The Andover Companies Homeowners Insurance Review 2024

The Andover Companies home insurance comes with more generous coverage than most.

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Andover Companies

4.5

NerdWallet rating 
Superior coverage sold through independent agents in select states.

Coverage options

More than average

Discounts

Average set of discounts

NAIC complaints

Far fewer than expected

Andover Companies

4.5

NerdWallet rating 
Superior coverage sold through independent agents in select states.

Coverage options

More than average

Discounts

Average set of discounts

NAIC complaints

Far fewer than expected

About The Andover Companies home insurance

4.5

NerdWallet rating 

The Andover Companies is a Massachusetts-based insurer that sells home insurance through independent agents. The Andover Companies earned a NerdWallet rating of 4.5 stars out of 5 for overall performance, ranking highly for its strong coverage and low number of consumer complaints. However, its policies are available only in Illinois and select Northeastern states. If you live in one of these areas, Andover home insurance is well worth considering.

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Our star ratings are based on consumer complaint data from the National Association of Insurance Commissioners; financial strength grades from AM Best; coverage and discounts available; and the overall consumer experience. See our criteria for evaluating home insurance companies.

Our writers and editors follow strict editorial guidelines that ensure fairness and accuracy in order to help you choose the financial products that work best for you. Here is a list of our partners and here’s how we make money.

Where The Andover Companies stands out

Coverage. Andover policies generally come with broader coverage for your belongings and more coverage for the structure of your home than a standard homeowners policy provides. (Note that most but not all homes qualify for this coverage.)

Consumer satisfaction. Andover draws very few consumer complaints to state regulators, suggesting that most of its policyholders are satisfied with their insurance.

Where The Andover Companies falls short

Availability. Policyholders outside of the eight states Andover serves will need to look elsewhere for coverage.

Online experience. Andover’s website offers the basics, including claims filing and bill payments. However, it lacks certain features you might find on larger insurers’ websites such as online quotes, claims tracking or live chat.

State availability

The Andover Companies homeowners insurance is available in seven Northeastern states and Illinois.

Availability may change at any time. Coverage may not be available to all homeowners in a given state.

The Andover Companies home insurance coverage

You can customize your homeowners policy with numerous add-ons, but below are the types of coverage that generally come standard:

Type of coverage

What it does

Pays to repair or rebuild the structure of your home.

Covers damage to unattached structures such as sheds or fences.

Pays to repair or replace personal belongings such as furniture or clothing.

Pays for hotel stays, restaurant meals or other expenses if you have to live elsewhere while your home undergoes covered repairs.

Covers legal expenses and damages if you're responsible for injuries to other people or their property.

Covers injuries to guests in your home, regardless of fault.

In addition to the standard coverage listed above, Andover also includes the following with most of its policies:

  • Guaranteed replacement cost coverage, which can pay whatever is necessary to rebuild your home after a covered claim, even if your dwelling coverage limit falls short. Conditions apply; for example, you must notify the company if you build an addition to your property.

  • Ordinance or law coverage, which pays to upgrade your home to the latest building codes during repairs after a covered claim. Most Andover policies include an amount of ordinance or law coverage equivalent to your dwelling coverage limit.

  • Replacement cost coverage for personal belongings, ensuring that you can replace stolen or damaged items with brand-new replacements after a claim.

  • Open perils contents coverage, a more generous type of coverage for your belongings than most homeowners policies include. Normally, home insurance covers your stuff only for events named in the policy (such as fire or theft). With “open perils” coverage, your policy covers your belongings for anything except events specifically excluded.

You may also be able to add the following extra options to your policy:

  • Home system and service line coverage. This endorsement can pay to repair or replace things like water heaters, HVAC systems or underground service lines if they break down. Learn more about equipment breakdown coverage.

  • Identity theft insurance. If someone steals your identity, this coverage can pay legal bills, lost wages and other expenses associated with recovery.

  • Personal cyber coverage. This add-on can help you restore lost data and deal with other consequences of cyberattacks.

  • Extra coverage for valuables such as jewelry, fine art, musical instruments and collectibles.

  • Water backup coverage in case a sump pump overflows or a drain backs up into your home.

  • Home day care coverage for policyholders who provide care services for up to three kids in their home.

  • Additional coverage endorsement, which adds coverage for things like lock replacement, refrigerated items lost in a power outage and legal defense against personal injury claims.

Discounts

Depending on where you live, you may be able to save by:

  • Bundling home and auto insurance.

  • Having certain protective devices in your home.

  • Being a loyal customer.

  • Having a new home.

  • Being a nonsmoker.

  • Having a hardwired generator.

Consumer complaints

The Andover Companies had far fewer than the expected number of complaints to state regulators relative to its size for home insurance, according to three years' worth of data from the National Association of Insurance Commissioners.

Consumer experience

Website: With Andover’s online portal, you can see policy information, pay bills and file claims. However, you can’t get a homeowners insurance quote on the Andover website.

Claims: You can file a claim through your online portal or by phone with your local agent. You can also call Andover at 800-225-0770. Learn how to file a home insurance claim.

Customer service: Andover encourages policyholders to work with their independent agents for help, but you can also call the company directly at 800-225-0770 or email [email protected] with billing questions.

The Andover Companies home insurance: The bottom line

If having the strongest possible coverage for your home is important to you, homeowners insurance from The Andover Companies is worth considering. Just keep in mind that you’ll need to work with an independent agent to get a policy rather than shopping online.

Other home insurance companies to consider

Not ready to make a decision? You may be interested in these other homeowners insurance companies:

Frequently asked questions

In addition to homeowners insurance, The Andover Companies sells condo, renters, umbrella, dwelling fire, watercraft and business insurance.

NerdWallet awarded The Andover Companies 4.5 stars out of 5 due to its strong coverage and low number of consumer complaints.

Merrimack Mutual, the oldest of the three companies that make up The Andover Companies, was founded in 1828. The company expanded with acquisitions of two other companies in 1913 and 1955.

Methodology

Homeowners insurance star ratings methodology

NerdWallet’s homeowners insurance ratings reward companies for customer-first features and practices. Ratings are based on weighted averages of scores in several categories, including financial strength, consumer complaints, coverage, discounts and online experience. These ratings are a guide, but we encourage you to shop around and compare several insurance quotes to find the best rate for you. NerdWallet does not receive compensation for any reviews. Read our full ratings methodology for home insurance.

Insurer complaints methodology

NerdWallet examined complaints received by state insurance regulators and reported to the National Association of Insurance Commissioners in 2021-2023. To assess how insurers compare to one another, the NAIC calculates a complaint index each year for each subsidiary, measuring its share of total complaints relative to its size, or share of total premiums in the industry. To evaluate a company’s complaint history, NerdWallet calculated a similar index for each insurer, weighted by market shares of each subsidiary, over the three-year period. NerdWallet conducts its data analysis and reaches conclusions independently and without the endorsement of the NAIC. Ratios are determined separately for auto, home (including renters and condo) and life insurance.

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