Kin homeowners insurance review 2025

Started in 2016, Kin specializes in homeowners insurance at lower rates than many competitors, especially for high-risk homes.

We like that Kin is a direct-to-consumer insurer, allowing you to buy a policy online without working with an agent. Another plus: Private flood insurance is available as an add-on with much higher coverage limits than provided by the National Flood Insurance Program.

Kin is only available in about a dozen states, however, so it might not be a good option depending on where you live.

Kin Insurance is available in Alabama, Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Virginia. It also offers policies for homes, condos, mobile homes and landlords, as well as flood insurance.

Basic coverage

A standard Kin homeowners insurance policy includes:

• Dwelling coverage: Pays to rebuild or repair your home's physical structure, attached structures, and anything permanently affixed to your home.
• Contents coverage: Pays for items inside your house. Kin policies can cover either the actual cash value or replacement cost value of your belongings.
• Other structures: Covers structures like a shed, fence or detached garage that aren't attached to your home.
• Personal liability: Protects you financially if you're at fault for damages to another person.
• Medical payments to others: Pays medical costs for anyone who is injured on your property.
• Loss of use: Covers costs if you have to relocate while your home is being repaired after a covered incident.

Riders and endorsements

Kin also offers customers a few ways to make their policy fit their home's unique needs. Options include:

• Water backup coverage: Pays for damages resulting from a clogged sewer line, drain backup, sump pump failure, or septic system backup.
• Fungi and mold coverage: Can pay to repair or replace parts of your home affected by mold or fungi.
• Animal liability coverage: Can pay for property and injury liability damages arising from pets in your home.
• Identity fraud expense reimbursement: Can pay for legal fees, court costs and lost wages required to restore your identity if it's used fraudulently.
• Inflation guard: Automatically bumps your dwelling coverage to keep pace with inflation.
• Ordinance or law coverage: Can pay to help you meet the current local ordinances or codes when rebuilding or repairing your home.
• Scheduled personal property: Allows you to cover individual items at higher limits, including things like art, jewelry or collectibles.

Kin several discounts for homeowners, including discounts for:

• Having security devices
• Installing wind mitigation features
• Installing water leak detection devices
• Being a nonsmoker
• Being 55 or older
• Managing your policy online
• First-time homebuyers

Not all discounts are available in all states and some may not be combined.

A digital-first insurer, Kin makes it easy to get a personalized home insurance quote online within minutes. Its easy-to-navigate website is full of useful explainers and information, but there is no mobile app or online chat feature.

The customer service line can be reached at 855-216-7674, Mondays through Fridays, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. CT and Saturdays 8 a.m. to 3 p.m CT, but it is closed on Sundays. Claims filing is available 24 hours a day online or by calling 866-204-2219.

Kin earned an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau and has relatively few complaints filed with the National Association of Insurance Commissioners.

Because of its relatively small size, Kin hasn't appeared in any of J.D. Power's Home Insurance Studies and hasn't been rated for financial strength by A.M. Best. Demotech gave the Kin Interinsurance Network and Kin Interinsurance Nexus Exchange an A (Exceptional) financial stability rating.

In addition to standard homeowners insurance, Kin covers:

• Condos
• Mobile homes
• Floods
• Landlords
• Vacation homes

Here's how Kin stacks up to two competitors.

Kin vs. Foremost

Kin and Foremost both approve policies for homeowners that may be classified as high-risk because of the probability of severe weather. Kin has the advantage for those who want to buy direct-to-consumer coverage online, however, as Foremost requires you to work with an agent.

If you want to bundle policies, though, you might lean toward Foremost, which also issues car insurance, boat insurance and other policies.

Kin vs. Allstate

Kin has a much smaller footprint than Allstate, but it approves policies in California, the one state Allstate doesn't serve.

Allstate allows customers to buy home policies online or through an agent, while Kin lacks any in-person branches.

Allstate also has add-ons Kin doesn't offer, coverage for homes being listed on homesharing platforms like Airbnb.

Kin makes it possible to get homeowners insurance online. You'll need to enter your name, phone number and date of birth, along with your home's address and other details about its age, materials, roofing and more.

From there, you can customize your policy and pick the riders you want. You can finalize and sign for your policy completely online as well.

Kin offers quotes by phone at 855-717-0022, Monday to Friday from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. CT and Saturday 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. CT (or until 8 p.m. CT for customers in Arizona, California and Texas). Emails can be sent to sales@kin.com.

If you live in a state that's at higher risk for wildfires or hurricanes, Kin's affordable rates may make it an attractive option. While it's a newer player in the market, Kin offers coverage in states where other insurers are limiting policies, including California and Florida.

Kin is well-suited for homeowners who prefer the simplicity of a fully online experience, but may not be a good fit if you want a company with a long track record or the option to work with agents face to face.

At CNBC Select, our mission is to provide our readers with high-quality service journalism and comprehensive consumer advice so they can make informed decisions with their money. Every homeowners insurance review is based on rigorous reporting by our team of expert writers and editors with extensive knowledge of homeowners insurance. While CNBC Select earns a commission from affiliate partners on many offers and links, we create all our content without input from our commercial team or any outside third parties, and we pride ourselves on our journalistic standards and ethics.

CNBC Select reviews homeowners insurance products using a variety of criteria, including rates, coverage options, availability, riders, discounts and customer satisfaction. 

In addition, we incorporate results from J.D. Power surveys on homeowners insurance and the property claims process, the National Association of Insurance Commissioners' complaint index, Better Business Bureau ratings.

Homeowners insurance rates may come from various sources, including the provider and state insurance departments. 

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