Home insurance rates in Massachusetts vary by $2,173 between the cheapest and most expensive providers
By: Hemanth Ramesh July, 22, 2019
West Tisbury, Aquinnah, Siaconset, and Nantucket are the most expensive ZIP codes in Massachusetts. Nantucket has the highest homeowners premium of $2,972, while Housatonic has the lowest average homeowners insurance premium of $799 per annum. The average homeowners insurance in Massachusetts is $1,379.
Progressive provides the lowest homeowners insurance of $1,078, whereas Liberty Mutual offers the highest at $2,349. Boston city has an average homeowners premium of $2,120 and the City of Melrose reports the lowest homeowners insurance premium of $1,236.
Unlike most other states, Massachusetts mainly consists of local or regional companies. Only 5 of the top 10 home insurance firms offer services at a national level, while the rest are regional companies that primarily cover the Northeast region.
Housatonic, Hinsdale, Adams, and Berkshire report the least expensive home insurance premiums in Massachusetts. These zip codes are situated well within the coastline.
The following graph shows the average cost of homeowners insurance in some of Massachusetts’ largest cities, namely Cambridge, Worcester, Springfield, and Boston
Many insurance companies have added mandatory wind deductibles to their standard policies. These deductible rates are a percentage of the coverage amount or flat dollar amounts and are mainly applicable in coastal territories such as Bristol, Barnstable, and Plymouth, and Nantucket counties. Homeowners should be aware that these deductible could amount to large sums of money. Of the top 25 insurance firms, 21 have mandatory wind deductibles that are as high as 5% of the coverage for the main structure.
Surprisingly, Massachusetts has no law that legally requires homeowners to purchase home insurance. Similarly, insurance providers have the legal right to offer, cancel, terminate, or renew insurance coverage.
The Massachusetts Legislature enacted a law limiting the amount of flood insurance available to homeowners whose loans are held by state regulated banks. Such homeowners can only purchase flood insurance equivalent to their home equity loan balance or mortgage and the cost of such insurance must be devoid of the building’s contents.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Hemanth Ramesh
Hemanth Ramesh works as a writer for Gavop. He has previously written content for film promotions, start-ups, advertising agencies and event management firms. Hemanth Ramesh completed his MA in Journalism and Mass Communication from The English and Foreign Languages University. His other passion includes script writing.
