8 Best Renters Insurance Companies in Ohio of 2023

Ohio is home to the three largest and most famous cities in the state, Columbus, Cleveland, and Cincinnati, the Pro Football Hall of Fame, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and the place where the phonograph, the gas-powered automobile, and golf balls were invented.

Whether you live in Dayton, Shaker Heights, or Akron, if you are a renter, it’s necessary to get renters insurance.

Renters insurance covers many things.

For example, having a renters policy means you won’t have to pay out of pocket if someone burglarizes your apartment and steals your laptop and your expensive stereo system.

According to PropertyNest research, the average basic renters insurance cost in Ohio is $16.46 a month or $197.52 a year.

We researched and compared the top renters insurance policy providers in Ohio based on specific categories to help you decide which coverage might serve you best.

Compare Renters Insurance Rates in OH

The Best Renters Insurance in Ohio

• Lemonade – Best for Amount of Covered Perils
• Liberty Mutual – Best If You Need Minimal Coverage
• Allstate – Best for Multi-Policy Discount
• State Farm – The Most Affordable
• Nationwide – Best for Coverages Offered in Standard Plan
• Hartford – Best for Senior Citizens
• Erie Insurance – Best to Speak to a Live Agent
• Travelers– Best for Adding Higher Limits of Coverage

Lemonade: Best for Amount of Covered Perils

A standard renters insurance policy in Ohio covers you and your personal property if they are damaged due to theft, fire, vandalism, and water damage from things like a pipe bursting in your Cincinnati condo.

But Lemonade, the all-virtual insurer, covers more perils than above and more perils in relation to similar companies.

Here are the perils that Lemonade offers under a basic policy.

• Fire or lightning
• Windstorm or hail
• Explosion
• Riots
• Aircraft
• Vehicles
• Smoke
• Vandalism
• Theft
• Falling objects
• Weight of ice, snow, or sleet
• Accidental discharge or overflow of water or steam
• Sudden and accidental tearing, cracking, burning, or bulging
• Freezing
• Volcanic eruption

Some of these you may not need, but having them at your disposal can give you peace of mind.

Read a full Lemonade home insurance editor's review.

Liberty Mutual: Best If You Need Minimal Coverage

Liberty Mutual is known for its low premiums and great customer service.

But it’s also good for people who only need the basic renters policy.

Liberty is good for those who have only minimal personal property that is not high in cost.

Similarly, it’s also good for those who are just starting out after college and are at their first jobs.

Maybe to save money, you have many roommates and have nothing of real value unless you count your laptop and your flat-screen TV.

For Liberty, if the total value of your property is less than $10,000, the insurer may be just right for you.

However, the average cost of renters insurance with Liberty is $16, which can be high for newbies.

But your rate will probably be lowered due to Liberty having many discounts.

Read a full Liberty Mutual home insurance review.

Allstate: Best for Multi-Policy Discount

You may think you don’t have much personal property to protect. But you probably have more items that are high in value than you think.

If you have a laptop, you probably have an all-in-one printer.

If you have stereo speakers, you probably have woofers.

Those are just some examples.

The point here is that you need renters insurance if you have valued property.

But a policy may be expensive for you. When the average cost of renters insurance in Ohio is around $16, you may not be able to shell out for that.

State Farm has affordable rates. Allstate has similar rates, but here’s the good part.

If you bundle auto insurance with your renters insurance, your monthly premium, according to Allstate, can cost you only $4 a month.

And if that rate goes up if you must purchase add-ons to make your policy more tailored to your needs, Allstate offers some great discounts that will lower your premium or bring it closer to that $4 quote.

Read a full Allstate renters insurance review.

State Farm: The Most Affordable

State Farm is one of the best renters insurance companies in Ohio because of its low premium.

The average cost of renters insurance in Ohio is $20 per month or $237 a year.

State Farm beat that average cost, selling a standard policy that’s only $15 a month, or $180 per year.

