Our reviewers evaluate products and services based on unbiased research. Top Consumer Reviews may earn money when you click on a link. Learn more about our process.

Hippo Review

Sunday, February 16th

2025 Home Insurance Company Reviews

Hippo Review 2.5 Star Rating

Hippo

2.5 Star Rating
  • Get a quote in 60 seconds
  • Coverage in 37 states
  • Fair pricing that can save you up to 25%
  • Utilize smart home devices to prevent disasters

Hippo claims to be a "new breed of home insurance.” They're a newer insurance company that was only started in 2016, but they already have over 300,000 homes they insure throughout the U.S. The company aims to bundle modern coverage with smart home technology to keep customers one step ahead of their problems and prevent major (and common) issues from happening.

Prevent accidents

The tagline at Hippo is, "Accidents happen? Not if we have anything to say about it.” This company not only aims to provide coverage for homes in case of an accident, but they take measures to help prevent them in the first place. Their proactive approach includes installing things like leak sensors in your home, cameras and motion detectors, and smart smoke alarms. They also provide resources for customers to do a home health evaluation, get personalized maintenance plans, and DIY guides for projects. Some of their partners include Lennar, Xfinity, Vivint SmartHome, Toll Brothers, GAF, Spinnaker Insurance Company, TOPA Insurance Company and others.

Coverage in 37 states

If you want some information about home insurance in your state, you'll be impressed with Hippo's local guides that give statistics about the average cost of insurance in your state, reference some specific pop culture details, and tell you unique things to be aware of in your area. However, although the company gives fun information about all 50 states, they don't actually provide coverage in all these places. They currently have licenses in 37 states and are working to add more. If you navigate to their help articles, you'll be able to view this list and make sure your state is included before spending any more time on their page.

Quotes in 60 seconds

If Hippo is available in your state, you can get a quote in 60 seconds by providing your address, selecting the type of coverage you're looking for, providing information on your property and occupants, and providing some basic personal information. We were given one quote through Homeowners of America that we could review. To complete the purchase or discuss more details about it, we could request a call from one of their agents.

Best Home Insurance

Fair pricing, low coverage

By taking the steps to prevent homeowner issues, Hippo says they can save customers 25%. We felt like the monthly quote we were given was actually really fair and our deductible was low, but it didn't seem to provide enough home coverage for what we would need in a true disaster or total loss. Very few nitty-gritty details about the policy were provided. So there are pros and cons here, which is why it's important to get quotes from a few highly-rated companies and decide which one gives you the most bang for your buck.

Lots of canceled policies

Hippo is not rated by the Better Business Bureau since all their information was either being reviewed or updated at this time. Since they are a newer company, there aren't as many reviews or stories from people who have filed claims as we've found from competitors. One common thing we found though was that people easily were able to sign up for a policy and felt they were saving a great deal of money only to find out a couple months later that the underwriting department found issues with the policy and decided to cancel it out of the blue. We read so many stories like this that it left us not wanting to risk signing up in the first place.

Seems unsteady

We like where Hippo is going with their company and ideas. It makes sense to ensure that customers are doing all they can in their power to prevent an accident or disaster from occurring, avoiding a lot of claims and keeping costs down. However, it doesn't prevent natural disasters or so many other things that can occur that weren't predicted. We aren't confident that the company is growing and taking time to thoroughly go through and protect all the policies that they have. It seems like they cancel too often on their customers and their customer service isn't especially helpful. When you're dealing with something as important as insuring your home, stick with a more reputable company instead of taking a gamble on something that still seems unsteady like Hippo.

Where is the Best Place to Purchase Homeowners Insurance?

No one wants to imagine their home getting overrun with water damage, enduring a natural disaster, having a fire destroy their property, or having to deal with theft, but it happens. Everyone should have homeowner's insurance for peace of mind and to be taken care of in case of an emergency or unfortunate occurrence. In fact, it's so important that you can't take out a mortgage anymore unless you can prove you have homeowner's insurance in place.

It makes sense that banks don't want to hand over a loan with the risk that something will happen to the property and render the owner unable to continue paying their mortgage. Since your home is such an important asset, you don't want to risk being responsible for thousands of dollars in costs if unexpected damage or destruction were to occur. Being uninsured in a time of crisis could result in total financial ruin.

