Excalibur, Centauri, UPC or Family Security for BTR home insurance?

alot of these lesser known companies are starting to raise rates. I don't know about any of those specifically but I've been getting calls left and right from customers of other companies about their renewals going up exhorbatant amounts. Good Luck!

Thanks for the replies so far. Anybody else with experience with any of the companies?

I have limited experience with the independent property & casualty sector but from what I do know, Centauri is the only one of those companies I would remotely trust my house insurance with. UPC isn’t terrible but I have less knowledge about them than I do Centauri.

I know Centauri’s rates are lower than the average in Louisiana and they’re not a terrible company. Those two factors alone are huge in insurance in Louisiana. Having said that, I’d still feel much more comfortable knowing my house is insured with a State Farm, USAA, Farm Bureau, or even Liberty Mutual after a small claim like water line breaks, hail storms, or other minor roof damage. SF, USAA, FB, or LM will be far less likely to nickel & dime you at claim time and will treat you fairly and according to the law (which is important to remember in claim time disputes, by the way). Those smaller companies operate on the basis that they will pay less for minor claims and pay big for the larger, more indisputable claims like major losses.

Remember, though, that insurance is a contract and nothing more. When you have a claim, it is either paid or denied according to the wording in your contract (policy). SF, USAA, & FB, from my experience both personally and professionally, are more likely to pay out in some gray area claims. Most who say they get screwed by insurance don’t understand their contract, and consequently, misunderstand what they’re due from the insurance company.



*nobody likes to hear objective info regarding insurance companies so I’ll go ahead and start the downvote machine on my own post*

I currently have Excalibur. I went through an agent a couple of years ago when I bought my house. This thread got me thinking I should start shopping around for quotes to switch.

What issues do you know of that I should dump Excalibur?

I called State Farm and the policy would be underwritten by Dover Bay a subsidiary of State Farm. Their quote was only $200 more per year than what I'm paying for Excalibur. Any inputs on Dover Bay?

If it's a new house, you may want to look at Maison...Baton Rouge based, and while a demotech company, they are admitted and were recently acquired by an AM best rated company out of Florida

I had upc on my first house in BR... cheapest with same coverage. Had no issues with them but also didn’t have to file a claim with them

Don’t skimp on insurance.

Go with an AM Best rated company. Demotech rating is NOT the same.

Ask for referrals from friends and neighbors that you respect for their business acumen. If you’ve never heard of the company or the agent, look somewhere else.