Stillwater homeowners insurance review

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The details

The good

Will insure homeowners with subpar credit and prior policy lapses. One of this company's most notable traits is that they write policies for most home types and circumstances — even homes that didn’t have insurance prior to applying with Stillwater. So if you’ve been given the thumbs down by carrier after carrier because your home wasn’t insured, Stillwater may be your best bet.

Multiple discount opportunities. Stillwater offers policyholders ample discounts: from bundling opportunities to protective devices to working with an accredited builder, there's no shortage of ways to keep your premiums low with Stillwater’s discounts.

Easily customizable policies. Whether you're interested in the bare-minimum coverage amounts or a full-on replacement cost policy with maximum coverage limits for each component and multiple policy endorsements, Stillwater has you covered.

The bad

Slightly higher premiums. The average quoted premium with Stillwater is $1,589, which is about 25% higher than the national average of $1,249 (National Association of Insurance Commissioners). This isn’t the highest premium we’ve seen in the industry, but that extra $300 is still a solid chunk of change.

Third-party ratings are lacking. Despite Stillwater’s decades of service, the company hasn’t been reviewed by most reputable third-party rating sites. While that isn’t inherently a bad thing, it doesn’t give consumers too much insight to the overall customer experience with Stillwater. It’s also coupled with an increasing NAIC complaint index score.

While the price of homeowners insurance with Stillwater will depend on factors like where you live, your home's construction type, and the age of your home, you can expect to pay around $1,589 annually for coverage with Stillwater, according to Policygenius data. That makes Stillwater home insurance rates about 25% higher than the national average premium ($1,249) according to the National Association of Insurance Commissioners.

Discounts

A great way to keep your homeowners insurance costs down is to take advantage of discount opportunities.Stillwater offers all of the common homeowners insurance discounts — like protective devices discounts, claims-free discounts, and new home-buyer discounts.

• Protective devices discount. If your home has security and safety features like burglar alarms, fire alarms, fire sprinklers, and storm shutters.

• Claims-free discount. If you go an extended period of time without filing a claim.

• Gated community discount. If your home is within a gated community.

• Multi-policy discount. If you have more than one insurance policy with Stillwater.

• Roof-type discount. If your roof was constructed within a certain number of years or built with a storm-resistant material.

• New home-buyer discount. If you purchased the home within a specified number of years.

• Marital status discount. If you’re married, you could be eligible for a discount with Stillwater.

• Utility upgrade discount. If you’ve recently upgraded your utility lines, this could earn a discount. 

• Age of insured discount. If you’re younger, or older, that could work in your favor to reduce your premium.

• Accredited builder discount. If your home was built by a builder that offers a warranty for your home, you may have a discount opportunity.

Homeowners insurance protects your most important financial assets, so you'll want to be sure you're insuring your home, your personal possessions, and other assets with a company that will be able to pay out your claim in the event of a disaster. Stillwater hasn't been around long so it doesn't yet have ratings with such credit ratings agencies as S&P and Moody's. But they do have an A- rating with leading insurance rating agency A.M. Best.

• A.M. Best rating: A-

• Moody's rating: n/a

• Standard & Poor's rating: n/a

A.M. Best is the most reliable credit-rating tool you can use to gauge the financial health of a particular company. Unlike S&P and Moody's, A.M. Best is focused exclusively on the insurance marketplace. A good score with A.M. Best means a company is more likely to fulfill their financial obligation to you when it comes time to file a claim. With a score of A- (effective January 19, 2022), Stillwater has the fourth highest rating a company can receive with A.M. Best.

Moody's is very similar to Standard & Poors, except rather than measuring a company's ability to remain financially stable and creditworthy, Moody's measures what the expected losses would be if a company were to go into default. It's particularly valuable in analyzing the value of stocks and bonds with certain companies. A AAA rating is the highest possible score you can receive from Moody's.

Standard & Poor's measures companies' creditworthiness and is used primarily by financial investors and other market stakeholders. S&P is also valuable in measuring the long-term financial stability of insurance companies. A AAA rating is the highest issuer credit rating assigned by S&P.

