Vacation home insurance tends to cost more and work a bit differently than primary home insurance. Farmers and Progressive offer some of the best vacation home coverage.
Jessica is a freelance writer, professional researcher, and mother of two rambunctious little boys. She specializes in personal finance, women and money, and financial literacy. Jessica is fascinated by the psychology of money and what drives people to make important financial decisions. She holds a Masters of Science degree in Cognitive Research Psychology.
3+ years experience in insurance and personal finance editing
Katie uses her knowledge and expertise as a licensed property and casualty agent in Massachusetts to help readers understand the complexities of insurance shopping.
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Whether you own a secondary home to enjoy on vacation or rent out for revenue, it’s a good idea to consider your insurance needs. Vacation home insurance is a little different than primary home insurance since insurers view these properties as higher risk.
Here’s what you need to know about how primary and second home insurance policies differ, what vacation insurance covers, and how to find affordable coverage.
Quick Facts
Vacation homes often cost more due to additional risks associated with more frequent vacancies.
Some insurance companies don’t offer vacation or second-home insurance policies.
The average annual cost for secondary home insurance in the U.S. is $2,693. By state, average annual costs range from $1,040 in Vermont to $12,458 in Florida.
What is vacation home insurance?
A vacation home is a secondary residence that you might use on the weekends or while on vacation — or you may rent it out for revenue. Vacation homes are often in a different location from your main residence, providing a nice change of scenery. Just as you need adequate insurance to protect your primary residence, you need a separate policy to protect your vacation property.
While the same types of insurance are available for both properties, you can expect to pay more to insure your second home. Since you aren’t always at your vacation home, it has a higher risk of vandalism, theft, and undetected maintenance issues.
Best vacation home insurance companies
Not all insurance companies offer policies for second homes. To help you focus on the companies that do provide vacation insurance, consider some of the best insurance companies offering secondary insurance below.
Insurance Company
▲▼
IQ Score
The Insurify Quality (IQ) Score uses more than 15 criteria to objectively rate insurance companies on a one-to-ten scale. The Insurify editorial team researches insurer data to determine the final scores.
▲▼
Average Annual Cost
▲▼
Best For
▲▼
Farmers
8.4
$2,972
Customization
Progressive
8.2
N/A
Ease of buying
Liberty Mutual
8
N/A
Bundling
Hippo
6.8
N/A
High-tech protection
American Family
8.6
$1,877
Temporary rental coverage
The Hartford
6.2
N/A
Snowbirds
Our editorial team spent more than 350 hours developing the Insurify Quality (IQ) Score and scoring insurance companies. The IQ Score objectively analyzes and calculates a score for insurers using more than 15 crucial criteria. The team weighted criteria by importance to the consumer — factors such as customer reviews and affordability influence the score more than availability and third-party ratings.
We rate each company on a 1 to 10 scale based on five categories: financial ratings, customer satisfaction, affordability, customer support and transparency, and availability. Insurify updates ratings once a year or as more recent information becomes available.
Third-party financial ratings: Insurify uses data from AM Best, S&P, Moody’s, and more to compare insurance companies’ credit and ability to pay out future claims.
Customer satisfaction: To calculate this score, Insurify analyzed more than 28,000 customer reviews across 155 car insurance companies. We also consider third-party ratings from J.D. Power, the National Association of Insurance Commissioners, and Trustpilot.
Affordability: Our data scientists analyzed more than 90 million real-time auto insurance rates from our partners across the U.S., as well as available discounts, to calculate an affordability score.
Customer support and transparency: This measures coverage options, ease of claims filing, and the insurer's transparency surrounding discounts, coverages, and claims process.
Availability and reach: Insurify scores availability and reach by identifying the number of states in which insurers offer coverage and company size by market share.
The Insurify Quality (IQ) Score uses more than 15 criteria to objectively rate insurance companies on a one-to-ten scale. The Insurify editorial team researches insurer data to determine the final scores.
8.3/10
JD Power
J.D. Power data measures overall customer satisfaction and claims satisfaction based on a 1,000-point scale.
815
$300,000 Dwelling
A standard HO-3 home insurance policy typically includes dwelling, personal property, and liability coverage. The average rate displayed here reflects a policy with the following coverage limits: $300,000 dwelling; $25,000 personal property; $300,000 personal liability; $30,000 loss of use; and a $1,000 deductible for medical payments to others.
$147/mo
$500,000 Dwelling
A standard HO-3 home insurance policy typically includes dwelling, personal property, and liability coverage. The average rate displayed here reflects a policy with the following coverage limits: $500,000 dwelling; $25,000 personal property; $300,000 personal liability; $30,000 loss of use; and a $1,000 deductible for medical payments to others.
