UPC Insurance home insurance review: No longer in business
UPC Insurance is no longer writing or renewing home insurance policies. Find out why — and what this means if you currently have coverage with the insurer.
By
Jessica OlivoJessica OlivoFreelance contributorJessica Olivo is a writer living in Connecticut. She specializes in web and blog content in a variety of topics such as parenting, business, and culture, as well as serialized and short fiction.After working in publishing and book publicity for many years, she transitioned to freelance writing full time.
Edited by
Jennifer GimbelJennifer GimbelSenior Managing Editor & Home Insurance ExpertJennifer Gimbel is a senior managing editor and home insurance expert at Policygenius, where she oversees our homeowners insurance coverage. Previously, she was the managing editor at Finder.com and a content strategist at Babble.com.
Our proprietary ratings methodology takes multiple factors into account, including customer satisfaction, cost, financial strength, and policy offerings. See the “Ratings methodology” section for more details.
3.6
AM Best rating
AM Best is a global credit rating agency that scores the financial strength of insurance companies on a scale from A++ (Superior) to D (Poor).
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Cost
Using a mix of internal and external rate data, we grade the cost of each insurance company's premiums on a scale from least expensive ($) to most expensive ($$$$$).
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The bottom line
UPDATE: As of February 2023, UPC Insurance has stopped selling home insurance in the eight states it used to write policies in: Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Massachusetts, New York, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Texas.
“Due to significant uncertainty around the future availability of reinsurance for our personal lines business, I believe placing United P&C into an orderly run-off is prudent and necessary to protect the company and its policyholders,” UPC Chairman and CEO Dan Peed said in a statement.
While UPC policies in Louisiana, New York, and Texas won’t be renewed in 2023, they haven’t been sold to specific insurers as of this time of writing.
What does this mean for current UPC Insurance policyholders?
If you're a current UPC Insurance policyholder, you should have received a letter from UPC explaining that your policy will not be renewed in 2023. It should also state whether you'll need to find a new insurance company or if your policy has been sold to another company like Homeowners Choice or Slide Insurance.
If you haven't yet received communication from UPC, contact your local agent (their contact info should be on your policy declarations page) or call your state's general customer service line.
The licensed home insurance agents at Policygenius can also help you navigate this stressful time by finding you a new home insurance company and cancelling your old policy with UPC Insurance. You can get started by clicking the Get Quotes button on this page to get connected with an agent.
How to contact UPC Insurance customer service
You can get in touch with a UPC Insurance customer service representative to discuss next steps by calling one of the numbers listed below:
Florida: 800-295-8016 for policies beginning with letters; 866-515-4428 for policies beginning with 90
Georgia: 866-515-4428
Louisiana: 800-295-8016 for policies beginning with letters; 866-515-4428 for policies beginning with 80 and 90
Massachusetts: 800-295-8016
North Carolina: 800-295-8016
New York: Call 877-369-0304 for policies beginning with letters or 32; 866-515-4428 for Policies beginning with 80
South Carolina: 800-295-8016 for policies beginning with letters; 866-515-4428 for policies beginning with 80
Texas: 800-295-8016 for policies beginning with letters; 866-515-4428 for policies beginning with 43, 70, or 80
Available in high-risk states that are often difficult to find coverage in
Cons
Terrible customer service ratings — it received over 10 times the number of complaints of similar-sized insurers in 2021
Poor outlook for the financial stability and future of the company
Basic coverages offered
UPC Insurance home insurance policies include these six standard coverages to protect your home, belongings, and personal liability:
Dwelling coverage: Pays to repair or rebuild the structure of your home after a covered loss.
Other structures coverage: Pays to repair or rebuild other structures on your property not connected to your home, including detached garages, storage sheds, and fencing.
Personal property coverage: Pays to repair or replace your personal belongings after a covered loss, including furniture, clothing, tech gadgets, and other stuff you own.
Loss of use coverage: Pays for hotel stays, restaurant bills, pet boarding fees, and other temporary living expenses after a covered loss if you need to live elsewhere while your home is being rebuilt.
Personal liability coverage: Pays for legal and medical expenses if someone is injured or their belongings are damaged while at your home and you’re found legally responsible.
Medical payments coverage: Pays for small-dollar medical bills if someone is injured while at your home — regardless of who is at fault.
Additional coverages offered
You can add these additional coverages to your UPC Insurance homeowners insurance policy for even more protection:
Extended replacement cost coverage for your home: Extends your dwelling coverage limit up to 25% in case rebuild costs exceed your policy limit after a covered loss.
Replacement cost for personal property: Pays to replace your personal belongings with new items, regardless of depreciation or wear and tear.
Personal injury liability: Expands liability coverage to include personal injury to others, such as slander, libel, wrongful eviction, or false arrest.
Home computer: Pays to repair or replace your home computer after a covered loss.
Identity theft: Offers extensive support in dealing with the aftermath of identity theft, including an expert dedicated to your case.
Mold and fungi: Pays for damage to your home and belongings caused by mold, fungus, or rotting.
Student away from home: Covers your child’s personal belongings while they’re away at college against covered perils as long as they lived with you before moving out.