Stillwater doesn't yet have ratings with Consumer Affairs, Consumers Advocate, or Trustpilot like some of the more well-established carriers.

• Consumer Affairs: N/A

• Consumers Advocate: N/A

• Trustpilot: N/A

• NAIC complaint index: 1.59

Consumer Affairs is a platform that lets consumers directly rate companies. Consumer Affairs hasn’t rated Stillwater yet. 

Consumers Advocate rates companies based on stability, reputation, and policy coverage. Consumers Advocate hasn’t rated Stillwater yet.

The National Association of Insurance Commissioners tracks the number of complaints submitted to state insurance departments with their national complaint index. A score of 1 is the baseline average, and a score of 0 means there weren't enough complaints to count. Stillwater has a score of 1.59, which isn’t too high, but the overall score has increased from 1.44. We plan to keep an eye on this if it’s a trend.

Stillwater keeps it pretty simple, offering a standard HO-3 policy alongside a handful of add-ons and endorsements. The base policy includes:

• Dwelling coverage. This covers the cost to rebuild or repair your home in the case of a covered incident.

• Other structures coverage. If you have a shed in your backyard, or a detached garage, this coverage ensures their repair and replacement after a covered incident.

• Personal property coverage. Extensive coverage of personal property and belongings for protection against fire, theft, and other losses.

• Additional living expenses. If you have to stay elsewhere while your home is being repaired, this covers the cost of things like lodging, food, and travel.

• Personal liability coverage. If someone gets hurt, or if a visitor’s property is damaged, while on your property, this will pay for medical and legal expenses.

• Medical expenses. If a guest is injured at your home and requires medical attention, this covers their medical bills.

Stillwater offers the option to increase your coverage with these add-ons and endorsements.

• Extended replacement cost. If you add this to your policy, your total coverage to rebuild your home is increased by a certain percentage.

• Personal property replacement cost. With this coverage, Stillwater ensures that your personal items will be replaced at their original value, regardless of any depreciation.

• Scheduled property. If you have valuable items, like jewelry or fine art, adding this will increase their coverage limits a certain percentage so you can have more financial protection for them.

• Special personal property. With this coverage, you can protect higher value items like jewelry, watches, or fine art.

• Personal injury. This endorsement protects you from expensive liability claims if someone is injured on your property and you’re sued for damages. 

• Water backup. If your sump pump backs up, or your sink overflows and causes water damage to your floors, this coverage will help take care of any related costs. 

• Animal liability. If someone is injured by your pet in your home, this coverage would also protect you from expensive liability claims.

• Identity theft. In the case of stolen identity or fraud, this coverage can help cover the costs to restore your identity.

Note: The information above represents potential policy options and may not be available for every applicant. Speak to a licensed expert for a personalized look at your coverage options.

Stillwater provides wide availability and the ability to apply for insurance and file claims online, in addition to a mobile app where you can manage your policy.

State availability

Stillwater homeowners insurance is available in 47 states — Michigan, Hawaii and Georgia are the only states where they don't currently offer homeowners insurance coverage.

Digital tools

• Online application

• Instant quote

• Online bill pay and policy management

• Online claims portal

• Mobile app

• FAQ and blog resources

Ease of claims

Stillwater gives you a couple options for filing claims: you can file online or through your mobile app, call the 24/7 hotline, you can email the claims department, or you can contact your agent directly. Once your claim is filed, Stillwater reviews your claim, assigns you an appraiser to inspect and photograph the damages, and makes a decision once everything is reviewed and processed.

Additional claims service

• 24/7 claims service

• Assigned field appraiser to inspect and photograph damages

Payment methods

• Credit card and debit card online

• Option to pay directly from your bank account

• Option to pay through your escrow account

• Option to pay annually or monthly

Policygenius offers insurance policies from many of the nation's top insurers, who pay us a commission for our services. However, all editorial choices are made independently.