8 Best Renters Insurance Companies in Illinois of 2023

If you're a renter in Illinois, specifically in Chicago, you're probably aware that renting a property in this area can be expensive. In an effort to save money, you may consider skipping renters insurance.

However, it's important to note that renters insurance is necessary to cover the cost of replacing your stolen or damaged belongings caused by fire, wind, or theft.

Without renters insurance, you'll have to pay out of pocket to replace your items. Additionally, renters insurance allows you to customize your policy to fit your needs, such as increasing coverage for high-value items like jewelry.

Ultimately, purchasing renters insurance provides peace of mind, knowing your belongings are protected. Plus, you're covered if your dog causes any damage to your neighbor while on your property.

According to PropertyNest research, the average basic renters insurance in Illinois costs $15.84 a month or $190.08 a year.

A wide range of renters insurance policies are available, making it essential to carefully consider your options before making a decision.

The Best Renters Insurance in Illinois

• Lemonade – Best for the Technologically Savvy
• Allstate – Best for Policy Bundles
• Liberty Mutual – The Second Most Affordable Policy
• Nationwide – Best for Coverage Options Offered in Basic Plan
• State Farm – Best Low-Cost Renters Insurance
• Travelers – Best for the Most Policy Coverages
• Progressive – Best for Discounts
• Erie – Best For Cheap Renters Insurance

Lemonade: Best for the Technologically Savvy

Lemonade is the first online insurance company. It is based online and on its app using AI.

Both the website and the app are intuitive and streamlined.

With Lemonade, you do everything online or through its app. You can get a quote, sign up, add a policy, manage your insurance, and pay your bill.

Because of that, you save a lot of time. You don’t have to phone in and wait a long time to speak to a rep. (Although Lemonade does lack many reps).

But the best thing about Lemonade is that it’s easy to file a claim. Using the app, you send the insurer a video stating your loss or damage and explaining why this happened.

In most situations, your claim may be paid in as little as three minutes.

Whether you're looking to save some money or get the most value out of your investment, Lemonade has a variety of different policies with rates that start at only $5 per month.

Lemonade now sells auto insurance, and it just so happens that Illinois is the first market to do so.

Lemonade’s rates are affordable, offering cheaper premiums for safe or low-mileage drivers. The auto app uses telematics to detect how its customers drive.

Like other auto insurances, Lemonade will be providing 24/7 on-location roadside assistance, real-time crash detection, and dispatch of emergency services.

We mentioned this because now Illinois has the most affordable renters insurance, as Lemonade will let residents bundle auto with renters to get a good discount.

Read a full Lemonade home insurance review.

Allstate: Best for Policy Bundles

Allstate ranks high for the best coverage compared to other national insurers because of its bundling policy.

Bundling allows you to save money by combining your renters, auto insurance policies, and life insurance.

Also called a multi-policy discount, Allstate’s bundling saves you a lot of money.

For example, bundling renters and auto insurance with Allstate gives you 10% off your auto policy and 25% off your renters policy.

In short, bundling can save you between $200 to $800 a year.

With Allstate’s savings, you also get to lower your premium with autopay and claims-free discounts. And you also get a discount if you are retired or older than 55. These are just a few; Allstate has many other discounts available.

Read a full Allstate renters insurance review.

Liberty Mutual: Best for Students

Liberty Mutual stands out because of its affordability. The average cost per month for a policy with this insurer is only around $12 per month.

Now compare that to the average cost of renters insurance in Illinois, which is $14 per month. This, of course, means that Liberty is cheaper than the state average.

And then compare that with Liberty’s direct competitor. That would be State Farm, and their rate is lower than Liberty’s, which is $10 a month.

That’s not a big difference, so now you have the choice between Liberty and State Farm, which means you have options.

So, if you can’t get a good price at State Farm after you tack on an add-on, we recommend Liberty because it has the second-best price of any insurer we found during our search.

However, Liberty’s customer service is mediocre.

Read a full Liberty Mutual home insurance review.

Nationwide: Best for Coverage Options Offered in Basic Plan

Nationwide is unique because it offers certain coverages as part of its basic policy that most insurers do not.

Here are a few:

Building Additions and Alterations

Nationwide will pay for covered damages if you make any additions or improvements to your rented home.

