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Table of Contents
Pros Explained
- Enhanced coverage that’s hard to find elsewhere – Hippo’s home insurance policy offers coverages that are relevant to the modern consumer, including four times greater coverage on smart appliances and electronics found in the home and coverage for essential workers such as babysitters and house cleaners.
- Speedy quote process – You can get an initial quote online within 60 seconds and a full quote within five minutes.
- Dedicated customer support – In the case that you need to submit a claim, Hippo will assign a dedicated team member to guide you through the process and coordinate service providers and adjusters to get your home to its former state.
Cons Explained
- Only offers homeowners insurance – Those who are looking to go through a single provider for all their insurance needs will have to look elsewhere. Hippo specializes in home and condo insurance.
- Not available in all 50 states – While Hippo offers features to its coverage that are hard to find, it currently only provides insurance in 31 states. Among the states not covered are Florida, Louisiana, and Oklahoma.
- No bundled insurance – Because Hippo only offers homeowners insurance, you can’t bundle it with another form of insurance, such as your auto policy. Bundling insurance normally reduces your insurance rate.
Hippo Insurance Coverage Plan
Hippo’s standard home insurance policy includes:
- Dwelling Insurance – This covers the cost to repair or reconstruct the structure of your home. It also typically covers anything that’s attached to your home—garage (if attached), deck, fixtures, and the plumbing, electrical, and heating systems. It doesn’t cover what’s inside your home or the land.
- Personal Belongings Insurance – This insurance can pay to repair or replace lost or damaged personal belongings up to a certain amount. The coverage limit is usually a percentage of what’s covered under your dwelling insurance. Personal belongings insurance can also cover items that aren’t inside your home, say in a storage unit or the backseat of your car.
It doesn’t typically cover high-value items such as art, memorabilia, expensive sporting equipment, or collectibles. And if it does, the limit is low. You’ll need to purchase additional insurance for high-value items. - Liability Insurance – In the unfortunate case that someone gets injured while on your property, liability insurance will cover medical bills, legal costs, and property damage. The limits vary and depend on your policy.
Hippo Insurance Discounts
Besides the standard coverage usually found in homeowners insurance, Hippo boasts some enhanced coverages.
- Computers and Home Office Coverage – Hippo offers four times the coverage for home office equipment and computers than its competitors do.
- Enhanced Coverage for Appliances and Electronics – This will repair or replace anything that requires electricity—think appliances, HVAC, and TVs.
- Smart Home Upgrades – Hippo will upgrade your home with smart devices and alerts to make your home run more efficiently.
- Coverage for In-Home Essential Help Insurance – If you hire essential workers such as babysitters or house cleaners to help keep your home in tip-top shape, they’ll be covered.
- Water Backup Insurance – Should there be water backup and overflow from drains or sewers, your standard Hippo home insurance covers it.
- Service Line Insurance – In the case that there’s normal wear and tear on or an accident to your gas, water, and sewer connections, this will cover the cost to repair or reconstruct the connections.
- Enhanced Rebuilding Insurance – Let’s say there’s an increase in the cost of materials or labor after a catastrophic event. This insurance will provide a 25{de3fc13d4eb210e6ea91a63b91641ad51ecf4a1f1306988bf846a537e7024eeb} bump to comfortably handle the increase.
- Full Replacement Costs – Standard insurance covers the cost to replace or repair a structure or personal belonging based on its depreciated value or actual cash value. Full replacement cost gives you the value of what a new one is worth today.
- Local Ordinance Changes – If there are increased costs due to changes in local laws, then this insurance will cover the higher amounts.
Factors That Affect Rates
While each insurance company may use slightly different criteria, here are the factors they generally consider when determining your rates.
- Property Location – Homes near a body of water, such as along the coast, generally cost more to insure. Also, if you live in an area that’s prone to wildfires, your insurance will likely be more expensive.
- Roof Condition – The better your roof’s condition and the newer it is, the lower your premium will likely be.
- Home Characteristics – The size of your home, the materials it’s made of, and if you have a trampoline in the yard or a wood-burning stove in the kitchen all affect the cost of your premium.
- Claims History – Statistically, if you’ve filed claims before, there’s a greater likelihood that you’ll file a claim in the future, which could increase the cost of your insurance, as could filing the same claim multiple times.
- Home Security Systems – The greater your investment in protecting your home and belongings, the less expensive your policy. We’re talking about installing a home alarm, indoor fire sprinklers, deadbolts, or a security camera.
- Dog Bites – If there’s a history of reported dog bites on your property, your policy will probably be costlier.
- Credit History – Your credit history doesn’t just affect your ability to get financing; it also affects the cost of your insurance. The stronger your credit score, the lower your premium.
- Home-Based Business – Because having clients or customers visiting you in your home increases the likelihood of an accident happening, this could potentially up the cost of your policy. And while some of the equipment and supplies for your home-based business might be included in a standard homeowners insurance policy, not everything will be.
Hippo Home Insurance Availability
Right now Hippo offers home insurance in 31 states: Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington, and Wisconsin. The company is working on expanding to more states.
Other Insurance Provided by Hippo
Hippo only offers homeowners and condo insurance. Through different partners, you can add coverage for your home or condo in the case of an earthquake or flood.
Hippo Customer Service
Hippo’s customer service team is available nonstop from 6:30 a.m. on Monday through 7 p.m. CT on Friday, according to its website. The number to call is 800-585-0705. If you want to send an email, you can do so by emailing [email protected]. If you need to access any policy documents, you can do so through its customer portal.
How to Make a Home Insurance Claim With Hippo
Should you need to file a claim, you can either call Hippo at 855-999-9746 or shoot an email to [email protected]. You also get set up with a claims concierge, who will walk you through the process, answer any questions you have, and help coordinate with inspectors and those involved with the repairs.
The process to submit a claim is pretty standard. To start, reach out to Hippo as soon as you can. Provide as much detailed information as you can about the damages involved and the incident or peril that happened. Hippo will help you minimize further damage to your property.
Next, Hippo assigns an adjuster and schedules an inspection. It will then review the information and let you know whether your claim is approved or denied. According to its website, Hippo will get your claim paid within five days.
Hippo Insurance Cancellation Policy
In general, you can cancel at any time, and money you paid in advance on your policy will be refunded. While some insurers might charge a refund fee that gets taken from your prepayment, Hippo does not.
Get a Hippo Homeowners Insurance Quote
To get a quote for your homeowners insurance, you answer a few basic questions on Hippo’s website. This includes your personal information and basics about the property you’d like to have covered. This first stage typically takes about a minute. You’ll then be asked a few more in-depth questions before receiving your final quote. The total process typically takes about five minutes.
Verdict
Hippo offers a challenger model to the traditional insurance space with enhanced coverage, quick quotes, and dedicated support should you need to file a claim. However, it’s not for folks who want to have multiple types of insurance with a single provider and the convenience and perks that come along with that.
Compare Other Home Insurance Reviews
While there are certainly some attractive features that make Hippo a strong contender in home insurance policies, it’s key to poke around and see what other options are available before making a decision. Compare a handful of different providers. That way you can land on a company that offers a policy with coverage amounts and a price that best suit your needs and situation.
Methodology
Investopedia is dedicated to furnishing consumers with unbiased, comprehensive reviews of homeowners insurance providers. We reviewed each insurance provider’s coverage options, available discounts, customer services, and satisfaction ratings to ensure that our content helps users make the right insurance decision for their needs.
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