Erie Renters Insurance Review 2024

Erie’s average renters insurance costs are higher than some top competitors in our analysis but you can still get $15,000 in personal property coverage for about $13 a month.

	Average annual renters insurance cost for $15,000 of personal property coverage	Average annual renters insurance cost for $30,000 of personal property coverage	Average annual renters insurance cost for $50,000 of personal property coverage	Forbes Advisor rating
State Farm	$102	$121	$153
Westfield	$136	$156	$183
American Family	$154	$189	$231
Auto-Owners	$113	$147	$196
USAA*	$116	$155	$196
Allstate	$109	$153	$215
Country Financial	$174	$201	$253
Nationwide	$129	$163	$207
Erie	$151	$210	$278
Average	$143	$186	$247	–

Source: Quadrant Information Services. Rates include $100,000 in liability coverage and $1,000 in medical payments coverage. *USAA is available only to the military, veterans and their families.

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Related: Cheap Renters Insurance

You’ll find that what’s covered by renters insurance is fairly standard:

Personal property: Your belongings, including furniture, jewelry and electronics, even pots and pans, are covered under the personal property section of your policy. It also covers your personal property if stolen or damaged when away from home.

Get replacement cost coverage for personal property so you’re reimbursed for the cost to replace your possessions with new items, as opposed to actual cash value coverage. With actual cash value coverage, you only get the depreciated value of your personal items.

Liability: Liability insurance pays for medical bills and property damage costs when you’re legally liable for accidental injuries and damage. Personal liability insurance will pay for your legal defense if you’re sued for a problem covered by the policy. For example, if your dog bites someone or a visitor slips and falls in your apartment, you could be sued for injuries.

Medical payments: Medical payments coverage pays for small medical bills for guests no matter who is at fault. Coverage amounts start at $1,000.

Additional living expenses: If you are no longer able to live in your apartment because it’s been damaged by a problem covered by the policy, such as a fire, you can make a claim for additional living expenses. Additional living expenses coverage can cover hotel bills, meals in restaurants and even pet boarding fees. Be sure to keep your receipts. You’ll need them for filing a claim.

Erie renters insurance offers several add-on coverage types, including:

• Earthquake insurance. This covers your personal property if it is damaged by an earthquake.
• ErieSecure Advantage Bundle. This base bundle includes increased policy limits for problems like theft, lost and misplaced valuables. It also includes Erie’s Identity Recovery coverage.
• ErieSecure Plus Bundle. This includes all of the benefits of the Advantage bundle, plus higher policy limits for items such as trailers and watercraft. You’ll also have the option to add sewer or drain backup coverage.
• ErieSecure Select Bundle. This includes all of the benefits of the Advantage and Plus bundles, but with higher policy limits. You’ll also get Criminal Defense Cost Reimbursement coverage (up to $25,000). If you add sewer or drain backup coverage, equipment breakdown coverage is included.
• Home sharing coverage. If you participate in home sharing, this add-on provides coverage for theft, property damage and liability claims.

Look for these possible discounts if you’re buying Erie renters insurance.

• Advance quote discount if you get an ErieSecure renters insurance quote more than seven days before the start date of your renters insurance policy.
• Age discount for mature customers.
• Auto multi-policy discount for buying both auto and renters insurance coverage from Erie.
• Other multi-policy discounts for bundling your renters insurance policy with a qualifying life insurance policy or an umbrella insurance policy.
• Safety discounts when you have an alarm or sprinkler system.

To file a claim with Erie on renters insurance, you’ll need to contact your Erie agent or call the company’s 800 number, which is available 24/7. Once your claim is filed, you can monitor the status through your online account.

In addition to renters insurance, Erie sells insurance for:

• ATVs
• Boats
• Businesses
• Cars
• Classic and collector cars
• Condos
• Golf carts
• Homes
• Life insurance
• Mobile homes
• Motorcycles
• Snowmobiles

Related: Erie auto insurance review

To identify the best renters insurance companies, we evaluated each company based on the following.

Renters insurance rates (80% of score): We scored each company’s renters insurance rates based on national averages for policies with $15,000, $30,000, $50,000, $75,000, $100,000 and $200,000 worth of personal property coverage. Source: Quadrant Information Services.

Complaints (20% of score): We used complaints about home insurance (which includes renters insurance) upheld by state insurance departments. Most home/renters insurance complaints center on claims, including unsatisfactory settlements, delays and handling of the claim. Source: National Association of Insurance Commissioners.