In some circumstances, State Farm offers an even lower premium, which the company advertises as about $10 a month.

The lower premium is available only to renters who live in a safe town, near a fire hydrant, and if your apartment unit has security cameras or doormen.

Also, if you live in a gated community or one armed with gate attendants, your rate will probably be in the $10 a month range.

Read a full State Farm renters insurance review.

Nationwide: Best for Coverages Offered in Standard Plan

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

Here are a few:

Credit Card Coverage

Nationwide will pay you for any unauthorized charges if your credit or debit card is stolen and used.

You pick the dollar amount you want to be protected up until.

The insurer also pays if you have forged checks.

Brand New Belongings

Nationwide will pay you the depreciated value if your personal possessions are damaged or destroyed.

But if replacing the items costs more than the claim reimbursement, the insurer will cover the difference.

This is like replacement cost coverage, where you get the full amount of your property at today’s prices without depreciation.

With a similar insurer, you need an add-on to get replacement cost coverage.

Nationwide offers this coverage as standard.

Valuable protection

Water backup coverage (but not water damage due to flood)

Increased theft coverage

Hartford: Best for Senior Citizens

The Hartford offers many things, including home, life, auto, and renters insurance. They also sell a motorcycle or RV insurance.

But they specialize in renters insurance for Ohio residents who are over 50 and qualify for AARP.

It is one of the few companies that know that seniors need the same coverage, like excellent customer service and an affordable premium, just like everyone else.

AARP renters insurance rates are already discounted for seniors, and they also offer a retiree credit to decrease them further.

Retirees or those over 50 can also take advantage of the AARP-branded auto program for another discount, putting it at the top of the list for the best auto and renters insurance for seniors.

Keep in mind that to qualify for renters insurance with the Hartford, AARP membership is required in nearly all states.

Erie Insurance: Best to Speak to a Live Agent

Many renters and homeowners insurance companies are migrating online, where you can find a company’s website and do many things, including accessing policy documents, viewing your claim status, and paying your bill, for example.

You can also find these companies on your smartphone using their mobile apps.

As such, to save on costs or to stay current, many companies no longer offer customer service where you can speak to a live agent about your policy.

Erie is the exception. It still requires that potential customers must contact independent agents to receive a quote and buy a policy.

The good thing is that it has 13,000 local agents across the states they insure.

So, if you want personalized help and prefer to speak to an agent to purchase a policy or file a claim, Erie is your best choice.

Erie is then good for those who are not technologically savvy, such as older people.

The company does have a website presence and a mobile app, but you can’t do as many things as you can in comparison to speaking to a human.

Travelers: Best for Adding Higher Limits of Coverage

Travelers offer renters insurance catered to those who have high-priced personal property.

The company’s valuable items endorsement covers jewelry, fine art, and collectibles, for example.

Thus, you can add higher limits of coverage to your personal property so they can be completely covered.

This is particularly helpful when the standard or basic renters insurance company has a policy limit of $10,000.

If you don’t buy additional coverage, your items will only be insured up to that policy limit.

Another plus is that you don’t have to be stuck with a policy that comes with actual cash value (ACV), which is often offered in standard renters insurance. ACV means personal property that is lost or damaged due to a covered peril only gets you the depreciated value.

Instead, Travelers offers replacement coverage, usually not covered in a basic renters insurance plan or only offered as an add-on.

Replacement coverage means you get the full replacement cost on an item covered in your policy that has been destroyed or stolen.

Is Renters Insurance Mandatory to Rent an Apartment in Ohio?

Renters insurance is not required by law in Ohio. However, your landlord may require it. The landlord may want proof of renters insurance at the time you sign your lease.

Your landlord will have insurance, but that in no way covers you. The insurance is reserved for repairing or rebuilding the apartment building if it was destroyed due to, say, a fire.

The landlord’s insurance covers more than the building structure.

It also covers common areas such as the lobby, the foyer, the elevator, the apartment hallways, and more.