$238/mo
Founded in 1928, Farmers Insurance initially sold insurance for rural farmers’ vehicles. Today, the company sells a wide range of insurance products, including auto, life, business, pet, and property insurance. Farmers offers several options for customizing home policies with vacation home insurance, vacant home insurance, landlord, earthquake, and flood insurance.
Pros
Flood and earthquake coverage available
Wide variety of available discounts
Cons
Lower-than-average customer satisfaction ranking in J.D. Power’s 2023 U.S. Home Insurance Study
The Insurify Quality (IQ) Score uses more than 15 criteria to objectively rate insurance companies on a one-to-ten scale. The Insurify editorial team researches insurer data to determine the final scores.
4.1/10
JD Power
J.D. Power data measures overall customer satisfaction and claims satisfaction based on a 1,000-point scale.
819
A.M. Best
A.M. Best analyzes an insurer’s financials, operating performance, business profile, and other factors to generate an opinion-based rating of a company’s financial and credit strength. Ratings range from A++ (exceptional) to D (poor).
A+
Progressive’s insurance offerings include auto, life, pet, travel, business, and property insurance. Progressive makes the insurance-buying process easy. The company allows you to get a quote online, and you can buy coverage over the phone or with an independent agent.
Pros
Quotes available online
Wide range of available discounts
Cons
Lower-than-average customer satisfaction ranking in J.D. Power’s 2023 U.S. Home Insurance Study
Limited number of available endorsements compared to competitors
The Insurify Quality (IQ) Score uses more than 15 criteria to objectively rate insurance companies on a one-to-ten scale. The Insurify editorial team researches insurer data to determine the final scores.
4/10
JD Power
J.D. Power data measures overall customer satisfaction and claims satisfaction based on a 1,000-point scale.
819
A.M. Best
A.M. Best analyzes an insurer’s financials, operating performance, business profile, and other factors to generate an opinion-based rating of a company’s financial and credit strength. Ratings range from A++ (exceptional) to D (poor).
A
Liberty sells a range of insurance products, including auto, life, small business, and homeowner insurance. When you purchase two or more insurance products, you can save with Liberty Mutual’s bundling discounts. To best protect your vacation home, Liberty Mutual provides the option to purchase landlord, flood, and umbrella insurance.
Pros
Discount for purchasing insurance online
Optional coverages for hurricane damage, water backup, and wind and hail
Cons
Second-lowest score in J.D. Power’s 2023 U.S. Home Insurance Study
Online purchase discount not available in all states
The Insurify Quality (IQ) Score uses more than 15 criteria to objectively rate insurance companies on a one-to-ten scale. The Insurify editorial team researches insurer data to determine the final scores.
3.4/10
JD Power
J.D. Power data measures overall customer satisfaction and claims satisfaction based on a 1,000-point scale.
Not rated
Founded in 2015, Hippo is a tech-forward company that offers tools to help keep your vacation home more secure when you’re away. The company’s smart-home technology allows you to monitor and maintain your home even when you’re not there.
Pros
Quotes available online
Live chat option available
Cons
Not available in all states
Doesn’t insure short-term rental properties like Airbnb or Vrbo
American Family: Best for temporary rental coverage
The Insurify Quality (IQ) Score uses more than 15 criteria to objectively rate insurance companies on a one-to-ten scale. The Insurify editorial team researches insurer data to determine the final scores.
9.1/10
JD Power
J.D. Power data measures overall customer satisfaction and claims satisfaction based on a 1,000-point scale.
840
$300,000 Dwelling
A standard HO-3 home insurance policy typically includes dwelling, personal property, and liability coverage. The average rate displayed here reflects a policy with the following coverage limits: $300,000 dwelling; $25,000 personal property; $300,000 personal liability; $30,000 loss of use; and a $1,000 deductible for medical payments to others.
$113/mo
$500,000 Dwelling
A standard HO-3 home insurance policy typically includes dwelling, personal property, and liability coverage. The average rate displayed here reflects a policy with the following coverage limits: $500,000 dwelling; $25,000 personal property; $300,000 personal liability; $30,000 loss of use; and a $1,000 deductible for medical payments to others.
$156/mo
Established in 1927, American Family now sells auto, travel, life, and home insurance coverage. If you want to monetize your vacation home, American Family offers temporary rental coverage if you rent out your second home for 62 days or fewer per year.
Pros
Quotes available online and through an agent
24/7 claims support
Cons
Available in only 19 states
Lower-than-average score in J.D. Power’s 2023 U.S. Home Insurance Study
The Insurify Quality (IQ) Score uses more than 15 criteria to objectively rate insurance companies on a one-to-ten scale. The Insurify editorial team researches insurer data to determine the final scores.
