Kin Insurance Review 2024 | Bankrate

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Updated Mar 27, 2024

At a glance

3.2

Bankrate Score


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Home

3.2


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Cost & ratings

3.5



Coverage

4.3



Support

0.5


Bankrate’s take

Kin is a regional home insurer that services eight high-risk states. It takes a tech-forward approach to home insurance, but its poor online reviews and above-average number of complaints could deter some shoppers.

  • Only available in AL, AZ, FL, LA, MI, SC, TX and VA
  • Tech-forward approach to insurance
  • Mainly sells property insurance; no auto, renters, boat or pet insurance available
  • Private flood policies
  • Above-average number of customer complaints

New

What’s new with Kin?

  • As of March 2024, Kin home and mobile home insurance is now available in Texas.
  • In February 2024, Kind gained an additional $15 million in funding, placing its value over the $1 billion mark and securing “unicorn” status.
  • In its 2023 fourth quarter financial results, Kin’s written premium soared 54% compared to the previous year.
  • Kin was previously available in California, but the company is not currently active for new business in the state.
  • In 2023, Kin began writing policies in five new states — Alabama, Arizona, Mississippi, South Carolina and Virginia.

Kin home insurance review

Established in 2016, Kin is a direct-to-consumer home insurance company that specializes in providing coverage in states prone to natural disasters. It advertises itself as an affordable insurer with a unique underwriting method that includes data that other insurance providers typically overlook, including property records, permit data and aerial imagery. Kin also considers the more standard data points, such as roof characteristics, construction type and location. What’s more, Kin offers replacement cost policies (compared to actual cash value policies), so if your home or belongings are damaged, you could be paid out the full replacement cost instead of the depreciated value.

Kin earned a 3.2 out of a possible 5 Bankrate Score. Its strong discount availability and user-friendly website helped boost its rating, but Kin lost some points for its limited state availability and customer service hours. While claims may be filed 24/7, general customer service hours are more restricted. Plus, Kin does not offer auto insurance, which could deter customers looking to bundle and manage multiple policies in one place.

Pros and cons of Kin home insurance

When you’re shopping for the best home insurance company for your needs, it can be helpful to compare quotes and other features of each insurer. During our Kin insurance review, we identified these pros and cons that you might want to consider:

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Pros

  • Unique rating structure
  • Available in high-risk states
  • Landlord, condo, high-value and customizable policies available
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Cons

  • Limited state availability
  • No mobile app
  • Limited third-party ratings and reviews

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Compare Kin with other insurers

If you’re interested in Kin but not sure it’s quite right for you, you might want to also get quotes from these companies:

Kin vs. State Farm

If you’re in the market for a more traditional insurance company, State Farm could be a good choice. Coverage is sold through a network of local agents, so it could also be ideal if you prefer to handle your insurance needs face-to-face.

Read review: State Farm

Kin vs. Progressive

If you’re looking for a company familiar with selling insurance in high-risk areas, Progressive — which sells home insurance through American Strategic Insurance (ASI) — may be an option worth considering. The company sells insurance in 40 states, including Florida and Louisiana. ASI’s rating model is more standard than Kin’s, though, so if you are looking for a company that is shaking up the industry, Kin may be the better choice.

Read review: Progressive

Kin vs. Tower Hill

If you live in the Sunshine State, Tower Hill could be a good option. The company was founded (and is based) in Florida, which means its agents may be more familiar with the unique needs of homeowners there. Tower Hill offers robust coverage options and policies tailored to high-value homes, and the company also offers flood insurance as a home endorsement, a separate policy or through the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). However, Tower Hill is a more traditional carrier and doesn’t have a website quite as robust and functional as Kin’s.

Read review: Tower Hill


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Read our full methodology

Our insurance editorial team includes licensed agents with decades of combined experience, and we used our intimate knowledge of the industry to conduct this in-depth Kin insurance review.

46

years of industry expertise

Is Kin a good insurance company?

Kin services some of the most hard-to-insure states in the country, which could make it a good option for homeowners having a hard time finding insurance. Average rates from Kin are not available, but the company advertises savings of upwards of $900 for customers who switched. However, many online reviews mention feeling duped or baited by Kin’s initial affordable rates, only to be met with a pricey renewal when their policy is up. Kin also offers a healthy list of discounts, although product availability is somewhat limited. Kin takes an online-first approach to insurance, which could make it a good fit for more tech-savvy homeowners. However, those looking for a specific someone to call for all their insurance needs might want to look elsewhere.

What are real-life customers saying about Kin?

Not every single insurance company can be rated by J.D. Power, AM Best and other major third parties. That’s where real-life customer feedback can be helpful. To round out our Kin insurance review, we collected comments from actual Kin customers across the web.

Reddit

Although it is not a formal review site, Reddit’s geographical, personal finance and insurance forums generate discussion about specific insurance companies, Kin among them. The Reddit reviews skewed more negatively, with many customers complaining of being lured in with a low rate only to be hit with a steep raise when their policy was renewed. But, other users liked Kin’s easy signup system and customer service.

Reddit user 1

Jul 18, 2023

My homeowners insurance with KIN went from…

“My homeowners insurance with KIN went from $3200 a year to over $10k! More than doubling my house payment. When I I questioned them about it they stated all insurance companies were raising rates in Florida due to the hurricanes in South Fl from 2018 and litigation. I live in NW FL and have only lived here since 2021. I called another company and got BETTER coverage for $3100 a year. KIN is absolutely robbing people in Florida and the State needs to look into their practices. Disgusting company.”

Reddit user 2

Mar 22, 2023

I have them. They were in constant…

“I have them. They were in constant communication during hurricane season. Insurance doubled this year, but it only went up to a total of about $2K. Can’t comment on claims, because I haven’t had one. The inspection was easy to perform, just taking pictures around the house and submitting. So far, I would recommend them.”