Because your landlord’s insurance doesn’t cover any damages to your personal property, it’s a good idea to purchase renters insurance.

What Are the Risks to Consider in Ohio?

Ohio is known to be relatively safe from natural disasters.

It is not a high-risk state for natural disasters like many coastal states or mountainous states along active faults.

In fact, the many popular cities in Ohio, such as Cincinnati, Dayton, and Cleveland, are considered the safest in the country for natural disasters.

However, you may experience a tornado here and there because of Ohio's proximity to tornado alley.

And while natural disasters may come and go without damage, Ohio is still susceptible to hurricane winds and heavy rain-like storms and landslides.

The good news is that wildfires, extreme heat, and tropical storms are not common in Ohio.

But Ohio also sees an increase in power outages due to hurricanes, severe storms, and winter storms. These natural disasters also cause serious flooding in the state.

What is the Average Cost of Renters Insurance in Ohio?

The rate for renters insurance varies widely by state and can go from affordable to high priced due to whether or not your neighborhood is safe, has a low crime rate, and whether or not you have a good credit score, to name just a few.

The national average of basic renters insurance is $17 a month or about $206 a year.

Ohio is cheaper than the national average, with an average cost of $16.46 per month. 

How to Find the Cheapest Renters Insurance

Finding renters insurance can be quite challenging if you're on a budget, but it doesn't have to be expensive.

Compare rates among different companies and make sure you evaluate different renters insurance coverages to find the right one for your needs at an affordable price.

Additionally, take advantage of any discounts that may be offered, such as renters insurance bundles with another policy such as auto insurance.

To get the best deal out of your renters insurance search, consider asking friends and family for their providers or agencies they recommend.

Furthermore, although it takes more effort, read through the reviews of different renters insurance policies before committing to restrict your renters insurance purchase costs.

What Factors Determine Renters Insurance Rates?

In addition to violent crime, the following are factors that will determine how much you pay for a renter’s policy.

Natural Disasters

Ohio’s natural disasters include hurricane winds and heavy rain like storms and landslides. So, if you live in an area where these occur, the insurer will increase the cost of your premium.

Personal Belongings

Before purchasing renters insurance, it’s best to do a home inventory. This is where you itemize your personal belongings and determine how much they cost. If you can’t recall the price, you can look it up on the internet.

Your rate will be affected when you determine what you want insured.

If the standard $10,000 coverage limit on personal property works for you, your rate will be low. But if you need, say, $50,000 to cover the cost of your items when they are stolen or damaged, your rate will be higher.

This also applies to add-ons or endorsements you may have bought to insure high-cost items like jewelry, artwork, or designer clothing and accessories.

Dog Ownership

According to insurers, dogs are considered high risk, and some breeds are at higher risk than others.

These breeds include pit bulls, Rottweilers, Doberman Pinschers, Chow Chows, and Mastiffs, to name a few.

They are risky because they bite people, damage objects, and destroy property.

Some insurers won’t even let you purchase a policy from them because dogs are the leading cause of renters insurance claims.

If an insurer does let you purchase an extra liability for dogs, your premium will go up.

Where You Live

Your insurance will go up due to where you live within an apartment building, complex, or condo, to name a few.

If you live on a high floor, your rate will drop because you are less susceptible to burglary or robbery.

If you live on a lower level or on the ground floor or basement, your rate will increase due to two things.

One, you are more susceptible to property crime.

Two, you are more prone to floods that cause property damage or your interior may be besotted by water damage due to leaks, for example, from the floors above you.

Safety

You'll pay less if your neighborhood is considered safe and your rental is near a fire hydrant.

And if you have a doorman, live in a gated community, have smoke detectors, deadbolts, multiple locks on your doors, or have window guards, or have set up security cameras inside your rental and other safety measures, your premium will drop.

It also helps if your building has cameras and the doormen operate 24/7.

