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American Family home insurance review
Customize your policy and bundle home and auto to save big.
- Get a quote if you live in a state where you can bundle your home and auto.
- Pick something else if your priority is the best customer service.
- Homeowners who need unique customizations should get a quote.
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AZ, CO, GA, ID, IL, IN, IA, KS, MN, MO, NE, NV, ND, OH, OR, SD, UT, WA, WI
Available states
24/7 claims
Online quotes
Details
Pros
- Highly customizable policies
- Convenient mobile app
Cons
- Average customer service
- Slow claims processing
| New home discount discount | Yes |
|---|---|
| New homeowner discount | No |
| Home safety features discount | Yes |
| New policy discount | No |
| Bundling discount | Yes |
| No claims discount | No |
| Other discounts | No |
| Personal property coverage | Yes |
|---|---|
| Valuable personal property | No |
| Theft coverage | No |
| Fire coverage | No |
| Flood coverage | No |
| Identity theft coverage | Yes |
| Homesharing | No |
| Dwelling coverage | Yes |
Review by
Heather Petty
heather.petty@finder.comHeather Petty is a personal finance writer at Finder specializing in home loans, banking and insurance. After falling victim to a disreputable mortgage broker when buying her first home, she’s on a mission to help readers avoid similar experiences when managing their own finances. A self-proclaimed word nerd, her writing has been featured on MSN, Credit.com and MediaFeed.org, among others. Heather previously worked as a technical writer and editor for the casino systems industry and is an internationally published young adult mystery author. She holds a bachelor’s degree in English with a minor in journalism from the University of Nevada, Reno.
Expert review
American Family homeowners insurance allows you to customize your policy and get full coverage without having to pay for insurance you don’t need.
But if you’re counting on discounts from bundling your home and auto policies, make sure you live in one of the states where auto policies are offered. If not, or if you’re looking for a company with a higher customer satisfaction rating, compare other home insurers and find the best fit for your home.
What home insurance coverage does American Family offer?
American Family has a long list of coverage options, starting with its standard homeowners policy, which covers hazards like theft, fire, snow and ice damage. But it doesn’t cover floods, earthquakes or sewer issues unless you choose to buy add-on coverage.
- Detached structures. Separate structures on your property get covered under this protection. Sheds and detached garages, as well as swimming pools and fences are all included.
- Home structure. Covers damages to the structure of your home and permanent attachments.
- Liability protection. Get protection against expenses related to a third-party’s injury on your property or damages to their belongings.
- Personal belongings. Covers your personal property if it’s damaged or lost in a covered event. But it may not cover high-value items, such as jewelry and fine art.
- Temporary living expenses. If your home is uninhabitable because of damage, your policy helps cover living expenses to stay in a hotel or rental.
American Family offers a wide variety of supplemental options including the following add-ons:
- Credit monitoring protection. This add-on offers credit monitoring with CyberScout to provide you with credit alerts and protection from identity theft.
- Equipment breakdown. Covers damaged appliances, home systems and smart home devices.
- Siding protection. Under a standard policy, only damaged siding is replaced. But if weather or age has caused the colors to fade, or if your original siding isn’t available anymore, this add-on provides $20,000 to help replace the rest of the siding so that the colors and textures match.
- Sump pump and water backup coverage. With this addition to your policy, flooding damages caused by sump pump failures or backups are covered.
What home insurance discounts can I get?
American Family offers many ways to save on your premium, including the following discounts:
- Bundle. Bundle your home policy with any other American Family policy and you can save up to 20% on your homeowners premium.
- Generational. If your parents have American Family policies, you could qualify for a discount.
- Home purchase. If you purchased a home within the last three years, go ahead and pick up this discount.
- Home renovation. Replacing one of the major systems in your house, such as plumbing or electrical, within the last 15 years can earn you this discount.
- Loyalty. Once you’ve been an American Family customer for a year, ask your agent if you’re eligible for this discount.
- New home. If you purchased a newer home, you may qualify for this discount.
- Payments. Sign up for American Family automatic payments, pay in full or elect for paperless billing and documents to get this discount.
- Smart home. To snag this discount, install smart home security devices like a video doorbell or home hub device.
Pros and cons of American Family
Pros
- Customizable policies. American Family has a giant list of options that allows you to customize your policy so the coverage perfectly meets your needs.
- Great bundling discounts. If you have your car and home insurance with American Family, you get discounts on both — up to 20% on home and up to 29% on car.
- Highly rated mobile app. The American Family app has a 4.8 rating out of 5 on the Apple App store and 4.5 on Google Play as of January 2020, with most of the reviews focusing on how easy it is to connect to customer service and make changes to their policies.
Cons
- Limited availability for bundling. While American Family’s home insurance is available in all 50 states and Washington D.C., its car insurance is only offered in 19 states.
- Ranks average in customer service. The company got a rating of 3 out of 5 from J.D. Power’s 2019 Overall Customer Satisfaction Index, which puts it right in the middle of its competitors.
- Slow to process claims. American Family has an A-rating from the Better Business Bureau for customer interactions as of January 2002. But it also has quite a few complaints, most of which center around the time it takes to process insurance claims.
How to apply for American Family home insurance
You have to apply for an American Family policy through an agent. But you can get started with a quick quote based on what others in your neighborhood are paying, or use the following steps to get a personalized quote:
- Go to the American Family website.
- Under Insurance click on Home insurance.
- Scroll down to I want a personalized quote from a trusted advisor and click Get started.
- Enter your ZIP code and select what kind of insurance you need. Click Start quoting.
- If you’re interested in bundling, select what other kinds of insurance you’re interested in. Click Next.
- Fill in your personal information and click Next.
- Enter information about your home and click Next.
- Either select a local agent or ask to have one assigned to you. Click Next.
- Verify and submit your information and you’ll be contacted to go through the personalized quote and application process.
What info do I need to apply?
Be ready to answer the following questions before you apply:
- How many people live in your house full-time
- If it’s your primary, secondary or seasonal residence
- What year your was house built
- Square footage of your house
- Number of bathrooms
- Number of stories
- Any detached structures, such as a shed
- Any wood stoves or fireplaces
- What materials were used to build your roof
- What materials were used to build the exterior walls