3.1/10
JD Power
J.D. Power data measures overall customer satisfaction and claims satisfaction based on a 1,000-point scale.
837
A.M. Best
A.M. Best analyzes an insurer’s financials, operating performance, business profile, and other factors to generate an opinion-based rating of a company’s financial and credit strength. Ratings range from A++ (exceptional) to D (poor).
A+
The Hartford has grown to include auto, business, pet, and homeowners insurance. The Hartford has a relationship with AARP that can help senior snowbirds save on coverage for their second home.
Pros
Quotes available online
24/7 claims department
Cons
Homeowners insurance coverage isn’t available in all states
Fewer discounts than other competitors
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4.8/5
How vacation home insurance differs from homeowners insurance
Insurance for a secondary property can have different terms than a policy for your primary residence. How you use your vacation property and how often you reside there can affect the type of coverage you need.
Insurance companies often write coverage for secondary residences on a “named perils” basis. This means your insurer will only cover losses due to the perils outlined in your policy. You won’t have coverage for any unnamed perils.[1]
Insurance for your primary residence typically covers all perils except the ones your policy explicitly excludes. When selecting coverage for your vacation home, carefully consider the location and any specific risks that you want to cover.
The following table highlights some of the different risk factors for primary and vacation properties.
Primary Home
▲▼
Vacation Home
▲▼
Damage from natural disasters (wind and hail)
Water damage and freezing
Distance from a fire station
Poor home maintenance
Neighborhood crime risk
Having a dog as a pet
More frequent vacancy
Greater chance for burglary and vandalism when vacant
Location in an area exposed to natural disasters, like a beach
May have special amenities (hot tubs, pools) that increase liability risk
Hazards can go undetected for longer
What vacation home insurance covers
A secondary home insurance policy typically provides the following coverage:
Dwelling coverage
Dwelling coverage protects the physical structure of the home and can also cover permanently attached structures, such as a deck, gazebo, or garage.
Personal property coverage
Also known as contents insurance, personal property coverage pays to replace your personal belongings following theft or damage in a covered event.
Personal liability protection
If someone incurs an injury on your property or if you damage someone else’s property, personal liability protection can pay for the loss or injury.
What vacation home insurance doesn’t cover
When insuring your second property, it’s important to understand what your policy doesn’t cover so you don’t have unpleasant surprises. Here are some things this insurance typically won’t cover:
Wear and tear: Like your primary homeowners insurance policy, your vacation home insurance won’t cover wear and tear.
Maintenance issues: If you fail to properly maintain your home, such as not repairing a leaky roof or pipe, your insurance won’t cover the damage.
Natural disasters: If your vacation home is in an area prone to floods, winds, or earthquakes, you might want to consider additional insurance. For instance, if an earthquake damages your beach house in California, your insurance won’t pay for damages unless you have additional earthquake insurance.[2]
Cost of vacation home insurance
The average national cost for $300,000 in dwelling insurance for a secondary home is $2,693 per year, compared to $2,377 for primary home insurance.
The annual cost of vacation home insurance varies greatly between states due to factors like location and exposure to natural disasters. Insuring a vacation home in Vermont costs an average of $1,040, while the average cost in Florida is $12,458.
Florida is prone to a range of disasters, including severe storms, cyclones, drought, and flooding, which increases the risk to home insurers and the cost to homeowners. Though Vermont also experiences weather disasters, the frequency and associated costs aren’t as high.
Compare average annual costs for secondary home policies with $300,000 in dwelling coverage by state.
State
▲▼
Average Annual Cost
▲▼
Alaska
$1,265
Alabama
$4,462
Arkansas
$3,816
Arizona
$2,222
California
$2,019
Colorado
$4,614
Connecticut
$1,999
Delaware
$1,368
Florida
$12,458
Georgia
$2,749
Hawaii
$1,304
Iowa
$2,402
Idaho
$1,854
Illinois
$2,323
Indiana
$2,115
Kansas
$3,894
Kentucky
$2,805
Louisiana
$7,199
Massachusetts
$2,111
Maryland
$1,892
Maine
$1,498
Michigan
$2,085
Minnesota
$2,643
Missouri
$3,066
Mississippi
$4,886
Montana
$2,014
North Carolina
$2,390
North Dakota
$2,854
Nebraska
$4,489
New Hampshire
$1,388
New Jersey
$1,436
New Mexico
$3,810
Nevada
$1,386
New York
$2,558
Ohio
$1,520
Oklahoma
$6,168
Oregon
$1,396
Pennsylvania
$1,480
Rhode Island
$2,307
South Carolina
$3,491
South Dakota
$2,903
Tennessee
$2,798
Texas
$5,048
Utah
$1,552
Virginia
$1,813
Vermont
$1,040
Washington
$1,628
Washington, D.C.