Credit Card Coverage

Nationwide will pay you for any unauthorized charges if your credit or debit card is stolen and used. The insurer also pays if you have forged checks.

Brand New Belongings

Like replacement cost coverage, Nationwide will pay you the depreciated value if your personal belongings get damaged or destroyed during a covered event.

If it happens that replacing the items costs more than the claim reimbursement, the insurer will cover the difference.

To get replacement cost coverage with a similar insurer, you need to buy it as an add-on. With Nationwide, the coverage is standard in its basic policy.

However, Nationwide is expensive.

The standard policy costs $205 per year, which is nearly $40 more than the Illinois average of $168.

State Farm: Best Low-Cost Renters Insurance

State Farm is the best renters insurance company in Illinois because of its low rates.

The average cost of State Farm’s insurance is one of the cheapest, at $10 a month.

Realistically, though, after purchasing additional services or because you don’t live in a safe neighborhood or live on the first floor of a rental building, the average cost per month is more like $13.

That may seem a little steep, but if you compare the rate to comparable renters insurance companies, State Farm beats them every time.

Read a full State Farm renters insurance review.

Travelers: Best for the Most Policy Coverages

Travelers is a competitor of Allstate and State Farm, but it holds its own due to the company having the most coverage options, including unique ones that we haven’t seen with other insurers, like being able to decrease your deductible.

Here are a few:

Housing Improvements Coverage

Your landlord may permit you to make alterations or upgrades to your apartment rental, such as putting in a built-in bookcase.

Travelers will cover alterations in case of fire or theft or up to 10% of your personal property limit. Higher limits are available at an extra expense if you need more coverage.

Mechanical Breakdown Coverage

This pays to repair machinery like a washing machine or a furnace if they malfunction.

Valuable Items

The standard policy limits for coverage of expensive or irreplaceable items are often inadequate. At a cost, Travelers will add extra coverage to your belongings as needed. And you don’t even have to get your mom’s heirloom silver tea service appraised.

The average monthly cost for Travelers is about $17.

Progressive: Best for Discounts

Progressive teams up with third-party insurers to provide renters insurance.

The insurer offers deep discounts in many ways. There are so many discounts to choose from, so we can only share with you a few.

But note first that discounts vary depending on the area you live in and which company you’re insured with, as Progressive doesn’t act alone.

Discount for getting a quote at least three days before your policy takes effect.

Pay-in-full discount.

Paperless discount for communication.

If you have alarms, and security features like remote cameras, or if you live in a gated community or your rental complex has a doorman or security guard, you’ll get a discount.

Read a full Progressive renters insurance review.

Erie: Best For Cheap Renters Insurance

If you bundle your renters insurance with your auto, you probably know you’ll get a discount.

But how much? It varies per carrier. Some offer 20% off, but realistically, it’s more like 10% off.

Erie blows the competition away.

Policyholders can bundle if they have auto or other insurance policies.

And here’s what Erie’s website says:

An auto insurance discount will most likely pay for some or all of a renters insurance policy.

Now here’s something good, too: policyholders need not worry about their premiums being raised. They can lock in prices, so they’re not submitting to unexpected increases in their premiums.

Is Renters Insurance Mandatory to Rent an Apartment in Illinois?

By law, you are not required to purchase renters insurance while renting a house or an apartment in Illinois. But your landlord might require you to have coverage when you sign a lease.

That’s in case if your interior is badly damaged by fire or other covered peril and it causes destruction to the exterior of the rental.

Even if your landlord does not require a policy, renters insurance can be a reasonably inexpensive way to protect your assets.

If you don’t get renters insurance and your personal belongings are stolen or destroyed, you have to shell out your own money if you want to replace them.

Your landlord will have insurance that covers the structures and common rooms of an apartment or condo complex, but that insurance does not and in no way cover you and the interior of your rental.

What is the Average Cost of Renters Insurance in Illinois?

The average cost of renters insurance in Illinois is $15 per month.

This average is based on a policyholder with personal property coverage of $20,000, liability coverage of $100,000, and a deductible of $500.

However, some renters insurance companies are cheaper than others.

What Factors Impact Renters Insurance Costs in Illinois?