The Best Home Insurance Companies Compare Home Insurance Companies Compare Home Insurance Company Reviews What are the best Home Insurance Companies Best Home Insurance Company Reviews

Home Insurance Company FAQ

If you have a mortgage on your home, your lender will more than likely require that you carry homeowners insurance. They will also require you to carry enough of it to rebuild your home if it were completely destroyed. When you have a mortgage, you don't completely own the home - the lender does, until you pay it off. That's why they require insurance. If it were to be damaged or destroyed, the bank needs to know that it will be taken care of.
There's regular homeowners insurance if you own your home, renters insurance if you're renting a free-standing home or an apartment, insurance for mobile homes, and more. When you start shopping for a home insurance policy, you'll be asked a series of questions that will determine what type of coverage is right for you.
Although the specifics can vary by company, there are a few things you can expect in a typical policy. First, your dwelling, or home, is covered, and so would a shed or other building on the lot. Your personal belongings would be covered, and medical costs of any guest injured on your property. Policies usually will pay for a hotel and meals from restaurants if you are displaced due to complete destruction of your home, if what happened is covered under the policy. You should also be protected in case of fire, storm, theft, or vandalism.
Yes and no. There are limits. When you purchase insurance, you and your agent will decide on the financial limits the policy will cover. A lower limit is cheaper, but it won't give you the replacement home you might think it will. A higher limit costs more, but will give you a better replacement home and personal belongings. Be aware that if your home is valued at $250,000, you can't get limits of $1,000,000 and get a million dollar home to replace yours. Your limits need to pretty much match what you currently have.
When you get a policy, you choose your deductible. This is the dollar amount you will be responsible for with each claim. If you want the insurance company to pay for it all, you will choose $0 deductible. Realize that having a low deductible will raise your rates. If you choose a higher deductible, such as $1,000, you'll have to pay that in the event of a disaster but your policy rates are lower. Choosing your deductible and your premium price is a balancing act.
Not all of your valuables may be covered under the standard policy, so you might choose what they call add-on policies for them. Let the insurer know if you have specific pieces to protect, and there will be a rider for each piece covering the amount it's worth. Although these add-ons might be expensive, it will be much more costly if something happened to them and they weren't listed in a separate policy.
You can usually get a discount for having zero claims on your history, living in a neighborhood with an HOA, being a senior, being a non-smoker, bundling with your auto insurance, signing on before your old policy expires, and more. If you have fire/smoke detectors and/or burglar alarms that are directly connected to emergency services (911), most policies will come with a significant discount there too. Be sure to ask your insurance company for ways to save money on your coverage.
Believe it or not, it's super-easy to get coverage online. Some insurers offer 24/7 live-person customer service, and others offer a live person only during typical business hours. But, if you don't want to talk to a person and you'd rather take care of all research and transactions from your phone or laptop, there are several companies that offer that. You can even get a quote in five minutes via the web or their app.
Compare the Best Reviews

Continued from above...

Most people don't have enough cash in the bank to cover a major portion of or even the entire cost of their home. It's probably the last thing you want to spend your money on when you're already paying a monthly mortgage. Having good home insurance is the best way to stay financially protected and ensure that you always have what it takes to repair and maintain your house if something goes wrong.

If you're a new homeowner, it may seem a little overwhelming to find an insurance policy. Luckily there are lots of companies available these days for you to choose from. Companies have gotten better at using layman's terms and really spelling out all their policies for you, so that you know what you'll be paying monthly, what the policy covers, and how to make a claim if you need to. Usually a company will offer a few different price ranges you can choose from, depending on how much coverage you think you need, and you can easily compare them to decide what works best with your budget and covers the risks that most threaten your property and surrounding area.

We've done some of the heavy lifting for you here by going over the process different companies require for you to get quotes and reviewing what people have to say about their customer service and follow-through with claims. When it comes to a situation regarding insurance, you don't want to mess around. We can't overstate the importance of being able to rely on a company that's affordable and will hold your hand while you navigate stressful situations.

Since there are quite a few insurance companies to choose from that have different types of policies, keep the following things in mind when choosing who to go with:

  • Standard coverage. What are the basic things included with standard coverage through the insurance company?
  • Optional add-ons. Every home, neighborhood, city, and state is different. That means that while one homeowner may need earthquake insurance, another may need flood insurance. Does the company have options to cover the specific risks in your area? Some also have add-ons for personal belongings like jewelry, so if this is something you might need, pay attention to what's available.
  • Coverage limits. In any given situation, what is the maximum amount the company would pay out? Do you feel confident that it's enough to cover all the costs you may be facing?
  • Deductible. Even though you pay a monthly fee to have home insurance, you'll still be responsible for an upfront portion of the cost of any damage you're dealing with. If you want a lower deductible, you may decide to choose a plan with a higher yearly premium instead.
  • Customer satisfaction. When you find yourself in a crisis, you want to make sure you are working with a company that will help you every step of the way. Pay attention to what other customers say about their experience with the insurance company. Do they follow through with claims quickly and efficiently? Are their employees patient, kind, and easy to work with? What rating does the Better Business Bureau give the company?

Top Consumer Reviews has researched the most important things you'd need to know about choosing a home insurance plan. We hope this information helps you find peace of mind knowing that one of your most valuable assets is protected. We've tried to make things as easy as possible for you to feel confident in your decision about which home insurance company to go with.

The Best Reviews of Home Insurance Companies