How to pay homeowners insurance

Is homeowners insurance included in my mortgage?

Your homeowners insurance premium is included in your mortgage payment if you have an escrow account. When you pay your mortgage, a portion of the overall payment is set aside in your escrow account to pay for your homeowners insurance and property taxes (and mortgage insurance if your lender requires it). Your insurance and property taxes are automatically paid from the escrow account when they're due.

Learn more about how escrow and homeowners insurance works.

Is the first year of homeowners insurance included in closing costs?

In some cases, your lender may include your first homeowners insurance payment in your closing costs. Whether the payment is for a full year's worth of insurance or not varies. Additionally, who pays for it can vary based on the agreement between buyer and seller. For example, some buyers will ask the seller to cover their homeowners insurance payment at closing.

Is homeowners insurance paid monthly or yearly?

If you pay for your homeowners insurance directly, and not through an escrow account, then you can choose whether to pay monthly, quarterly, semiannually, or yearly. If your lender requires you to have an escrow account, your insurance payment is generally made yearly.

Is homeowners insurance paid in advance?

It depends. You may need to pay your homeowners insurance in advance if it's included in your closing costs. With this method, your escrow account is pre-funded once your mortgage is finalized. Some lenders may require you to pay for insurance in advance even if you don't use an escrow account.

Do I need to switch homeowners insurance companies if I refinance?

Generally, you can keep your current homeowners insurance when refinancing your mortgage. However, while you're looking for a new mortgage, it can't hurt to see if switching your homeowners insurance could save you money.

How to switch to Progressive homeowners insurance