Several criteria determine the cost of renters insurance in Illinois. You should consider them before choosing a policy.

Location

The area where you rent helps insurers calculate the price of your premium.

If you live in a safe area with a low crime rate and low natural disasters, such as not residing in a place where there are frequent hurricanes or torrential downpours, you’ll get a better quote.

The following other factors also determine your rate:

• The distance of your house is near a fire hydrant.
• The building materials used to build or renovate your home.
• The size of your mortgage and how much you owe.
• The square footage of your house.

Coverage Amount

Most of us have to get add-ons or riders to fully insure personal belongings because a standard policy only covers up to the policy limit. The more coverage you have, the higher your rate.

Deductible

Renters insurance requires you to have a deductible. This is how much money you pay before your insurer kicks in to make a payout for a claim. If you have a high deductible, you’ll pay less for your monthly premium and vice versa.

Credit Score

Your premium is also based on your credit score. Your policy cost will be cheaper if you have a high FICO score. This is based on the fact that policyholders with great scores are less likely to file a claim.

What is Actual Cash Value vs. Replacement Cost?

ACV only pays the depreciated amount of your belongings. So, if your laptop is three years old and gets damaged or stolen, ACV will only pay the cost of a three-year-old laptop.

The better choice is RCV. RCV pays you in full. For example, if your laptop gets damaged under a covered peril, the replacement cost will give you a brand-new model comparable to the one you own.

With RCV, you get higher payouts on your claim. But the bad part is that this will result in higher rates for you.

How Much Does Homeowners Insurance Cost in Chicago?

Chicago is Illinois’s largest city and is known for its severe weather conditions and its high crime rates.

Natural Disasters

In the winter, the average low temperature in Chicago is only 21 degrees.

The city is susceptible to heavy snowfall, high winds, and devastating hurricanes.

Due to the frigid weather, it’s easy for pipes to freeze and burst. If your rental is inside an apartment complex, chances are that water from broken pipes can damage your personal belongings.

So, the severe weather in Chicago is also a reason to buy renters insurance.

While most natural disasters are covered in a basic policy, you can buy additional coverage for a nominal monthly fee so that your insurer will reimburse you for your damaged items in full and without depreciation. (RCV).

For example, if a hurricane breaks a window of your rental apartment and damages your laptop, musical instrument, furnishings, and more, your renters insurance will replace them with brand-new comparables.

The good thing is that Windy City residents have hurricane coverage in their standard policy.

In addition, they are also covered for fire, lightning, wind, hail, non-flood water damage, and falling objects.

What’s missing? A basic policy from any renters insurance company in the US will not cover floods.

To protect yourself from floods, you should buy a separate flood insurance policy that will be able to cover your damaged possessions.

Crime Rates

Because of the high crime rates in Chicago, your premium will be costlier than if you lived in a city with low theft and burglaries.

According to the FBI’s Crime Data Explorer, Chicago had over 14,200 burglaries and over 62,400 thefts in the last few years.

This brings us to the average cost of renters insurance in Chicago.

The average cost will differ with each insurer. But if you factor in natural disasters and a high crime rate, your premium will be much higher than if you lived in a safe suburban town outside the city limits.

As such, the average renters insurance rate for Chicago residents is a whopping $268 per year with $30,000 in personal property coverage.

This is higher than the state average and higher than any of the rates for the insurance companies we selected for your review.

Can You Get Any Discounts When Signing Up for Renters Insurance?

Now that you know what will drive up your rate, here’s a way to lower it.

Get discounts. All renters insurance companies offer discounts that can lower the cost of your premium. Here are a few discounts you can get in Illinois.

Bundling renters and auto insurance.

Being Claims-Free

If you don’t make a claim in a set period of time, you’ll receive a discount.

Home Security

You'll get a discount if you install a security system, a smoke detector, or an alarm.

If your rental building has security cameras and doormen, that’s even better.

Home Credit

Your rate will go down if you purchase new and costly home equipment such as a dryer and a laundry machine.

Going paper-free, purchasing your policy online, and signing up for autopay.

What Does Renters Insurance in Illinois Cover?

Renters insurance offers peace of mind. Its basic coverage, for example, can help pay for your personal belongings if they are damaged or destroyed by a covered peril.

