Berkshire Hathaway Guard Insurance offers home insurance policies in 23 states — including Cali and Texas — to protect high-risk homes other carriers won’t.
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.
4.0
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).
A+
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
With rates more than double the national average, Berkshire Hathaway Guard Insurance Companies home insurance is best saved as a last resort for homeowners in high-risk states like Texas and California who have struggled to find coverage elsewhere.
While it doesn’t advertise guaranteed or extended replacement cost coverage for your home on its website, you can choose from a slew of other valuable policy add-ons, including inflation guard, water backup, service line, and equipment breakdown protection.
Homeowners will also enjoy the security of Berkshire Hathaway Guard’s high financial stability ratings and the convenience of its mobile app that makes managing your policy and filing claims a breeze.
Available in high-risk states like Texas and California where it’s more difficult to find coverage
Offers lots of coverage add-ons, including inflation guard, water backup, service line, earthquake, sinkhole, and equipment breakdown protection
Mobile app available to easily file claims, manage your policy, and pay your premiums from the palm of your hand
Cons
Annual rates are $2,400 more expensive than the national average
Doesn’t advertise guaranteed or extended replacement cost coverage for your home on its website
Can’t get a quote online — must fill out an online form to get connected with an agent
Basic coverages offered
Berkshire Hathaway Guard 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 can add these additional coverages to your Berkshire Hathaway Guard home insurance policy for even more protection.
Inflation guard: Automatically adjusts your coverage each year to compensate for increases in construction and labor costs in your area due to inflation.
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.
Personal injury liability: Expands liability coverage to include personal injury to others, such as slander, libel, wrongful eviction, or false arrest.
Home-sharing: Protects your home from damage by covered perils as well as liability incidents if it’s rented out.
Loss assessment: If you live in a condo or gated community with an HOA, this covers you for the portion of damage to common areas you’re responsible for.
Earthquake insurance: Protects your home and personal property from earthquake damage.
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.
Reimbursement for fire department charges: Reimburses you for out-of-pocket fees if the fire department is called to your home.
Refrigerated contents: Covers spoiled food if your refrigerator or freezer stops working due to a power outage or breakdown.
Mold, fungus, or rot damage: Pays for damage to your home and belongings caused by mold, fungus, or rotting.
Student away from home: Covers your child’s personal belongings while they’re away at college against covered perils as long as they lived with you before moving out.
Assisted living care: Provides personal property and personal liability coverage to specific relatives living in an assisted living facility.
Ratings methodology
Price
1.5/5
Our price rating scale looks at home insurance rates for a policy with $300,000 in dwelling coverage, as well as the total number of discounts offered. Berkshire Hathaway Guard Insurance's average annual rate of $4,327 is 128% above the national average.
Customer experience
4.7/5
Our customer experience scale uses data from the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) complaint index. Berkshire Hathaway Guard Insurance Companies has a score of 1.07, which means it received slightly more complaints than expected for a company of its size 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 the company. Berkshire Hathaway Guard Insurance earns a perfect score compared to other regional home insurance companies thanks to a slew of valuable coverage add-ons, including inflation guard, water backup, service line, earthquake, sinkhole, and equipment breakdown protection.
Financial strength
5.0/5
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 (S&P), and Moody’s. Berkshire Hathaway Guard Insurance has an A+ rating from AM Best, but is not rated by S&P or Moody’s.
How much does Berkshire Hathaway Guard home insurance cost?
The average cost of home insurance with Berkshire Hathaway Guard Insurance is $4,327 per year for a policy with $300,000 in dwelling coverage. This is over $2,400 more expensive than the national average of $1,754 per year.
Here’s the average yearly cost of Berkshire Hathaway Guard Insurance home insurance for five different levels of dwelling coverage:
Dwelling coverage limit
Average annual cost
$100,000
$1,764
$200,000
$3,145
$300,000
$4,327
$400,000
$5,783
$500,000
$6,935
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 top insurers in minutes
What discounts does Berkshire Hathaway Guard Insurance offer?
You can save on the cost of Berkshire Hathaway Guard Insurance if you qualify for any of these discounts:
Multi-policy: If you bundle your home insurance with a Berkshire Hathaway Guard auto, personal umbrella, workers compensation, business owners, or commercial auto insurance policy.
Newly purchased home: If you recently purchased your home.
New construction or renovation: If your home is a newer build or was recently renovated.
Personal property plus endorsement package: If you add Berkshire Hathaway Guard’s special personal property plus endorsement package to your home insurance policy.
Berkshire Hathaway Guard Insurance home insurance state availability
Berkshire Hathaway Guard Insurance offers home insurance policies in 23 states:
What to expect with Berkshire Hathaway Guard home insurance
How to get a quote: You can get a Berkshire Hathaway Guard home insurance quote by filling out a form on its website to have an agent contact you.
Customer service options: You can get in touch with a Berkshire Hathaway Guard Insurance customer service rep by calling 800-673-2465, emailing csr@guard.com, filling out a customer service request form on its website, or logging in to your online account.
How to file a claim: You can file a Berkshire Hathaway Guard home insurance claim by logging in to your online account, using its mobile app, emailing claims@guard.com, completing an online claim form, or calling 888-639-2567.
How to cancel your policy: You can cancel your Berkshire Hathaway Guard home insurance policy by calling your Berkshire Hathaway Guard Insurance agent (their contact info should be on your policy declarations page), by mail, or by visiting your local agent in person.
Berkshire Hathaway Guard Insurance vs. other home insurance companies
Compare Berkshire Hathaway Guard Insurance to other home insurance companies in the industry:
Is home insurance with Berkshire Hathaway Guard Insurance expensive?
Yes, Berkshire Hathaway Guard home insurance is expensive. With an average rate of $4,327 per year for a policy with $300,000 in dwelling coverage, Berkshire Hathaway Guard home insurance is 128% higher than the national average.
Is AmGuard a Berkshire Hathaway Company?
Yes — AmGuard, AZGuard, EastGuard, and NorGuard make up the Berkshire Hathaway Guard Insurance Companies.
What is the A.M. Best rating for Berkshire Hathaway Guard Insurance Companies?
Berkshire Hathaway Guard Insurance Companies earns an A+ rating from A.M. Best, meaning it has strong financial stability and can likely pay out claims in the wake of a disaster.
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.
