Orchid home insurance review: High-value & high-risk coverage
Orchid Insurance is best for high-value homes nationwide and those at risk of severe weather damage due to earthquakes, hurricanes, and tornadoes.
By
Jessica OlivoJessica OlivoFreelance contributorJessica Olivo is a writer living in Connecticut. She specializes in web and blog content in a variety of topics such as parenting, business, and culture, as well as serialized and short fiction.After working in publishing and book publicity for many years, she transitioned to freelance writing full time.
Edited by
Jennifer GimbelJennifer GimbelSenior Managing Editor & Home Insurance ExpertJennifer Gimbel is a senior managing editor at Policygenius, where she oversees all of our insurance coverage. Previously, she was the managing editor at Finder.com and a content strategist at Babble.com.
Our proprietary ratings methodology takes multiple factors into account, including customer satisfaction, cost, financial strength, and policy offerings. See the “Ratings methodology” section for more details.
4.6
AM Best rating
AM Best is a global credit rating agency that scores the financial strength of insurance companies on a scale from A++ (Superior) to D (Poor).
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Cost
Using a mix of internal and external rate data, we grade the cost of each insurance company's premiums on a scale from least expensive ($) to most expensive ($$$$$).
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The bottom line
Orchid Insurance marketplace is best for homes at high risk of flooding, hurricanes, tornadoes, and earthquakes, as well as homeowners with a high net worth.
Its partner carriers cater to homeowners looking for specialized coverage that traditional insurers don’t, including excess flood coverage for damage that surpasses your NFIP policy, earthquake protection, windstorm coverage, and all-risk protection.
Available nationwide, Orchid Insurance prides itself on only working with home insurance companies that receive an A- rating or higher from AM Best to ensure each insurer has the financial stability to pay out claims in the wake of a natural disaster.
Specializes in coverage for both high-risk and high-value homes — including 5-star policy add-ons, such as flood, earthquake, and wind-only coverage
Only partners with home insurance companies rated A- or higher with A.M. Best
Available in all 50 states — including areas at high risk of storm damage
Cons
Not a direct insurance carrier — this means cost, customer service, and claims options varies depending on the company you’re placed with
Doesn’t cover mobile or manufactured homes
Website is geared toward agents and lacks coverage & discount information for homeowners
Basic coverages offered
Orchid home insurance policies include these six standard coverages to protect your home, belongings, and personal liability:
Dwelling coverage: Pays to repair or rebuild the structure of your home after a covered loss.
Other structures coverage: Pays to repair or rebuild other structures on your property not connected to your home, including detached garages, storage sheds, and fencing.
Personal property coverage: Pays to repair or replace your personal belongings after a covered loss, including furniture, clothing, tech gadgets, and other stuff you own.
Loss of use coverage: Pays for hotel stays, restaurant bills, pet boarding fees, and other temporary living expenses after a covered loss if you need to live elsewhere while your home is being rebuilt.
Personal liability coverage: Pays for legal and medical expenses if someone is injured or their belongings are damaged while at your home and you’re found legally responsible.
Medical payments coverage: Pays for small-dollar medical bills if someone is injured while at your home — regardless of who is at fault.
Additional coverages offered
You may be able to add these additional coverages to your Orchid homeowners insurance policy for even more protection, depending on the insurer you're placed with.
Private flood insurance: Offers private flood insurance with higher coverage limits than the government-run National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP).
Excess flood insurance: Covers additional costs of flood damage after reaching your insurance limit.
Earthquake insurance: Available in select states, it protects your home and personal property from earthquake damage.
All-risk protection: Also known as open perils coverage, this extends your policy’s coverage to include more causes of loss that generally aren’t covered in a standard policy.
Increased additional living expenses: Pays the unlimited cost of hotel stays, restaurant bills, and other living expenses if you’re forced to live elsewhere after a covered loss while your home is repaired.
Increased debris removal: Pays the unlimited cost to remove debris after a disaster.
Identity theft: Offers everything from assistance with your credit reports to attorney fees resulting from identity fraud to help replacing personal identification documents destroyed in a natural disaster.
Wind-only policy: Covers damage to your home caused by wind or hail for homeowners in high-risk areas where wind damage is excluded from your standard home insurance policy.
Condo insurance: Purchased as a supplement to your condo association’s master policy, condo insurance covers your personal belongings, the interior structure of your condo unit, and personal liability.
Renters insurance: Purchased by tenants, renters insurance covers the personal belongings in your rental home or apartment against fire, vandalism, theft, windstorms, and water damage, as well as personal liability and loss of use coverage.
