The Hartford home insurance review: Ideal for AARP members

The AARP Homeowners Insurance Program from The Hartford offers top-notch customer service, excellent coverage options, and high financial strength marks.

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Jessica 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 at Policygenius, where she oversees all of our insurance coverage. Previously, she was the managing editor at Finder.com and a content strategist at Babble.com.
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Reviewed by

Ian Bloom, CFP®, RLP®Ian Bloom, CFP®, RLP®Certified Financial PlannerIan Bloom, CFP®, RLP®, is a certified financial planner and a member of the Financial Review Council at Policygenius. Previously, he was a financial advisor at MetLife and MassMutual.

Updated|1 min read

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The Hartford

The Hartford logo

Policygenius rating

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.
Full orange starFull orange starFull orange starFull orange starHalf orange star

4.6

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).

A+

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

The Hartford’s partnership with AARP makes it an excellent home insurance option for homeowners who are already AARP members. There are no age restrictions on AARP membership, though their benefits are aimed mainly at people over 50. While coverage is available for AARP members only, anyone can get a quote from The Hartford when shopping for homeowners insurance. 

With a comprehensive website and convenient mobile app, The Hartford is also a good option for homeowners looking for ease and efficiency from an insurer. While new homeowners or consumers on a budget should watch out for high prices — The Hartford’s rates are 27% higher than the national average — the company offers discounts and ways to save to bring down the cost of your home insurance policy.  

Pros

  • High ratings for financial stability, customer service, and coverage options

  • Mobile app makes it easy to report and track claims, view digital ID cards, and update your policy

  • Disappearing deductible program if you go three years without filing a claim

Cons

  • Must be an AARP member to purchase a policy

  • Rates are 27% higher than the national average

  • Not available in all 50 states

Basic coverages offered

The Hartford 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 Hartford homeowners insurance policy for even more protection:

  • Full replacement cost: Extends your dwelling coverage limit up to 150% in case the cost to rebuild your home after a total loss exceeds your policy limits.

  • Replacement cost for your personal property: Pays to replace your belongings with new items — regardless of depreciation or wear and tear.

  • Flood coverage: Offers flood insurance through the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), a government program run by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). 

  • Equipment breakdown: Pays for damage to appliances or electrical systems due to mechanical breakdown.

  • Water backup and sump pump overflow: Covers water damage caused by backed up water or overflow from a sump pump.

  • Valuable items blanket protection: Higher coverage limits for whole categories of high-value belongings, including jewelry, firearms, sporting equipment, or fine art.

  • Scheduled personal property: Higher coverage limits for high-value items that you schedule, including things like your engagement ring or expensive golf clubs.

  • Green rebuilding: Pays to rebuild your home with environmentally friendly building materials after a loss.

  • Personal injury liability: Protects against claims of libel or slander.

  • Identity fraud: Helps cover the expenses of recovering your identity if it’s stolen.

  • Replacement Plus Patented Coverage: The Hartford will cover the additional costs of adding Universal Design features to a kitchen or bathroom, such as widened doorways for wheelchair access.

  • Reimbursement for replacing locks: You can be reimbursed for the cost to change your locks up to $500 if your keys go missing.  

  • Rental property 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. 

  • Renters insurance: Includes coverage for the personal belongings in your rental home or apartment against fire, vandalism, theft, windstorms, and water damage, as well as personal liability and loss of use coverage.

  • Umbrella insurance: Extends liability coverage beyond the limits in your base policy.  

The Hartford also offers two other perks with its home insurance policies:

  • Zero-deductible benefit: If damage to your home results in repairs costing more than $27,500, The Hartford will waive your deductible — up to $5,000.

  • Disappearing property deductible: If you’ve had no claims for over three years, you can reduce the amount of your deductible.

Ratings methodology

Price

3.1/5

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. The Hartford’s average annual rate of $2,495 is 27% above the national average. 

Customer experience

4.8/5

Our customer experience scale uses data from the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) complaint index. The Hartford has a score of at .435, which means it receives 60% fewer 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. The Hartford earns a perfect score thanks to its slew of coverage add-ons, including flood insurance through the NFIP, water backup coverage, and comprehensive protection for your personal belongings.

Financial strength

5.0/5

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. The Hartford earns a perfect financial strength score thanks to its A+ rating from AM Best, A+ rating from Standard & Poor’s, and A1 rating from Moody’s.

How much does The Hartford home insurance cost?

The average cost of home insurance with The Hartford is $2,495 per year for a policy with $300,000 in dwelling coverage. This is 27% more expensive than the national average. 

Here’s the average yearly cost of The Hartford home insurance for five different levels of dwelling coverage:

Dwelling coverage limit

Average annual cost

$100,000

$1,327

$200,000

$1,911

$300,000

$2,495

$400,000

$3,014

$500,000

$3,507

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.