Claims History

If you have never made a claim for a period that is decided by your insurer, you’ll pay less.

Credit Score

The higher your credit score, the lower your premium.

Green Home

If the building materials used to build or renovate your home are green, your rate will be low.

Finances

If you have a sizeable mortgage and an amount every month that is costly, then your rate will be higher.

Actual Cash Value or Replacement Cost

Actual cash value, or ACV, often comes standard in a renters policy.

If your personal items are damaged or destroyed due to a covered peril, your insurance will not pay for them in full but rather at their depreciated value.

While replacement cost has a price—you must add it to your policy as an additional expense—it is better than ACV because it pays in full for your items using today’s actual price, not the price you paid when you bought it, say, three years ago.

However, ACV is cheaper because it pays out less than the replacement cost.

So, your rate will go higher if you choose replacement cost.

Deductibles

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.

What Discounts Can You Get on Renters Insurance?

Many insurance carriers offer common discounts; however, you'll need to check with each company directly about which discounts they offer.

• Multi-Policy: If you bundle your renters insurance with auto, you’ll get a discount. Note that bundling is the highest discount you can get.
• Claims-Free: If you don’t make a claim in a set time, you’ll receive a discount.
• Home Credit: If you purchase new and costly home equipment, such as a dryer and a laundry machine, your rate will go down.
• Early Shopper Discount: If you get a quote from an insurer before your current policy expires, you save when you sign up with that insurer.
• Preferred Payment Discount: Save yourself time and money by enrolling in automatic payment linked to your bank account.
• Paid-in-Full Discount: You're entitled to a discount if you pay a year’s worth of premium upfront rather than monthly.
• Security and Safety Discounts: Because you set up security details in your rental, this shows to your insurer that you are taking safety precautions to try and prevent covered perils from happening.

Some common safety measures you can take are:

• Installing fire and smoke alarms
• Having deadbolts
• Setting up a security camera
• Stormproof windows

What Does Renters Insurance Cover?

In Ohio, the standard renters insurance policy covers liability, theft, medical treatment, and loss of use.

But no matter what the state, the standard policy never changes from what it offers.

So, the standard coverage includes:

Liability Coverage

Liability protects you against lawsuits from someone who has bodily injuries or property damages that you or your family caused to them on your property.

Liability also covers your legal defense if the injured person sues you for damages.

Personal Property Coverage

This pays to repair or replace the property that’s stolen or vandalized or that has been damaged due to fire, windstorms, smoke damage, and other perils your policy may cover.

Loss of Use

This policy covers basic living expenses and temporary housing costs if you can’t live in your rental unit due to health reasons, such as smoke residue from a fire.

Loss of use also pays if your home is completely uninhabitable due to damage and destruction from fire, smoke, and heavy winds.

Medical Payments

This policy pays for medical care if there is bodily injury to a person that occurs in your rental unit, regardless of fault.

What Doesn't Renters Insurance Cover?

You should always consider if the renters insurance you plan on buying has exclusions or does not cover things you may need.

Natural Disaster

Renters insurance doesn’t cover damages from certain natural disasters. These are earthquakes or floods.

A standard policy doesn’t cover flood damage because it’s often catastrophic and claims can be high in cost, making the insurer unable to offer flood insurance and causing them to lose their good financial strength.

If you need a flood policy, you can buy an add-on so you’re covered.

Bed Bugs and Pests

Renters insurance doesn’t cover bugs, bed bugs, pests, or wildlife infestations because insurers claim that these happen due to your neglect or your lack of upkeeping your rental.

High-Value Items

If you think you don’t need coverage for your Birkin bag because a renters policy has you covered, think again.

Of course, the standard renters policy pays for personal belongings.

However, since your Birken bag is high in value, it may be subject to a low limit of liability.

This means the insurer will only pay up to a certain amount or a small percentage of the value of that bag.

It also means this is another type of exclusion and, to remedy it, you have to purchase additional coverage to fully insure your bag.