Orchid home insurance policies also come with the following perks:
Cash settlement option: Choose to receive a cash settlement after a total loss rather than rebuilding your home.
Deductible waiver: If your deductible is $50,000 or less and your home insurance claim is greater than $50,000, Orchid will waive your deductible.
Ratings methodology
Price
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Because Orchid Insurance isn’t a direct insurance carrier, we weren’t able to score the company on price since rates and discounts will vary based on the partner company you’re placed with.
Customer experience
4.9/5
Our customer experience scale uses data from the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) complaint index. We calculated the average NAIC score of Orchid’s partner home insurance companies to determine its customer experience rating. With an average NAIC score of 0.34, Orchid’s partners received 66% fewer complaints than expected in 2021. (The expected number would be 1.0.)
Coverage options
5.0/5
Our coverage options rating is based on both the number and quality of additional coverage and policy options offered by Orchid's partner home insurance carriers. Orchid earns a perfect score thanks to the valuable coverage add-ons available through its partner carriers, including both private and excess flood insurance, earthquake coverage, guaranteed and extended replacement cost coverage for your home, and water backup and equipment breakdown protection.
Financial strength
4.0/5
Our financial strength rating is a weighted combination of three industry-leading metrics to measure a company’s financial health: AM Best, Standard & Poor’s, and Moody’s. Orchid Insurance isn’t rated by any of these companies, so its financial strength rating is based on the fact that it only works with partner home insurance companies that score an A- rating or higher with AM Best.
What companies does Orchid Insurance partner with for home insurance?
When you apply for a home insurance policy through Orchid Insurance, you may get connected with one of its partner insurance carriers for all of your coverage needs:
It’s difficult to nail down the average cost of a home insurance policy through Orchid since your premiums will vary based on the partner insurance company you're placed with. In general, how much you pay for home insurance will depend on the following factors:
Where you live
Your home’s age, condition, and claims history
Discounts you qualify for
Your coverages and policy limits
Your credit score
To give you an idea of how much you might pay, here is a look at the average annual cost of home insurance for a few of Orchid’s partner companies based on different dwelling coverage limits:
Plymouth Rock
The Andover Companies
National General
$100,000 policy
$539
N/A
$559
$200,000 policy
$725
$910
$771
$300,000 policy
$1,002
$1,240
$1,007
$400,000 policy
$1,315
$1,657
$1,288
$500,000 policy
$1,688
$2,085
$1,600
Rates are based on our analysis of 2022 sample home insurance quotes from across the country provided by Quadrant Information Services. Actual rates will vary based on location, policy limits, coverages, claims history, and other factors.
Compare home insurance quotes with Orchid & other top insurers
What discounts does Orchid Insurance offer?
You can save on the cost of Orchid home insurance if you qualify for discounts. What discounts you’re eligible for will vary depending on the home insurance carrier Orchid Insurance connects you with.
Orchid home insurance state availability
Orchid offers home insurance policies through its partner lenders in all 50 states and Washington, D.C.
What to expect with Orchid home insurance
How to get a quote: You can get an Orchid home insurance quote online through Policygenius.
Customer service options: You can get in touch with an Orchid customer service rep by calling 866-370-6505.
How to cancel your policy: You can cancel your Orchid home insurance policy by calling your Orchid agent (their contact info should be on your policy declarations page), by mail, or by visiting your local agent in person.
Orchid Insurance in the news
In April 2022, Orchid Insurance was acquired by Brown & Brown Insurance. (Reinsurance News)
Orchid Insurance vs. other home insurance companies
Compare Orchid Insurance to other home insurance companies in the industry:
You can file an Orchid home insurance claim through your insurance agent, by calling 772-237-8531 or 866-370-6505, by emailing claims@orchidinsurance.com, or by contacting your home insurance company directly.
Who bought Orchid Insurance?
Orchid Insurance was acquired by Brown & Brown Insurance in April of 2022.
What states is Orchid Insurance in?
Orchid Insurance offers home insurance policies in all 50 states.
Jessica Olivo is a writer living in Connecticut. She specializes in web and blog content in a variety of topics such as parenting, business, and culture, as well as serialized and short fiction.
After working in publishing and book publicity for many years, she transitioned to freelance writing full time.
Jennifer Gimbel is a senior managing editor at Policygenius, where she oversees all of our insurance coverage. Previously, she was the managing editor at Finder.com and a content strategist at Babble.com.
