In This Review: Our Take | Pros and Cons | Cost and Discounts | Coverage | State Availability | Customer Reviews | Conclusion | Comparison | Company Information | FAQ | Methodology
Purchasing a home is a major investment, and it’s key to protect it. Without a home insurance policy, if you’re faced with an unexpected natural disaster, theft, or vandalism, you could be facing extensive out-of-pocket expenses. Having a home insurance policy can help you rest easy at night, as well as protect your personal belongings and safeguard you from legal fees and medical expenses if someone gets injured on your property.
Unfortunately, choosing the right provider can be challenging because not all home insurance companies are the same. They can differ in terms of quality, from customer service to coverage, availability, and more. The This Old House Reviews Team has created this extensive MetLife home insurance review to help you determine if it’s the best fit for your needs.
Our Take
MetLife offers robust home insurance, offering all industry-standard coverage in its basic policy, alongside inflation protection, a perk that is usually included as an endorsement by its competitors. Its offerings come at a very low monthly price—even lower than the national monthly average.
The main downside of MetLife is that you cannot receive a quote through an online tool. Instead, you have to place a phone call and walk through details with an agent, which can be time-consuming. In addition, the company offers few discounts. We give MetLife home insurance an overall score of 97.37 out of 100 on key metrics like coverage, availability, customer service, and more.
On MetLife’s Better Business Bureau profile, common complaints cite difficulty reaching customer service. Reviews range from praising efficient claims processes to noting concerns about frequent claim denials.
Pros and Cons
Compare the advantages and disadvantages of MetLife homeowners insurance.
✔ Available nationwide
✔ Low monthly cost
✔ Inflation protection included in basic policy
✔ 24/7 customer service
✘ No online quote tool; must make phone call
✘ Website lacks details
How Much Does MetLife Home Insurance Cost?
The exact amount you pay for MetLife home insurance depends on a variety of factors, including your property value, size, the materials it was constructed with, where you live, the coverage limits you select, the insurance deductible you choose, and more.
A representative told us that for a single-family, 2,200-square-foot home in North Carolina, the monthly cost would be $86.58 per month. That is a competitive price that is lower than the national monthly average for home insurance, which the Insurance Information Institute reports is $101.
MetLife Cost
| Type of Coverage | Amount of Coverage |
|---|---|
| Dwelling | $255,392 |
| Other structures | $25,539 |
| Personal property | $178,774 |
| Loss of use | $51,078 |
| Liability | $300,000 |
| Medical payments to others | $5,000 |
| Deductible | $1,000 |
| Monthly Cost | $86.58 |
Discounts
MetLife offers several discounts to help you lower the amount you pay for your home insurance.
MetLife Discounts
| Type | Description |
|---|---|
| Multi-policy | Discount for bundling MetLife insurance policies |
| Protective devices | Discount for installed devices like fire alarms and burglar alarms |
| Mature homeowners | Discount for homeowners 55 and older and retired |
Coverage
MetLife offers extensive home insurance coverage, providing all of the basics in addition to inflation protection.
MetLife Coverage
| Type | Description |
|---|---|
| Dwelling + other structures | Covers the cost to rebuild or repair your home and detached structures (like a garage or shed) in the event of a covered loss |
| Personal property | Covers the cost of replacing your personal property in case of a covered loss, including electronics, furniture, appliances, and clothes |
| Liability | Covers the cost of legal fees if you are sued by a guest for injury sustained while on your property |
| Loss of use/additional living expenses | Covers the cost of living outside your home (including accommodations and dining) when it is temporarily uninhabitable due to a covered loss |
| Medical payments to others | Covers the cost of medical expenses associated with a guest getting injured on your property |
| Inflation protection | Automatically adjusts your amount of insurance for inflation |
MetLife also offers a lengthy list of endorsements to help you customize your coverage.
MetLife Endorsements
| Type | Description |
|---|---|
| Earthquake and volcanic eruption | Covers damage caused by an earthquake or volcanic eruption |
| Home computer | Covers damage or destruction of home computers |
| Ordinance or law | Covers loss due to any ordinance or law regulating the repair, construction, demolition, or zoning of your home |
| Business pursuits | Extends liability and medical payments for bodily injury and personal property damage from separate business activities |
| Watercraft liability | Covers injury and property damage caused by ownership, maintenance, entrustment, use, loading, or unloading of watercraft |
| Personal injury | Increases liability coverage to include false arrest or imprisonment, wrongful eviction or entry, libel, slander, and invasion of privacy, as well as wrongful detention or malicious prosecution |
| Incidental farming personal liability | Covers damage from farming conducted on the property |
| Limited lead liability | Covers lead poisoning |
| Increased coverage on theft of tools | Extends coverage for when your tools are stolen |
| Dwelling under construction — extension of coverage | Extends coverage to temporary residence, personal liability, medical payments, and personal property |
| Dwelling under construction — theft of building materials | Provides up to $10,000 of coverage for loss or theft of materials and supplies that are used in construction of the dwelling and owned by the insured |
| Specific structure away from residence premises | Extends coverage to an owned privacy structure in a specified location |
State Availability
Metlife homeowners insurance is available in all 50 states. Click on your state from the list below for a complete list of the top providers in your area:
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
Reviews of MetLife Insurance
MetLife is not accredited by the Better Business Bureau but holds an A- rating from the organization. Reviews are not separated out by insurance policy, and the majority of the reviews did not pertain to home insurance. See what real customers had to say about their experience with MetLife.
Stacey S. said:
“MetLife is very professional. I had two cases with disability claims. They made a stressful situation manageable for me. All representatives I spoke with were very accommodating and courteous. I’ve switched my car insurance with them and again very happy with the customer service and support. They are above 5 stars.”
Amy C. said:
“My father is 91 and the criteria for receiving benefits feels as if it is constantly in flux and the hoops to jump through keep getting added. Bottom line, he’s paid into MetLife for over 10 years, now when he needs it he hasn’t seen a penny. Put your money under a mattress, you’ll be better off.”
Our Conclusion
MetLife offers extensive home insurance coverage, offering all industry-standard protections in addition to inflation protection in its basic policy, unlike many of its competitors. Coverage is available nationwide at a low monthly price.
MetLife offers many endorsements but few discounts. The most significant drawback to the company is its quote process. There is no online quote tool, so prospective customers have to call MetLife to discuss options. In addition, little information is available online. Overall, we give this provider a score of 93.37 out of 100.
Provider Comparison
See how MetLife stacks up against some of its top competitors on key metrics.
MetLife vs The Competition
| Provider | Metlife | Lemonade | Amica® |
|---|---|---|---|
| Get a Free Quote | Not available through This Old House | Visit Site | Not available through This Old House |
| Our Score | 97.37 | 83.50 | 96.60 |
| State Availability | 50 | 27* | 47 (not available in AK, FL, or HI) |
| BBB Rating | A- | B+ | A+ |
| Years in Business | 152 | 5 | 113 |
| 24/7 Claims Service | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Protective Devices/Safety Features Discount | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Bundling Discount | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Mobile App | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
*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
Company Information
- Company name: MetLife
- Company type: Public
- CEO: Michel A. Khalaf
- Year founded: 1868
- Headquarters: 200 Park Ave, New York, NY 10166
- State availability: 50
- BBB rating: A-
Other Homeowners Insurance Resources
Frequently Asked Questions about MetLife Home Insurance
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.