$1,363
Wisconsin
$1,656
West Virginia
$1,577
Factors that affect vacation home insurance costs
Insurance companies use many factors to determine the cost of a standard home insurance policy, including your home’s age, building materials, if you have a security system or sprinkler system, and your claims history.
When determining premiums for a second home, your insurer will consider the following variables:
Location: Vacation homes are often in higher-risk areas, such as beaches or forests. When calculating your insurance premiums, insurers will carefully consider the type of natural disasters your vacation home is vulnerable to.
Extra amenities: Added amenities like a hot tub or pool can increase your home’s risk and insurance rates.
Property value: How much your property is worth also influences the cost of home insurance. If you own a high-value vacation property, you can expect to pay more for insurance coverage.
Vacancy: If your vacation property is unoccupied for a period of time, this can increase the risk of break-ins and vandalism. Vacant properties can also lead to undetected issues, such as a leaky or burst pipe. If you aren’t checking in on a regular basis, this can cause major damage.
Renters: Having renters in your vacation home is likely to increase the cost of insurance, as insurers view it as another risk. You may also need to purchase additional coverage.[3]
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Other insurance policies to consider for a vacation home
To provide the proper protection for your vacation home, you may consider some of the following insurance policies in addition to standard homeowners coverage:
Flood insurance: Flooding is the most common natural disaster in the U.S., and standard homeowners insurance policies don’t cover it. If you have a vacation home in an area prone to flooding, consider purchasing a separate flood insurance policy through a private insurer or from the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP).
Earthquake insurance: A standard home insurance policy generally won’t cover damage from an earthquake. Some policies will cover damage from a fire following an earthquake and expenses to live elsewhere if your home is uninhabitable. If your vacation home is in an area prone to earthquakes, many private insurers offer separate policies or endorsements.
Wind and hurricane deductibles: In high-risk hurricane areas, homeowners insurance policies come with percentage deductibles for damages from windstorms or hurricanes. Deductibles typically depend on a percentage of the home’s value. For example, if a house has $300,000 in dwelling insurance and a 5% hurricane deductible, you’ll pay the first $15,000 before insurance kicks in.
Umbrella insurance: Your standard homeowners coverage provides liability insurance up to your policy’s limit. An umbrella policy provides additional liability coverage that kicks in once you’ve hit your standard policy limit.
Landlord insurance: If you plan to rent out your vacation home for short periods of time, you may need to add an endorsement to your existing policy. For longer-term rentals, you may need to purchase landlord or rental dwelling insurance.
Vacation home insurance FAQs
Understanding the right amount of coverage for your vacation home is important. The following information can help answer your remaining questions about vacation home insurance.
Can you insure two homes under a single policy?
No. Typically, you can’t cover two homes under a single insurance policy. If you have a vacation home, you’ll need to purchase a second policy.
Is home insurance more expensive for a vacation home?
Usually. Many factors affect the cost of home insurance, including location, the size of your home, and the type of insurance you purchase. Home insurance often costs more for vacation properties because they tend to have more frequent vacancies.
Does an umbrella policy cover a second home?
Possibly. An umbrella policy provides additional liability insurance and covers you once you reach your standard policy limit. If you have an umbrella policy on your primary residence, this protection may extend to your second home. Call your insurance company to clarify the details.
What is vacant home insurance, and when do you need it?
An insurer will consider your home vacant if it’s empty for 30 to 60 days. Many insurance companies stop coverage if your house is vacant for 60 days or more. For example, if you move into a new home and leave your old home vacant while you wait to sell it, you might consider vacancy insurance.
Does vacation home insurance cover you if you rent out your second home?
No. If you plan to rent out your vacation home for short periods of time, you may need to add an endorsement to your existing policy. Longer-term rentals may require you to purchase landlord or rental dwelling insurance. Contact your insurance company to determine what coverage you need.
Jessica is a freelance writer, professional researcher, and mother of two rambunctious little boys. She specializes in personal finance, women and money, and financial literacy. Jessica is fascinated by the psychology of money and what drives people to make important financial decisions. She holds a Masters of Science degree in Cognitive Research Psychology.
Edited byKatie PowersAuto and Life Insurance Editor
Katie PowersAuto and Life Insurance Editor
Licensed auto and home insurance agent
3+ years experience in insurance and personal finance editing
Katie uses her knowledge and expertise as a licensed property and casualty agent in Massachusetts to help readers understand the complexities of insurance shopping.
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Farmers
Progressive
Liberty Mutual
Hippo
American Family
The Hartford
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