Updated: May 22, 2024
Advertising & Editorial Disclosure
score813/5
satisfaction
5/5
affordability
4/5
stability
Despite its high affordability rating, Universal North America's financial stability and customer satisfaction scores are average. That makes it more suitable for people who are not concerned about customer service or superior claims processing and simply want affordable home insurance.
Universal North America offers many optional coverages but, based on our research, no discounts to its policyholders. To obtain a personalized quote, you must contact an agent in your area. However, you have a slew of options for managing your policy via an online account, and you get 24/7 claims support.
A good homeowners insurer should have an excellent customer service reputation. Universal North America scored an overall 81 out of 100 MoneyGeek rating, affordability being its strongest factor at 4.75 out of 5. The big influences lowering its score were its average customer satisfaction rating of 3.26 out of 5 and 3.5 out of 5 for financial stability. Additionally, Universal North America has an extremely high NAIC customer complaint score.
MoneyGeek looked at Universal North America's NAIC customer complaint index score in addition to its overall service. It scored 2.24 points, which is way higher than the national median of 1.00. That indicates the company receives a surprisingly large number of customer complaints compared to the average insurance provider.
AM Best assesses the financial soundness of insurers by granting them a rating in one of the seven categories of the rating scale. Universal North America obtained a B+ rating, which indicates that the company possesses good financial strength to meet its ongoing insurance commitments.
You must know what to expect from a home insurance company before purchasing a policy. Learn how to buy a policy, manage or cancel it, contact customer service and make a claim with Universal North America through the information provided below by MoneyGeek.
You must first locate an agent in your area using Universal North America's online agent search, and they offer you an insurance quote.
You can contact Universal North America customer care toll-free at 866-458-4262 between 8:30 a.m and 9:00 p.m. Eastern time.
To file a claim, you can either fill out an online form and submit it for processing or call Universal North America's claims assistance line at 866-999-0898.
To cancel your Universal North America homeowners insurance, log into your My Universal account and submit a cancellation request. Alternatively, you may contact the agent who assisted you in obtaining the policy or call 866-458-4262 to reach customer service at Universal North America.
You may phone Universal North America claims customer care at 866-999-0898 24/7 to file a claim. Alternatively, you can fill out an online claim form and submit it for processing.
Universal North America homeowners insurance is available in Arizona, California, Connecticut, Georgia, Hawaii, Maryland, North Carolina, New Jersey, Nevada, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Texas, Virginia and Washington.
The average yearly cost of homeowners insurance is $1,979. However, Universal North America homeowners insurance quotes may vary depending on the location and age of your property, as well as the construction type of the home. You can learn more about the cost of homeowners insurance by contacting a Universal North America insurance agent in your area.
Many variables affect home Insurance costs, including the location of your home, its dwelling coverage limit and the deductible you choose. While $250,000 is a good starting point for dwelling coverage, it is best to examine the worth of your property to decide how much coverage you need. You also need to consider the limits of other coverages and whether you need to add coverages, which do increase your home insurance costs.
MoneyGeek's home insurance calculator below can estimate your rate based on the coverage limits you need.
MoneyGeek’s home insurance calculator will give you a ballpark estimate of your cost — it’s free, no personal information required, no spam.
Rates updated:
Jul 26, 2024
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Choosing a policy with a high deductible and lower coverage limits can help you save money on your insurance. It's a short-term advantage, though; if your property is destroyed and you need to rebuild it, the lower coverage limits may require you to spend a lot of money out of pocket.
Universal North America does not advertise homeowners insurance discounts, unlike the majority of other home insurers in the United States.
There aren't many opportunities to save money with this company other than by reducing the amount of coverage you purchase.
Add-on coverages are available with a Universal North America homeowners insurance policy to supplement the standard coverage. The company offers a total of 11 endorsement coverage options, far more than the industry standard of five. It does not offer any unique coverages, and the majority of its coverages are offered by at least one or more insurers.
However, it includes a type of water damage coverage known as hidden water damage. It protects your property from damage caused by backed-up water or sump pump overflow, but not any damage from flood or surface water. Notably, the National Association of Insurance Commissioners' most recent study found that 29.4% of home losses are caused by freezing and water damage.
The information you give to the insurance company is often used to figure out how much your policy will cover. It's not very common for insurance companies to give their customers a list of coverage levels from which they can choose.
