Information on UPC Insurance

United Property and Casualty Insurance, or UPC, is a Florida-based corporation writing policies in coastal states since 1999. It specializes in hurricane insurance for homeowners who live in high-risk areas vulnerable to natural disasters. Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Rhode Island, South Carolina, and Texas are among the states that provide UPC policies.

The annual rate at UPC is $1,464, significantly higher than the national average of $1,211. They have several discounts to help you save money, as well as optional coverage endorsements to help you customize your policy. Customer satisfaction, on the other hand, is an area where UPC falls short. According to the J.D. Power 2020 U.S. Home Insurance Report, they are ranked 21st, second to last, and below the industry average.

However, UPC provides some attractive consumer advantages, such as the ability to perform a home self-inspection at your leisure using a smartphone or tablet. Instead of making an appointment for an impartial appraisal of your house, you can use this when applying for a policy.

Options for UPC home insurance coverage

In its basic homeowner's policy, UPC provides a variety of coverage options. Simply put, a UPC HO-3 strategy can be broken down as follows:

Coverage A/Dwelling: This coverage covers the house and everything permanently connected to it, such as carpeting, cabinets, and fixtures.

Coverage B/Other Structures: This includes fences, a detached garage, a carport, or a utility shed that is not connected to the property.

Personal Property (Coverage C): This section of your policy includes your personal belongings, such as furniture, clothing, and electronics. Some products, such as jewelry and fine art, may have restricted coverage, but you may purchase extra insurance for these items.

Coverage D/Loss of Use: This coverage accounts for the costs of relocating if your home is destroyed as a result of a covered loss. It may include hotel and food expenses, as well as other costs as required.

Coverage E/Liability: This part of coverage can pay for legal costs if you are involved in a lawsuit as a result of an accident at your home.

Hospital Payments (Coverage F): This covers medical costs if someone is injured in your house, regardless of who is at fault.

Additional insurance plans are available through UPC, which differs by state. You may be able to modify your policies by adding the following endorsements, depending on where you live:

Scheduled personal property helps you to lift the coverage limits on items like jewelry and fine art.

Protection for home systems: This adds coverage for HVAC systems, appliances, computer devices, and more.

Service line coverage: This option includes the maintenance of services such as electric, gas, and internet lines that run underground to your house.

Ordinance or statute coverage covers you if you decide to do extra work to get your home up to code after a disaster.

Replacement of locks: This coverage can cover the costs of replacing your home's locks.

Identity fraud expense and resolution services: If your identity is compromised, this coverage will be able to assist you in covering the costs of recovering it.

Credit cards, jewelry, silverware, and weapons (theft): Policyholders may be able to extend their policy's coverage cap for these products.

If you have a commercial property in your house, you should consider adding this endorsement to your policy to protect it.

Discounts on home insurance from UPC

UPC provides a range of discounts that will help you save money on your premium. These discounts differ from one state to the next. For example, in Florida, you can take advantage of the following:

Protective systems with several policies have been mounted.

Builder with a license

The roof is newer.

Tools for reducing wind

Seniors and retirees

Newer home

Customer reviews and concerns at UPC

UPC Insurance has mixed feedback, and organizations that rate insurance firms don't think they're very good at customer service. For example, J.D. Power places them near the bottom of its customer service rankings.

The National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) discovered that the firm received more consumer complaints than the industry average. Their UPC ranking is 5.80, which is higher than the industry average of 1.00.

UPC is not rated by AM Best, but Demotech gave it an A. This metric assesses insurers' financial resilience and their ability to pay out numerous claims in the wake of a large-scale catastrophe.

Progressive vs. UPC

Progressive serves all 50 states, allowing it to have more robust coverage options and extras that UPC does not, such as an online quote service. According to their J.D. Power ratings, both organizations have problems with customer support.

Unlike Progressive, UPC is primarily concerned with areas that experience natural disasters regularly, especially coastal areas where hurricanes may cause widespread harm. Progressive's policies are built for general homeowner properties, but UPC is worth considering if you live in a storm-prone area.

J.D. Powers assessments — NAIC: 797; UPC: 777 Progressive Index of complaints — UPC: 5.80; Progressive: 1.66 (above average) (above average)

Quote generator on the internet — Yes, progressive; no, UPC

Is it possible to use third-party underwriters? — Yes, progressive; no, UPC

USAA vs. UPC

USAA is well-known for its outstanding customer support. It's much more widely available than UPC, as it's available in all 50 states. However, USAA has one limitation: it only offers insurance to active and retired military personnel and their families. UPC sells insurance to all homeowners in the 12 states where it is licensed.

Besides, USAA has a wider reach than UPC. Although UPC specializes in insurance for homeowners, apartment owners, tenants, landlords, and flood insurance, USAA provides a wide range of coverage, including life, umbrella, car, and boat insurance, and banking and investment services.

USAA: 889; UPC: 777 according to J.D. Powers.

USAA has an NAIC Complaint Index of 0.41 (below average); UPC has an NAIC Complaint Index of 5.80. (above average)

Online quotation tool — USAA: yes, with a military ID; UPC: no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no,

Products available: USAA: house, car, life, flood, condo, motorcycle, and other property-based policies; UPC: home and other property-based policies

UPC also sells supplementary insurance plans.

UPC focuses on home and flood protection, unlike many national insurers. This writing does not sell the car, life, or other forms of insurance. Their plans are suitable for private homeowners, landlords, and HMOs. They include flood protection through the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), which the federal government and private insurers underwrite.

UPC is a regional property and casualty insurer with operations in 12 coastal states.

They concentrate on high-risk areas vulnerable to summer and winter storms, as well as hurricanes.

Customer service ratings for UPC insurance are generally poor.

If you live in an area where hurricanes or other storms occur regularly, UPC is worth considering, as many insurers avoid writing policies in storm-prone areas. UPC is well-equipped to meet the insurance needs of homeowners and landlords in the 12 coastal states where they work because of their emphasis on high-risk areas. Although UPC insurance customer service ratings aren't stellar, the company has a solid A rating from Demotech for financial stability. It has some unique customer benefits, such as a self-inspection choice for new customers.

Methodology Coverage analyzes prices for all ZIP codes and carriers in all 50 states and Washington, D.C. using Quadrant Information Services. The following coverage limits and rates are based on a 40-year-old male and female homeowner with no claims background, good credit, and the following coverage limits:

Dwelling Coverage A: $250,000

$25,000 for Coverage B, Other Structures.

Private Land, Coverage C: $125,000

Loss of Use, Coverage D: $50,000

Liability: $300,000 (Coverage E)

Health Payments, Coverage F: $1,000

A $1,000 deductible and a separate wind and hail deductible apply to the homeowners (if required).

These are sample rates that can only be used for comparison. Your quotes would likely vary.

The rates are based on information from the 2020 Quadrant Information Services.