Here’s the basic coverage in full:

Living Expenses

Suppose your rental home is damaged due to a fire or any covered event, and it makes a living there so uninhabitable that you need to move. In that case, your insurer will cover temporary living expenses, such as living in a hotel, having meals at restaurants, and more.

Medical Payments

Renters insurance will pay if a guest at your rental gets hurt by an accident.

If your dog bites the guest or the guest slips on a wet floor that you’ve just mopped and gets hurt, all medical bills will be paid by the insurer.

Personal Liability

Personal liability will pay for any legal expenses if the guest is injured badly by accident and sues you.

Personal Property

Covers personal property damaged or destroyed due to a peril you can’t predict, such as theft, vandalism, water damage, and fires.

However, your policy may pay only up to the limit, which is why many renters pay extra to cover valuables like artwork or jewelry fully.

It’s important to note that if a flood caused the damage, the insurer will not reimburse you but will cover water damage due to leaks or fire suppression.

What Renters Insurance Doesn’t Cover in Illinois

You need to know what your renters insurance does not cover to purchase riders to protect yourself and your property and prepare yourself for any possible emergencies, such as a natural disaster.

Flooding

Illinois renters insurance companies may pay for water damage due to broken pipes but will not pay for flooding caused by natural disasters.

So, your insurer will cover water damage if your roof leaks due to a hurricane, but it won’t cover flood damage from the same hurricane.

Earthquake Damage

Most insurers don’t cover earthquake damage. Since Illinois is not prone to earthquakes, you don’t need to get a rider.

Roommate Property

If you have a roommate, your renters insurance will not cover the roommate’s personal property. This person must take out her own policy to protect her belongings.

Expensive Items

Basic renters insurance pays for personal belongings, but if these are high in value, your insurer will only pay up to a certain amount.

To protect your valuables, you should purchase a “scheduled” rider.

Scheduling means adding expensive personal belongings to your insurance, such as precious jewelry or artwork, to increase coverage for items included in your basic policy but subject to a low limit of liability.

Customer Service

Excellent customer service is a necessity when searching for a renters insurance policy.

You should consider the way customer service operates before buying your policy.

Customer service should have friendly reps who will make buying insurance much easier, save you time, and reduce the stress when filing a claim. Reps then should be patient and dependable and not cut you short.

Our Methodology

We thoroughly researched the state's top renters’ insurance companies and narrowed the list down to those that operated in Illinois.

We rated them on criteria that included ease of use, ratings, financial strength, customer, and affordability. Read our full in-depth renters insurance methodology.

How We Ranked and Picked the Best Renters Insurance Companies in Illinois

The best renters insurance in Illinois has the highest customer satisfaction, affordable pricing, an array of coverage options, and tons of discounts that help policyholders lower their premium rates. We looked at all to determine which company we put on our list.

Discounts

Beyond bundling, we looked at how many discounts a company offered. Those who offered a good amount were put on our list because it lowered a policyholder’s premium rate.

Policy Coverage

Standard renters insurance comes with coverage that covers personal belongings if they are damaged or destroyed due to a covered peril. In most cases, if one made a claim, the insurer would only pay up to the policy limit.

If this forced the policyholder to take out additional insurance to get the full claims to benefit, we could narrow down our list and choose only those insurers that offered affordable coverage.

Technology

An insurance company with an online presence and a mobile app helped us narrow our list. We were able to eliminate some insurers without AI.

The technology made buying a policy easier if you could get a quote on the company’s website and file a claim on the company’s app, and pay your bill, for example, this saved time for the user.

So the convenience of a company’s technology was very important to us.

Customer Satisfaction

When deciding on a renters insurance company, it's important to look at customer reviews. We scoured customer reviews from many sites to see how well a renters insurance performed. We then compared the reviews to how well the company ranked in professional ratings. These include AM Best, JD Powers, BBB, and the National Association of Insurance Commissioners.

If these service sources gave high grades to insurers when it came to customer satisfaction, we also put these companies on our list.

Price

We looked at renters insurance companies that had the most affordable pricing. If the insurance had a premium below the national average, we added that company to our list.

Locations

We surveyed insurance coverage prices in Chicago, Aurora, Naperville, Joliet, and Rockford.