San Francisco Home Insurance

Take a moment to think about San Francisco from an outsider's perspective. The Golden Gate Bridge and rolling hills created the backdrop for classic shows and movies like “Full House” and “Mrs. Doubtfire.” The city’s reputation draws in millions of tourists each year. All in all, it’s a pretty cool place to call home. If you’ve lived in San Francisco for a while, you may not appreciate it like you used to — and that’s OK!

But you know what everyone, from native San Franciscans to recent transplants, can appreciate? A new home. New homes bring about that same feeling of awe and wonder, and here at Hippo, that’s what we specialize in. So if you’ve just bought a new home (or even if you haven’t), let that excitement linger while we take care of the boring stuff like home insurance in San Francisco. But we hope you’ll find that with us, it’s anything but boring.

How much is homeowners insurance in San Francisco?

Homeowners insurance in San Francisco costs an average of $1,076 per year, according to Insurance.com. That’s about the same price you’d pay for 18 pairs of Levis, a classic American brand that was founded in San Francisco in 1873. While San Francisco may be one of the most expensive cities in the nation, it’s actually pretty affordable for home insurance. Premiums in SF are below the California home insurance average of $1,133 and the national average of $1,200.

What factors influence my home insurance rate?

While home insurance in San Francisco isn’t too expensive, your actual premiums will vary depending on your home’s size, location and current condition. So if you own a mansion by the Marina, you can expect to pay a lot more than if you owned a townhome at the top of Nob Hill, both because your home is larger and because it’s more prone to flooding.

What San Francisco residents need to know

When you move to San Francisco, there’s a lot of things you’ll need to get used to, including using Muni as well as trekking up the city's many hills. But one thing that won’t be hard to get used to is the weather, as the Golden Gate city has temperatures that average between 45 to 72 degrees Fahrenheit throughout the year. But that’s not to say there aren’t unique things you need to prepare your home for.

Similar to other cities in California like San Diego and Sacramento, San Francisco is home to a lot of older buildings, meaning many homes may be prone to water damage. Earthquakes are also a semi-regular occurrence in the area, so many homeowners may choose to add earthquake insurance to their current policy. Finally, a recent study we conducted on package theft found that San Francisco residents have seen an increase of porch pirates over the last few years, making extra theft protection a smart move.

How to lower your home insurance premium

With fairly mild weather in the area, lowering your home insurance premium in San Francisco is all about making your home smart. Installing smart home devices like water leak detectors, security cameras, alarm systems and smart thermostats can all help your insurance provider view you as less of a risk to protect.

Other smart moves to make include seasonal home maintenance tasks and regular servicing of important home systems like your plumbing and HVAC systems. Adding up all of these to-do’s can lead to big savings over time. Just make sure you let your home insurance provider know about the changes you are making, so they can put those discounts into effect!

There’s a reason why so many people move to the city and why Tony Bennett dedicated an entire song to it: San Francisco just can’t be beat. And now, the city of tech moguls and forward thinkers has a new neighbor that offers the most modern home insurance policies around. Learn how we have expanded the meaning of home insurance by giving us a call.