Compare home insurance quotes with top insurers in minutes

What discounts does The Hartford offer?

You can save on the cost of The Hartford home insurance if you qualify for any of these discounts:

  • Auto and home bundle: If you bundle your home and auto insurance policies with The Hartford.

  • Retiree: If you’re a retiree working fewer than 24 hours per week.

  • Fire protection: If you install smoke detectors, sprinklers, or an alarm system in your home.

  • Home security system: If you have a burglar alarm or other security system in your home.

  • Claim-free: If you go so many years without filing a claim. 

Keep in mind that availability of these discounts will vary by state.

The Hartford home insurance state availability

The Hartford offers home insurance policies in 37 states:

Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, and Wisconsin.

How old do you have to be to join AARP?

While AARP caters to people over 50 years old, there’s no minimum age to join. AARP membership costs $16 per year whether you’re just joining or renewing your policy. However, you can score a discounted rate of $12 per year if you sign up for an auto-renewing policy or choose a longer membership term.

What to expect with The Hartford home insurance

  • How to get a quote: You can get a home insurance quote with The Harrford online, by calling 877-422-2345 for AARP members or 888-413-8970 for non-members, or directly with an agent.

  • Customer service options: You can get in touch with The Hartford customer service by calling 800-423-0567 for AARP members or 800-624-5578 for non-members, or by logging in to your online account.

  • How to file a claim: You can file a home insurance claim with The Hartford by logging in to your online account, through its mobile app, by calling your agent, or by calling 877-805-9918 for AARP members or 800-243-5860 for non-members.

  • How to cancel your policy: You can cancel your The Hartford home insurance policy by calling your local agent (their contact info should be on your policy declarations page), by calling 800-423-0567 for AARP members or 800-624-5578 for non-members, or by visiting your local agent in person.

The Hartford home insurance in the news

  • In February 2023, The Hartford was included in the 2023 Bloomberg Gender-Equality Index thanks to its gender-inclusive policies and practices. (Bakersfield.com)

  • In January 2023, The Hartford was recognized by JUST Capital and CNBC for community service, reducing its impact on the environment, and supporting its employees. (Business Wire)

The Hartford vs. other home insurance companies

Compare The Hartford home insurance to other insurers in the industry:

Company

Policygenius rating

AM Best rating

Cost

The Hartford

4.6/5

A+

$$$$

Auto-Owners Insurance

5.0/5

A++

$$

USAA

4.9/5

A++

$$

State Farm

4.8/5

A++

$$$

Amica

4.6/5

A++

$$$

American Family

4.5/5

A

$$$

American Family

4.5/5

A

$$$

Encompass

4.5/5

A+

$$$$

Erie

4.5/5

A+

$$

Farmers

4.5/5

A

$$$

Nationwide

4.5/5

A+

$$$

Progressive

4.5/5

A+

NA

Stillwater

4.5/5

A-

$$$

Allstate

4.4/5

A+

$$$

Allstate

4.4/5

A+

$$$

Allstate

4.4/5

A+

$$$

Country Financial

4.4/5

A+

$$$$

Travelers

4.4/5

A++

$$

Travelers

4.4/5

A++

$$

Travelers

4.4/5

A++

$$

AAA

4.3/5

A

$$$

Hippo

4.3/5

A-

$$

Homesite

4.3/5

A

$$

Liberty Mutual

4.3/5

A

NA

Liberty Mutual

4.3/5

A

NA

Safeco

4.3/5

A

$$$

Safeco

4.3/5

A

$$$

Mercury

4.1/5

A

$$$

Lemonade

4.0/5

NA

NA

Geico

3.9/5

A++

NA

Swyfft

3.5/5

A-

NA

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Frequently asked questions

Is The Hartford home insurance only for AARP members?

While you don’t need to be a member to get a quote, you do need an AARP membership to purchase AARP Homeowners Insurance Coverage from The Hartford.

Is The Hartford insurance available in every state?

No, The Hartford only offers home insurance in Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, New Mexico, North Caroline, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Caroline, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, and Wisconsin.

How long has The Hartford insurance company been around?

The Hartford was founded in 1810 as a fire insurance company and then expanded into auto, business, and home insurance.

Who owns The Hartford?

The Hartford is a publicly traded company that’s owned by its shareholders.

Author

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.

Editor

Jennifer Gimbel is a senior managing editor at Policygenius, where she oversees all of our insurance coverage. Previously, she was the managing editor at Finder.com and a content strategist at Babble.com.

Expert reviewer

Ian Bloom, CFP®, RLP®, is a certified financial planner and a member of the Financial Review Council at Policygenius. Previously, he was a financial advisor at MetLife and MassMutual.

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