Trustpilot

The Trustpilot reviews were, as a whole, much more positive. Kin has over 3,500 reviews on Trustpilot, 89 percent of which are five stars. The vast majority of those five-star reviews name and praise members of Kin’s customer service team. But, like some of the more negative reviews on Reddit, many of the one-star TrustPilot reviews were about rate raises Kin customers experienced upon policy renewal.

Trustpilot user 1

Nov 17, 2023

I was shocked to see the Savings

“I was shocked to see how much savings they saved me. I was skeptical at first and concerned about being dropped. I’ve been with Fed National Insurance for quite some time. The rates have exponentially gone up over the years being insured in Jacksonville Florida and my last annual quote was at $6700. Kin’s quote on my coverages was even covering me much higher than my current carrier and even included Flood insurance. Total around $2500 annually. I switched immediately. So now we shall see if the rates start going up every year.”

Trustpilot user 2

Feb 2, 2024

Typical American greed company

“When we originally signed up with them 2 years ago we were paying $1,8 00. Now they are trying to charge us over four grand for the exact same coverage with no bases whatsoever and no claims. And when we tried to discuss with them they just tell us oh rates have increased”

Kin company details

For those interested in Kin or current policyholders seeking assistance, here are the essential contact details:

  • Quotes: 1-855-717-0022 Mon-Fri 7 am-7pm CT, Sat 8 am-3pm CT; or sales@kin.com
  • Customer support: 1-855-216-7674, Mon-Fri 7 am-7pm CT, Sat 8 am-3pm CT; or via online form
  • Claims: 1-866-204-2219 or via online form
  • General mailing address: P.O. Box 530314, Atlanta, GA 30353-0134
  • Payments address: Check website, as mailing address is different for each state
  • Website: kin.com

State availability

Kin is available in Alabama, Arizona, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas and Virginia.

Kin tools and benefits

In addition to home insurance, Kin also offers insurance coverage for:

  • Mobile homes: Mobile homes can be riskier to insure due to the increased likelihood of wind damage. Finding coverage for mobile homes in wind-prone states can be tough, but Kin offers a solution.
  • Condos: If you own a condo, you’ll need an HO-6 policy, which is a special type of home insurance geared specifically toward condo owners.
  • Rental homes: Landlords who own and rent homes might be interested in Kin’s landlord policies. These provide coverage for the structure of the home, as well as liability coverage for injuries for which the landlord is liable.
  • Flood insurance: Kin’s private flood insurance offers higher limits than an NFIP policy and no waiting period as an optional endorsement to home insurance.
  • Home & Property insurance: This policy can be customized to homeowners who use their property as a seasonal home, a rental property, a full-time residence or a combination of all three.

Frequently asked questions about Kin

  • Kin was founded in 2016, making it one of the newer insurers in the U.S. It has grown rapidly since its founding, and recently added several states to the portfolio of regions where it operates. The company has nearly 600 employees and has written more than 160,000 policies since its founding.

  • In short, yes — Kin home insurance is legitimate. Homeowners may be leery when considering insurance from a new insurance company, though, so it’s understandable to question whether Kin is legit. However, there are ways to check the validity of any insurer. Insurance companies must have a license to do business in any state where they offer insurance. So, you can check with your state’s insurance commissioner’s office to inquire about an insurance company’s licensing status and license number. According to industry experts, if your state’s insurance commissioner does not have the license number of a company you are considering, it is a red flag, and you may want to look elsewhere for insurance coverage.

  • Kin was founded by Sean Harper, Sebastian Villarreal, Lucas Ward and Stephen Wooten under the name Kin Insurance Technology Hub, LLC. Currently, Kin has many investors but is still a privately owned company that is not publicly traded.

  • To file a claim with Kin, you can:

    Once your claim has been filed, a claims specialist will typically contact you to review the loss. Then, they’ll do some research into the damage and your policy, determine if you have coverage and release a payment to you if applicable.

    At the same time, Kin also uses technology to monitor homes in the path of storms and pinpoint houses that may have sustained damage. Then, Kin contacts policyholders proactively, warning them that they may have damage and asking them to inspect their homes. This process can help customers identify damage early, which may prevent issues from worsening.

Methodology

Bankrate Scores

Our 2024 Bankrate Score considers variables our insurance editorial team determined impacts policyholders’ experiences with an insurance company. These rating factors include a robust assessment of each company’s product availability, financial strength ratings, online capabilities and customer and claims support accessibility. Each factor was added to a category, and these categories were weighted in a tiered approach to analyze how companies perform in key customer-impacting categories.

Each category was assigned a metric to determine performance, and the weighted sum adds up to a company’s total Bankrate Score — out of 5 points. Our scoring model provides a comprehensive view, indicating when companies excel across several key areas and highlighting where they fall short.

  • Tier 1 (Cost & ratings): To determine how well auto and home insurance companies satisfy these priorities, average quoted premiums from Quadrant Information Services (if available), as well as any of the latest third-party agency ratings from J.D. Power, AM Best, Demotech and the NAIC, were analyzed.
  • Tier 2 (Coverage & savings): We assessed companies’ coverage options and availability to help policyholders find a provider that balances cost with coverage. Additionally, we evaluated each company’s discount options listed on its website.
  • Tier 3 (Support): To encompass the many ways a home insurance company can support policyholders, we analyzed avenues of customer accessibility along with community support. This analysis incorporated additional financial strength ratings from S&P and Moody’s and factored a company’s corporate sustainability efforts.



  • Cost & ratings
    50%



  • Coverage & savings
    30%



  • Support
    20%

Tier scores are unweighted to show the company’s true score in each category out of a possible five points.



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