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Donegal Insurance Group Homeowners Review (2023)

Donegal Insurance Group offers homeowners insurance in 24 states. They have earned a good reputation for having competitive insurance premiums, fair claims process, and pleasant customer service.

Read Time: 8 mins

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Donegal Insurance Group Homeowners Review
4.8
★ HOIC RATING
Premiums 5
Claims 5
Customer Satisfaction 5
Financial Standing 4
PROS
  • Outstanding customer service reviews.
  • Decent coverages are available for a fair price.
  • Their claims process and payouts are promising.
CONS
  • There’s no online quote tool.
  • Not available in all states.

The Donegal Insurance Group’s origins trace back to Marietta, a tiny town in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. In this locale, a handful of farmers banded together to form a mutual protection alliance for their agricultural holdings and assets. 

One of Donegal’s earliest policies involved providing a farmer with dwelling coverage, starting with a premium of $3.90 for $4,300 worth of insurance. In 2010, after acquiring Michigan Insurance Company, ‌annual ‌premiums exceeded $100 million.

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Today, Donegal Insurance Group This insurer is widely involved in their communities, being an avid sponsor of foundations like Make-a-Wish and Toys for Tots. They are also backed by IBM, which takes credit for helping Donegal expand its growth and systems operations. 

Aside from all of their steady accolades, Donegal Insurance Group operates in 24 states and offers an array of insurance policies, from homeowners to boats and more. We’re here to see if Donegal Insurance Group can stand up to the competition. 

If you’re in one of Donegal Insurance Group’s service areas, keep reading! In this review, we’ll pick this insurer apart and find out how they compare in terms of customer service and financial stability. Furthermore, we’ll delve into their coverages and see how much their policies might cost you.

Donegal homeowners insurance coverages 

Donegal’s website boasts heavily of its accomplishments and history, which is a nice touch of information. We’d like to see more information about their coverage, however. Donegal Insurance Group provides us with a short list of what they cover, plus some additional endorsements available at will. 

Donegal Insurance Group offers a comprehensive HO-3 policy with additional enhancements. This insurance firm provides coverage for occurrences such as natural calamities, burglaries, and unforeseen events. Consumers have the option of amplifying their protection for their primary residence, protecting valuable possessions, or buying coverage for replacement value.

Donegal Insurance Group provides clients with the flexibility of choosing from 4 optional add-ons that can either be purchased together or separately. These add-ons are customizable to meet the precise needs of the client in terms of coverage amounts for valuable items, among others.

Overall, their coverages look a little like this:

  • Dwelling coverage: The primary place of residency comes with insurance coverage which accounts for 80-90% of the entire sum, incorporating costs for both refurbishments and replacements. Homeowners have the freedom to select the degree of protection they seek for their home, with this plan being the most extensive in contrast to others available.
  • Other structures: Insurance coverage is provided for all peripheral constructions on the property, like guest houses, porches, storage spaces, swimming pools, and so on. Customers can either choose to raise their coverage amount for a side structure or withdraw a percentage of their home coverage.
  • Personal property: Personal belongings are covered, including furniture, clothing, electronics, appliances, guns, etc. However, valuable items exceeding a specific dollar amount, such as designer clothes, gold watches, antiques, and artwork, must be insured separately as an add-on.
  • Loss of use: Should your residence suffer damage and require repair or rebuilding, your extra living expenses will be covered. These expenses encompass lodging or rental fees, utilities, groceries, and other living costs.
  • Personal liability: Protection against legal actions is offered by personal liability insurance. Should an accident occur where damage is done to a neighbor’s property and a client ends up being sued, the policy will cover all legal costs and settlement amounts. This insurance safeguards clients from unexpected litigation brought by neighbors and homeowner associations.
  • Medical payments to others: Clients are entitled to compensation for any medical bills arising from injuries sustained by guests on their property.

Additional coverages and endorsements

The Donegal Insurance Group offers a few additional options for coverage. These endorsements help cover the remaining facets of your home’s contents and replacement value. They include:

  • Extended coverage limits: By utilizing this additional feature, ‌coverage for a house can surge up to 130% of its replacement worth.
  • High-value property limits: Like Extended Coverage, this endorsement will install extra limits for your personal property coverage. In this instance, Donegal initiates an additional policy for high-value items, which may include premium watches, cash, gold, artwork, music or sports equipment, and ‌more.
  • Guaranteed replacement cost: This will ensure that the company covers the entire value of your property in the event of its destruction. So, regardless if the damage incurred to your home exceeds the limits of your policy, it will be repaired, or replaced.
  • Identity fraud restoration: This add-on is to assist clients who have fallen victim to identity fraud. In the event of malicious actors stealing the client’s identity, the company will engage the services of identity fraud specialists who can help eliminate any negative effects from the client’s credit history. Additionally, the client will receive compensation for any financial damage incurred as a result of the fraud.

