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Veterans, military members and their families have access to dozens of homeowners insurance companies . However, a select few providers offer unique savings, perks and coverages catered to military families.
We at the Home Media reviews team have pored over hundreds of customer reviews, compared quotes and extensively evaluated policies in our research process. Read on for an overview of our top recommendations for homeowners insurance for veterans, military members and their families.
After in-depth research, the Home Media reviews team found the following are the top homeowners insurance providers for active-duty military members and veterans:
USAA is the nation’s most popular and reputable company specializing in services to military members, veterans and their families via membership. While the company was not eligible for rank in the 2021 J.D. Power U.S. Home Insurance Study, it was included and scored significantly higher than all other providers in the study.
With a USAA membership, military families get access to a list of benefits, including home and auto insurance , banking services, retirement accounts and various discounts for dining, car rentals and more.
With its added membership perks, USAA offers the most inclusive standard coverage of the providers in this review. Its home insurance policies also offer unique coverage for your military uniform and equipment. Plus, if you are on active or reserve duty and these items are damaged, you won’t have to pay a deductible.
*AM Best ratings are accurate as of June 2022.
Compare the advantages and disadvantages of USAA home insurance:
+ Offers home-sharing coverage to protect you and your guests if you rent out your home or a portion of it
+ Provides identity theft protection in its standard homeowners policy to residents in all states except North Carolina
+ Protects against inflation and other cost changes with its Home Protector endorsement
– Doesn’t provide access to local insurance agents
– Has fewer discounts than some competitors
Discounts: USAA offers a discount to members who bundle home and car insurance, arm their homes with an ADT security system or are claims-free for five years.
Endorsements: USAA has a few helpful endorsements, including Home Protector coverage for when covered losses exceed dwelling coverage limits, increased liability coverage, computer coverage, valuable personal property coverage and cellphone coverage with ProtectCELL.
To learn more: USAA Insurance review
While it may be less recognizable than USAA, Armed Forces Insurance (AFI) has served military families since 1887. Like USAA, AFI offers several different insurance products, including auto, business, pet, rental and home insurance for vets and military members.
It stands out for its extensive list of endorsements and an impressive lineup of discounts. AFI offers 15 optional coverages that allow you to customize your coverage.
Compare the advantages and disadvantages of AFI home insurance:
+ Has more discounts than USAA
+ Provides add-on coverages such as carport and golf cart protection excluded by most companies
+ Offers helpful online resources for dealing with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and permanent change of station (PCS)
– Requires you to provide your Social Security number (SSN) to get a quote, which some providers do not
– Has limited customer service hours
Discounts: AFI offers central station burglar and fire alarm discounts, a new-home credit, gated or guarded community discount, building code effectiveness grading credit, windstorm mitigation feature credits for items like hurricane shutters, IBHS fortified for safer living home credit, a new-roof credit and a companion policy credit for bundling multiple policies.
Endorsements: AFI’s endorsements include additional dwelling coverage, personal property replacement cost coverage, business property and permitted incidental occupancies, equipment breakdown coverage, golf cart coverage, personal injury coverage, animal liability protection, identity theft expense coverage, loss assessment coverage, scheduled personal property coverage, increased ordinance of law coverage, carport, screen enclosure and pool cage coverage, water backup and sump overflow coverage, earthquake and flood coverage.
While Farmers isn’t exclusive to military service members like USAA and AFI are, it is one of our highest-rated homeowners insurance companies and provides a unique discount for military members.
Founded in 1928, the company has cemented itself as a reputable provider of numerous lines of insurance, including business, home and auto insurance , with an excellent financial strength rating from AM Best and inclusion in the J.D. Power customer experience survey.
In addition to offering a military discount, Farmers is one of our top picks for its customizable coverage. While coverage limits may vary slightly by state, homeowners can typically choose to purchase between 40% and 200% of their dwelling coverage limit for personal property, whereas most companies only allow you to cover between 50% and 75% of this amount. The company also offers customizable dwelling coverage and extensive liability coverage.
Compare the advantages and disadvantages of Farmers home insurance:
+ Offers up to $2 million of liability coverage, which is higher than most competitors
+ Grants access to a network of local agents
+ Provides unique home insurance discounts such as a non-smoker discount
– Coverage options may vary by state
– Provides fewer endorsements than USAA and AFI
Discounts: Farmers offers discounts for members of the military and other professions and organizations, protective devices, ePolicies, preferred automated payments, on-time payment history, UL-approved roofing materials, home safety, new home, nonsmokers, multiline, green-home certification via Energy Star, LEED or Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), claims-free, home security system and rent to own for policyholders who switch from a Farmers renters policy to a homeowners one.
Endorsements: Farmers’ optional coverages include a personal articles floater for insuring valuables, an eco-rebuild endorsement, replacement cost coverage and identity theft protection.
Get your personalized home insurance quote from Farmers .