Roommate Property

Renters insurance will not cover your roommate’s personal property if you have a roommate.

The roommate must purchase a separate policy to protect the roommate’s belongings.

Lost or Misplaced Personal Property

If you accidentally lose or misplace your smartphone or laptop, your insurance won’t cover replacements.

But if these devices are stolen from you, whether that’s from burglary to your rental or while you are on vacation and miles and miles away, you’ll be covered.

What is the Amount of Liability in a Standard Renters Insurance Policy?

You should have as much liability coverage as you can get.

For the most part, the basic renters insurance policy starts with $20,000 in personal property coverage.

Liability coverage starts with $100,000, which can pay damages and legal expenses if you are sued because you accidentally injured or hurt another person or damaged that person’s property.

These are very low coverage limits.

If your dog bites your neighbor and the neighbor ends up seriously hurt and then sues you, a $100,000 liability will not be enough.

Think of the legal fees, the lawyer representing you, and the cost to reimburse the bitten neighbor, and you’ll easily go past your liability.

It’s best, then, to increase your liability.

So be wary of renters insurance companies that say their monthly policy costs $5 or $10.

In reality, you rarely ever pay that amount each month, no matter how many discounts you qualify for, because you often need to increase your coverage limits.

How Scheduling Can Get You Extra Coverage

The typical standard renters insurance value is capped for high-priced items like the artwork is around $10,000.

You're likely to own more than $10,000 worth of valuables and won't receive any coverage beyond the said $10,000.

And that’s why you need to schedule your bag or any high-priced items you have like artwork and collectibles.

Scheduling means you can increase the coverage amounts of your insurance for your belongings.

This will increase your premium but will fully cover your valuables.

Our Methodology

Our team delved deep into the Ohio market to determine which renters’ insurance companies offer the best overall value.

We carefully evaluated several leading providers based on an extensive set of criteria, including customer service ratings, financial stability, user-friendly features, and affordability. Read our full in-depth renters insurance methodology.

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

To determine the best renters insurance company. We looked at several factors.

These included an affordable premium, customer service satisfaction, how quickly a company could reimburse you for a claim, additional coverage that could broaden the scope of your policy, and the number of discounts a company offered that could lower your monthly premium in a major way.

Price

To determine the best renters insurance companies, we chose only those with affordable basic policies.

The average cost of renters insurance in Ohio is $20.

We took that company off our list if the insurer costs more than $20 a month.

Discounts

No one likes paying for renters insurance. And to many, it’s because the premium is out of reach.

So we looked at insurers that had many discounts that could lower your premium.

We put a focus on the most popular discount, the multi-policy discount, because that was the best way to lower your premium.

Coverage

We considered the amount of coverage offered by a company for liability claims and personal belonging claims.

Because personal property in a standard policy can only be reimbursed up to the policy limit, which is often $10,000, we looked at endorsements and riders that extended your coverage so that you could be paid in full for your damaged property or destroyed due to a covered peril.

Technology

An insurance company that has an online presence and a mobile app makes it easier for policyholders to take care of all their renters insurance needs.

As such, if these electronic services offered enough policy information, allowed you to file a claim easily, or had ease of use for all walks of life and not just for those who are technologically savvy, we put those companies high on our list.

Customer Satisfaction

We scoured customer reviews from many trusted sites to see how well renters insurance performed.

We also considered rating companies such as AM Best and JD Powers to see if a particular renters insurance company, based on customer service performance, had a high score.

For AM Best, we focused on an insurer with a score of A++, which means the insurer was “superior” in financial strength.

Locations

We didn’t just research renters insurance quotes in the Buckeye State. Since we needed to compare quotes to find the best policy, we looked at important or famous cities and suburbs in Ohio, including Cleveland, Akron, Oakwood, Ottawa Hills, Shaker Heights, Madeira, and many more.

That gave us a better picture of how insurance rates vary per town.