- Over 130 years in business: impressive company longevity
- Several types of insurance are offered
- Personal liability is not included by default in home insurance policies
- Exclusive to Texas residents
- No way to file your claim online
Of the private home insurance companies we’ve reviewed, Hochheim Prairie Insurance is among the oldest. This business has proud roots on Texas soil. It comes as no surprise that, since the late 1800s, they primarily serve Texan homeowners.
An experienced company with origins dating back to 1892, Hochheim Prairie has been writing insurance policies for over 130 years. Hochheim Prairie was founded in Hochheim, Texas when a community of farmers got together to create an insurance company for their area. Originally based as a farm insurance company, Hochheim Prairie grew and developed policies across the state of Texas. Today, Hochheim Prairie provides homeowners, auto, and liability insurance options in Texas and rakes in $15.57 million in net premiums as of March 2022.
Are you considering Hoccheim Prairie for your home insurance needs? You should keep reading this review. We’ll give you the run-down on the insurance that Hoccheim Prairie offers, and what their customers have to say about it.
Hochheim Prairie home insurance coverages & premiums
Unfortunately, their site doesn’t make it easy to receive a quick quote. Their request form is, however, more inclusive than many we’ve seen. To request a quote, their site asks you various qualifying questions to get you the insurance premium you deserve.
According to this form, they have 3 types of coverage available for homeowners. These include:
Basic coverage
This coverage insures homeowners from basic perils. This is the equivalent of the HO-1 policy.
- Fire
- Lightning
- Smoke
- Windstorm
- Hurricane
- Hail
- Aircraft
- Land vehicle
- Riots & civil commotion
Broad coverage
This coverage insures homeowners against more named perils just like the HO-2 policy. With this, you get the same coverage from the Basic level, plus:
- Vandalism
- Theft
- Weight of ice or snow
- Accidental water discharge (not flooding)
- Falling objects
- Surface water (not flooding)
Special coverage
Hoccheim Prairie describes this coverage as protection against “risks of direct physical loss unless excluded.”
To get a good idea of what a run-of-the-mill policy will cost you, consider your location. Hochheim Prairie only serves the state of Texas, which is thought to soon become the state with the highest home insurance rates. In Texas, you can expect your $300,000 dwelling coverage to cost you north of $3,000 a year.
Other coverages & extensions
Extensions can be added to Hoccheim’s Broad and Special coverages described above. These can include property removal, loss of use coverage, debris removal, or replacement cost coverage. The quote prompt asks you if you’d like personal property coverage added to your chosen policy. Once selected, it gives you the choice of adding replacement cost.
Hoccheim also has policies available for those with unique circumstances. Along with homeowner’s insurance, they offer Farm & Ranch coverage, as well as:
- Auto Insurance
- Liability insurance add-on
- Comprehensive Personal
- Farm
- Commercial General
- Retail or small business insurance
- Manufactured and modular homes
- Mobile homes
- Builder’s risks
- Duplex, Triplex, or Four-Plex homes
- Compact dwellings
As we mentioned in our pros/cons section, Hochheim made the strange decision to not include liability coverage on their home insurance policies. They claim it’s due to their farm mutual heritage.
Whatever the case may be, we highly recommend that if Hochheim Prairie is your choice of insurer, you purchase the liability add-on. Their website gives you a run-down on preventative measures and special circumstances to avoid being liable for any damage.
Hochheim homeowners insurance discounts
Hochheim boasts a long list of policy discounts available to its customers. As far as home insurance goes, policyholders can enjoy discounts to the extent of:
- Claim-free home discount: For each Farm Mutual policy that has been claim-free for the last three years, a 10% claim-free home discount will be provided. As a new member of Hochheim Prairie, you may also be eligible for the program. This is if you have not had a claim or loss paid out with your previous insurer within the past 36 months.
- Metal roof discount: If your home is equipped with a metal roof, you could receive a 5% discount.
- Hail-resistant roof: If your home has a UL-rated hail-resistant roof, your policy may be discounted. The discounted percentage varies depending on the type of roof and the UL rating.
- First-time home buyer discount: This discount is given to members who have never purchased a home before.
- New home discount: Homeowners can enjoy a percentage off their premium based on the age of their home. For example, houses 0-3 years old will benefit from 35% off, and houses 9-10 years old will receive 5% off.
Claims
Claims are not easy or fun for anyone involved. As such, you would think that insurance companies would try to move through claims as quickly and painlessly as possible.
According to many Hochheim Prairie policyholders, however, their claims process drags on. One former customer explained how they were surprised when they switched insurance companies and found out Hochheim Prairie had tacked on a few fictitious claims.
The Hochheim Prairie Insurance site might not make it any easier for claims to be filed either. They explain how you must call your agent to make a claim. They have a list of several claim representatives to choose from along with their email addresses and phone numbers.
Their idea of convenience is adding a toll-free number (1-888-473-6256) to call in the event of an emergency attempt to file a claim. There are no ways to file a claim through their site, which is unfortunate. They make up for this a little by adding plenty of information about claim examples and preparedness plans.
Hochheim Prairie reviews from customers
As with any company, the customer’s perception can make or break revenue. For Hochheim Prairie, their customers don’t hold back from their views and opinions.
Some of their best reviews are from years ago. Many of the better ratings document how inclusive their service is. Considering their inclusive level of protection, this sentiment checks out.
The worst complaints touch on sluggish claims, combative service, and overall misguidance. Wherever you look, their customers are split 50/50 regarding their experience with Hochheim Prairie. Nevertheless, many of the gripes seem serious enough to merit a hesitant response from potential policyholders.
Hochheim Prairie’s financial strength
How stable is Hochheim Prairie Insurance in the financial aspect? Weiss ratings give them a “C” in overall financial stability. This score was provided due to weak operational trend results and negative cash flow from 2021 operations.
They also noted a weak profitability index and vulnerable liquidity. On the bright side, Weiss declared their long-term capitalization and reserve strength to be in good standing.
Hochheim Prairie is not BBB accredited, but still received an A+ rating for its likelihood of customer outreach. AM Best is also a credit rating agency without much information about Hochheim Prairie. Their financial strength and long-term issuer credit are not yet rated.
Our verdict
Hochheim Prairie Insurance has had Texan homeowners’ backs for over one hundred years. Even with an impressive legacy, their reputation seems to fall a bit short. This is despite their long lineup of coverages and policies.
Hochheim Prairie is not the company you want to go with if you like speedy response times and instant customer service. They offer quality coverage in the region they operate in, but the lack of customer response makes it hard to know if they are good at their claims response.
You may be paying for a Texas-sized premium, but if your home is protected, it may all be worth it. Just be mindful of what former customers say!
Hochheim Prairie works to avoid paying claims in lieu of finding a way to cover it.