Donegal home insurance annual premiums and discounts available

Unfortunately, The Donegal Insurance Group doesn’t have a quote tool on their site. They work exclusively through agents. Albeit inconvenient, it also makes finding an estimated price for home insurance a more personable and hands-on experience. 

Based on this insurer’s service locations, we can provide you with a list of the average annual premiums by state. Based on Forbes data, here is how much you can expect to pay for home insurance with $350,000 worth of dwelling coverage.

StatesAverage annual premium
Alabama$1,996
Arizona$1,262
Delaware$872
Georgia$2,332
Iowa$1,636
Illinois$1,416
Indiana$1,370
Maryland$1,256
Maine$962
Michigan$1,209
Nebraska$2,591
North Carolina$1,560
New Hampshire$802
Ohio$1,025
Pennsylvania$884
South Dakota$1,895
Tennessee$1,641
Texas$2,547
Virginia$1,100
Vermont$845
West Virginia$1,280
Wisconsin$949
Wyoming$1,145

These prices may be more the case until you bring Donegal’s discounts into play. Donegal provides some discounts to their homeowners depending on their location and special circumstances. 

By incorporating safety and security devices into your home, you have the opportunity to reduce the cost of your annual premium. These devices could be smoke detectors or burglar alarms. Additionally, higher deductible options and annual renewal discounts can result in even greater savings.

Customers seem to find their prices to be fair, quoting them as being affordable, and at times much cheaper than other companies. In the wake of rising prices, some customers only have minor gripes, claiming that their insurance only went up a few hundred dollars. One customer even expresses how much money they’re saving from switching to Donegal from a big-name insurer.

Homeowners Insurance Cost Calculator

Claims Process

To file a claim with Donegal Insurance Group, you can call their 24/7 claims service line at 800-877-9006. You could also log into your account and file a claim that way. From there, you can track its progress and contact your agent. 

As far as customers are concerned, there are no issues with Donegal’s claims process. According to the NAIC, complaints about claims weren’t even registered in the year 2022.

Furthermore, many customers have noted how Donegal was a pleasure to work with for roof replacements, ceiling collapses, and other claims. Any insurer that can turn a hail-damaged roof replacement into a pleasurable event has our vote for a satisfactory claims process. Claims-related reviews state that Donegal pays out quickly and treats its customers fairly.

Donegal’s customer satisfaction

Speaking of customers, Donegal’s insureds don’t have much to say online. Considering how insurance companies are the first to hear the opinions of their people, this is a good thing. 

Donegal Insurance Group receives mostly positive reviews across the internet. Others aren’t too kind, with some customers upset with having their policies canceled without notice.

The NAIC registered Donegal’s level of complaints in the year 2022 at a measly 0.1. This is significantly below the average national complaint index for all companies, which is always set at 1.00. Of those complaints, only 1 was related to their home insurance. Suffice it to say, no insurer is spotless. However, Donegal’s customers are mostly satisfied. 

Donegal’s financial satisfaction

As of September 2022, Donegal was awarded a sold “B” rating for financial stability through Weiss Ratings. This just means that they represent good financial security with the resources to deal with adverse economic conditions. Likewise, Donegal has been rated with an “A” for both financial stability and long-term issuer credit for several consecutive years. 

Donegal Insurance Group has not been accredited by the BBB. On the bright side, they do have an A+ rating, with only 12 complaints closed in the last 3 years. 

Final thoughts

Conclusively, The Donegal Insurance Group may be the parent insurer you can trust with your home coverage. They have decent coverage options‌ and customers aren’t upset with their yearly premiums. Furthermore, they have a couple of your typical discount opportunities up for grabs. 

Their claims process is just as straightforward as any, with fewer complaints or worries about the results. Plus, their financial ratings are decent – save for not being rated by Demotech. Overall, if you are on the lookout for decent coverage at a fair price with fewer problems, Donegal may be your best bet. 

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ABOUT AUTHOR

Lauren Bell is a data analyst by day, content writer and editor by night. When she’s not making data discoveries, she’s writing about them! She also enjoys writing about lifestyle and finance; two of her favorite topics.

As an Arkansas native, Lauren loves the fresh air. When she’s not hard at work in front of a computer, you could catch her spending time on an outdoor adventure with her two kids.

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