A Flunking Grade (F-50%) For U.S. Home Insurance Carrier Reviews

As modern consumers, we are blessed with infinite information about our buying decisions. From online reviews to in-depth blog articles, we can research as much or as little as we want on anything we purchase.

Why, as a society do we spend hours researching the largely inconsequential items such as shoes or backyard patio furniture but virtually no time researching the very consequential items such as home insurance?

The answer: We wear our shoes daily, but the average U.S. homeowner will file an insurance claim every ten years. We use shoes; we don’t use insurance.

Person holds a pen to an insurance claim form.

Let’s Have Some Fun and Ask Two Simple Questions

  • Question 1: When is the last time you bought something on Amazon with reviews less than 4/5 stars?
  • Question 2: When you purchased your home insurance policy did you read any claims reviews on the insurance carrier?

The answer to question 1 is NEVER, because virtually no one buys anything on Amazon with less than 4/5 stars, and for that matter, no one even watches a movie on Netflix with anything less than 4.5/5 stars.

And the answer to question 2 is no, because it’s not something consumers are accustomed to doing; in addition, consumers do not read the actual insurance contracts they purchase either.

Again, we wear our shoes every day, watch Netflix regularly, and Amazon delivers our products in 2 days or less. The reason the U.S. home insurance industry can get away with a F or flunking review score is because they only must deliver on their product once every 10 years.

The Product of Insurance Is Simply A Potential Future Claims Experience

A quick internet search on WalletHub delivers some shocking review scores:

~ The absolute worst claims service. I had to write the Insurance Commissioner just to get them to respond. ~ Claims Services is useless. I’ve been trying to get information on a claim for over a month. ~If you actually need to file a claim with this company then you are out of luck. ~ And so on

Proper Insurance Maintains 4.8/5 Stars (A-96%) & Is Approved For Claims Administration Authority

As the largest U.S. insurer of vacation rentals, with over 60,000 policies written in all 50 states, we are very proud of our 4.8/5 stars (A-96%): Proper Insurance

~I had a water damage incident last year which would have costed us $15k if Proper hadn’t swooped in and saved the day. ~I have had to file claims with Proper before and found the process to be quick and fair. ~Two weeks later I got a check for the full amount of the loss, almost a $4,000 check, I could not believe it, absolutely amazing.

And these are real reviews in a market that has more claims. Vacation or short-term rentals are secondary properties with high traffic and by nature have more insurance claims.

What Exactly Is Claims Administration Authority?

Proper has achieved the pinnacle or gold standard for all insurance brokerages, and that is to get claims administration authority from its insurance carriers, and for Proper, that is from Lloyd’s of London and Concert Specialty.

We underwrite, sell, issue, bill, and now have claims administration all under one roof. We control the entire process from start to finish, which means we control our brand and the future with our clients.

The #1 Uphill Fight With Proper is Always Price

Proper is the single most expensive vacation rental policy on the market, sometimes coming in double our competition. The most logical answer is you get what you pay for and this being especially true for insurance.

The product of insurance is a future claims experience and it is determined by two things:

  1. Does coverage exist?
  2. Does service come with it?

We know our competitors and we know we offer the broadest coverage. This is not up for debate, this is a fact.

And for service. Our challenge would be to show us a better-reviewed insurance firm that markets real claims reviews. If they exist, we will stand corrected!

About the Author

Darren Pettyjohn

Darren Pettyjohn, Co-Founder of Proper Insurance, is a well-known expert and accomplished authority figure in the short-term rental insurance sector. With a rich history of pivotal contributions to the insurance industry before launching Proper Insurance, Darren's experience and expertise are unparalleled. Residing with his family in Bozeman, MT, Darren enjoys outdoor adventures like fly fishing and skiing. His professional success, paired with his personal passions, brings a vibrant approach to insurance that resonates with the short-term rental community.

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