Spoiled food: Covers spoiled food if your refrigerator or freezer stops working due to a power outage or breakdown.
Golf cart coverage: Provides damage and liability protection for rented golf carts.
Seasonal home insurance: Protects your vacation home and personal belongings against fire, theft, hail, windstorms, and other covered perils.
Landlord insurance: Covers your rental property against fire, windstorms, and other covered perils. It also includes loss-of-rent coverage if your rental property becomes uninhabitable after a covered loss, as well as liability coverage if a tenant or visitor is hurt on your property and files a lawsuit.
Condo insurance: Purchased as a supplement to your condo association’s master policy, condo insurance covers your personal belongings, the interior structure of your condo unit, and personal liability.
Ratings methodology
Price
3.9/5
Our price rating scale looks at home insurance rates for a policy with $300,000 in dwelling coverage, as well as the total number of discounts offered. UPC Insurance’s average annual rate of $1,263 is 33% below the national average.
Customer experience
2.2/5
Our customer experience scale uses data from the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) complaint index. UPC Insurance has a score of at 10.6, which means it receives over 10 times more complaints than expected for a company of its size. (The expected number would be 1.0.)
Coverage options
5.0/5
Our coverage options rating is based on both the number and quality of additional coverage and policy options offered by the company. UPC Insurance scores above-average compared to other regional home insurance companies.
Financial strength
2.4/5
Our financial strength rating is a weighted combination of three industry-leading metrics to measure a company’s financial health: AM Best, Standard & Poor’s, and Moody’s.
Since UPC Insurance is not rated by any of these companies, we based it on its most recent rating with Demotech, a smaller rating firm that also measures the financial strength and stability of insurers. The rating firm downgraded UPC Insurance from an “A” rating to an “M” for moderate rating in August 2022.
That downgrade combined with UPC pulling out of several states over the last few months has led to a poor outlook for the future of the company.
Compare other home insurance companies now that UPC Insurance is out of business
The average cost of home insurance with UPC Insurance is $1,263 per year for a policy with $300,000 in dwelling coverage. This is 33% cheaper than the national average.
Here’s the average yearly cost of UPC Insurance home insurance for five different levels of dwelling coverage:
Dwelling coverage limit
Average annual cost
$100,000
$578
$200,000
$890
$300,000
$1,263
$400,000
$1,631
$500,000
$1,995
Rates are based on our analysis of 2022 sample home insurance quotes from across the country provided by Quadrant Information Services. Actual rates will vary based on location, policy limits, coverages, claims history, and other factors.
What discounts does UPC Insurance offer?
You can save on the cost of UPC home insurance if you qualify for any of these discounts:
Windstorm mitigation: Save money by adding protection to your home from damages caused by hurricanes and windstorms.
Water loss prevention: Receive a credit on your policy by providing a certification that your plumbing system is secure and free from defects.
Secured community: If you live in a gated community.
Protective devices: If you have protective devices like burglar alarms, fire alarms, smoke detectors, and deadbolts installed in your home.
Package policy: If you sign up for a qualifying UPC home insurance package.
Payment type: If you sign up for a qualifying payment plan.
IBHS Fortified home: If your home was built according to Fortified Home construction guidelines set by the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS).
Hip roof: If your home has a storm-resistant hip roof.
Age of home: If your home is under a certain number of years old.
UPC Insurance home insurance state availability
UPC Insurance used to offer home insurance in eight states: Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, North Carolina, South Carolina, Texas, Massachusetts, and New York.
But over the last two years, UPC started pulling out of all of these states — meaning it stopped writing policies and began to non-renew policies.
What to expect with UPC Insurance
Customer service options: You can get in touch with a UPC Insurance customer service rep by calling the customer service numbers we mentioned earlier in this article.
How to file a claim: You can file a UPC Insurance home insurance claim online, by calling 888-256-3378, or by contacting your agent.
How to cancel your policy: You can cancel your UPC Insurance home insurance policy by calling your UPC Insurance agent (their contact info should be on your policy declarations page), by contacting your agent in writing, or by visiting your local agent in person.
UPC Insurance vs. other home insurance companies
Compare UPC Insurance to other home insurance companies in the industry now that it's going out of business:
Yes, UPC Insurance is no longer writing new business and is not renewing any active home insurance policies in Florida.
Did UPC insurance go out of business?
Yes, UPC Insurance is in the process of withdrawing from all states it previously wrote home insurance policies in.
Is UPC Insurance expensive?
No, UPC Insurance is less expensive than other insurers. A standard home insurance policy from UPC Insurance with $300,000 in dwelling level coverage is $1,263 per year — 33% lower than the national average.
Jessica Olivo is a writer living in Connecticut. She specializes in web and blog content in a variety of topics such as parenting, business, and culture, as well as serialized and short fiction.
After working in publishing and book publicity for many years, she transitioned to freelance writing full time.
Jennifer Gimbel is a senior managing editor and home insurance expert at Policygenius, where she oversees our homeowners insurance coverage. Previously, she was the managing editor at Finder.com and a content strategist at Babble.com.