To learn more: Farmers home insurance review
Best known for its auto insurance , Geico is also a leading homeowners insurance marketplace. Founded in 1936, Geico is a practical choice for veterans. Rather than underwriting homeowners insurance policies, Geico partners with other trustworthy insurance carriers and matches applicants with the company best suited to meet their needs.
Veterans, military members and their family members may be eligible for a 15% discount on one of Geico’s insurance policies. Geico also offers emergency deployment discounts and a discount for members of professional military associations such as AUSA, AFBA and NLUS.
Compare the advantages and disadvantages of Geico home insurance:
+ Allows you to pay monthly premiums directly on Geico, regardless of which partnering provider underwrote your policy
+ Features extensive customer service resources, including online chat, a mobile app and an online customer portal
+ Offers three unique military discounts
– Does not underwrite its own insurance policies
– May require you to contact a representative to complete the quote process
Discounts: In addition to its military discounts, Geico offers a multi-policy discount, home security system discount, and smoke detector or fire extinguisher discount.
Endorsements: Policy add-ons can vary from provider to provider. Get a quote from Geico to see which endorsements you may be eligible for.
To learn more: Geico home insurance review
Lemonade is an ideal choice for military members looking to impact the lives of other service members positively. With Lemonade’s giveback program, your unused premiums are donated to a select group of nonprofits at the end of each year. One of these organizations is Objective Zero , a tech startup that connects military members, vets and their families to suicide prevention tools and support.
While Lemonade doesn’t offer specialized savings for military members or vets, its home insurance premiums are significantly lower than competitors, making it a budget-friendly alternative.
Lemonade uses artificial intelligence (AI) to simplify the quotes process and quickly process claims. While the company is facing a class-action lawsuit for its alleged collection of biometric data, we feel confident recommending it due to its affordability, giveback program and simplified user experience.
Compare the advantages and disadvantages of Lemonade home insurance:
+ Is a certified B Corporation , highlighting its commitment to social responsibility
+ Provides some of the most affordable home insurance in the industry, based on our secret-shopping process
+ Can settle straightforward home insurance claims, such as a stolen camera, in seconds
– Does not offer a military discount or special coverages for veterans and service members
– Has limited state availability compared to Geico
Discounts: Lemonade provides wind protection, security device, water leak detection system, fire alarms and sprinkler system discounts.
Endorsements: Lemonade offers additional coverage for earthquakes, appliance breakdowns, ordinance/law protection, jewelry, bikes, water backup, musical instruments, fine art and cameras.
Get your personalized home insurance quote from Lemonade .
To learn more: Lemonade home insurance
If you’re planning to buy a home as a military member or veteran, you’re likely considering a home loan through the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). VA loans are mortgages offered exclusively to military members, veterans and their spouses.
These loans offer competitive interest rates and have no down payment requirement, making them the most competitive choice for most veterans. The VA partners with select lenders to offer these loans.
While the VA provides mortgages, it does not sell homeowners insurance. However, all VA lenders require you to purchase a home insurance policy. The VA can also connect you with reputable insurers such as the ones featured in this review and provide guidance on minimum coverage requirements.
Deployment can affect your homeowners insurance coverage in two ways:
Both of these exclusions will likely be included in your homeowners insurance contract. If you are an active-duty member of the military, be sure to read these clauses carefully to understand the limits of your policy if you are deployed.
After thoroughly comparing the coverage, cost, customer service and reputation of dozens of insurers, our top recommendation for homeowners insurance for veterans and military members is USAA.
USAA’s membership benefits and specialized coverage considerations for military members are hard to beat. However, each provider in this review has distinct benefits for military members. The right company for you depends on what you’re looking to get out of your policy. We recommend comparing quotes from at least three providers to choose the right company.
Get instant quotes from home insurance companies by entering your ZIP code in our quote tool or by calling 1-855-948-5219 .
Farmers and Geico are two of the top home insurance companies that offer military discounts to military members, veterans and their loved ones. You can contact insurers directly to inquire about their military discount availability.
The VA does not offer homeowners insurance policies. However, it does provide mortgages. VA lenders will require you to purchase home insurance to take out a VA loan.
USAA’s homeowners insurance policies are only available to active, retired and honorably discharged members of the military and their immediate families. USAA members can apply for its insurance, banking products and financial services.
Eligibility requirements for military discounts can vary, but the factors below will likely impact your access to military discounts on homeowners insurance:
Because criteria may vary from one company to the next, we recommend checking directly with each homeowners insurance company you’re considering to determine if you may qualify for military discounts.
Our team surveyed dozens of home insurance providers and created a scoring system to judge each company’s quality and service. We reach out for sample quotes, both over the phone and on the internet, to simulate an authentic customer experience. Here are the factors that account for our provider reviews:
Companies with the best customer service exhibit 24/7 availability, educational resources on their website, useful digital tools and a seamless claims-filing process. Providers that offer extensive discount options, endorsements, customizable coverage options and unique features score significantly higher than those that don’t, putting them toward the top of our recommendations to readers.
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