There are a number of endorsements available to supplement your Universal North America homeowners insurance coverage. MoneyGeek summarizes the available coverage options and how they can benefit you in the following chart.
Offered as a personal property value loss settlement, this coverage protects precious personal property, such as jewelry, fine art, etc.
Pays to repair or replace malfunctioning home systems or equipment (other than normal wear and tear).
It provides protection for your home if it is rented out to others.
It covers you for some of the expenses incurred as a result of identity theft or fraud.
Under the terms of your homeowners insurance policy, you have protection against allegations of libel, slander and invasion of privacy.
It covers damage to your home caused by backed-up water or sump pump overflow, but not flood or surface water damage.
This coverage increases liability limits as well as the coverage limit for additional structures.
Covers the expense of completely replacing your personal property if it is damaged or destroyed as a result of a covered loss.
This coverage protects a seasonal or unoccupied home.
If you are a member of a homeowners association (HOA), you may qualify for an increased loss assessment. It covers your portion of a covered loss that the HOA charges to every member.
Covers business activities done on the resident's premises when a business operates in a home that is primarily used as a home and does not include any other business activity.
When shopping for homeowners insurance, it's essential that the policy contains all the standard coverages. Flood, earthquake and insect damage coverage aren't available in all policies. If you live in an area that makes these coverages important, it's a good idea to study the fine print on the home insurance policy before purchasing it. If your insurer offers endorsements, you can purchase additional coverages for extra protection.
Note that the amount of coverage your home needs depends on several factors. The majority of homeowners insurance policies are tailorable to the customer's specific needs. A homeowners insurance policy from Universal North America usually comes with the following standard coverages:
The cost of replacing the structure of a damaged home is covered by the company up to the policy limits. It also includes structures on the property, such as swimming pools and screen pool enclosures.
This coverage replaces damaged personal belongings, such as clothing, furniture, jewelry, furs and heirlooms.
This coverage extends to property damage or physical injury of a non-family member for whom the homeowners are legally accountable.
The policy covers the expenses of rebuilding detached structures like a tool shed, fence or gazebo.
This coverage pays for medical expenses incurred by someone visiting the household that is injured.
If the home becomes uninhabitable as a result of a covered loss, it pays for the cost of living expenses above the normal amount during repairs/rebuilding.
By offering a variety of online tools and services, an insurer can enhance the customer experience of its policyholders. The Universal North America website includes various features, including the ability to pay bills, access and view policy documents, request policy changes and file claims. These tools are available only to policyholders.
Policyholders can use their My Universal account to pay bills, view policy documents, request to purchase or remove optional coverages, change their mailing address and track the progress of filed claims.
Using an online form, policyholders can file a claim quickly.
Universal North America does not limit its offerings to homeowners insurance. It also offers condo, flood, earthquake, small business insurance and dwelling fire or landlord insurance. We detail each of Universal North America's other products in the table below.
Type of Product | Description |
|---|---|
Condo Insurance | While the majority of condo insurance policies supplied by condominium associations cover the common areas, Universal North America’s condominium insurance provides comprehensive coverage for a condo. |
Flood Insurance | Universal Flood Protection is offered in partnership with the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) to protect a house and valuables from flood-related damage. |
Small Business Owners Insurance | This insurance offers small businesses liability coverage, business coverage and property coverage. Additional coverages are addable to the policy. |
Earthquake Insurance | Comprehensive and limited earthquake insurance are available to suit budgetary requirements. |
Dwelling Fire Insurance | Landlords can obtain property and liability protection on their rented out homes through dwelling fire insurance. |
In this Universal North America homeowners insurance review, MoneyGeek combed through the company's website, obtained quotes and analyzed data from consumer intelligence sources, such as J.D. Power, the NAIC and AM Best, to determine the company's performance as a homeowners insurance provider.
About Mark Fitzpatrick
Mark Fitzpatrick has analyzed the property and casualty insurance market for over five years, conducting original research and creating personalized content for every kind of buyer. Currently, he leads P&C insurance content production at MoneyGeek. Fitzpatrick has been quoted in several insurance-related publications, including CNBC, NBC News and Mashable.
Fitzpatrick earned a master’s degree in economics and international relations from Johns Hopkins University and a bachelor’s degree from Boston College. He is passionate about using his knowledge of economics and insurance to bring transparency around financial topics and help others feel confident in their money moves.
