiting on a reply to get my claim settled. The claim adjusters won’t answer their phones.”
Our Conclusion
The This Old House Reviews Team believes that Encompass is a solid choice for home insurance, with backing from financially robust Allstate. Its coverage is comprehensive, and it offers unique endorsements like mold and personal home computers. However, Encompass is not available in 10 states and lacks an online quote tool. Overall, we give Encompass a score of 88.50 out of 100.
Encompass vs. the Competition
See how Encompass stacks up against some of its top competitors on key metrics.
Comparison
| Provider | Encompass | Lemonade | Amica |
|---|---|---|---|
| Get a Free Quote | Not available through This Old House | Lemonade.com | Not available through This Old House |
| Our score | 88.50 | 83.50 | 96.60 |
| State Availability | 40 | 23* | 47 (not available in AK, FL, or HI) |
| BBB Rating | A+ | B+ | A+ |
| Years in Business | 123 | 5 | 113 |
| 24/7 Claims Service by Phone | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Protective Devices/Safety Features Discount | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Bundling Discount | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Mobile App | X | ✓ | ✓ |
*Lemonade home insurance is available in AZ, CA, CO, CT, GA, IL, IN, IA, MD, MA, MI, MO, NV, NJ, NY, OH, OK, OR, PA, TN, TX, VA, WI
Company Information
- Company name: Encompass Insurance
- Company type: Public
- CEO: Pat Macellaro
- Year founded: 1897
- Headquarters: 2775 Sanders Rd, Northbrook, IL 60062
- State availability: 40
- 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.