Illinois Home Insurance: Protect Your Home

Illinois is the most populous state in the Midwest and is infamous for its tumultuous weather conditions and, in areas like Chicago, high crime rates. To protect against these threats, it’s critical that homeowners safeguard their homes with Illinois home insurance.

Illinois Home Insurance and Extreme Weather

With tornadoes and extreme heat in summer and severe storms in winter, Illinois homeowners battle the elements year-round. On average, Illinois suffers 29 tornadoes and five severe winter storms each year, and damage caused by flooding tops $250 million annually¹. Fortunately, Illinois home insurance covers property and possessions against a wide array of weather-related loss. These include:

• Ice/snow damage, or loss caused by wind or wind-driven rain
• Lightning, tornado and hurricane damage (up to your policy limit)
• Loss due to fires, including wildfires
• Collapse of a structure due to weight of snow or ice

Flood and Earthquake Damage Are Not Included

Flooding is a major concern across the state of Illinois. Unfortunately, some Illinois homeowners don’t realize that flood insurance coverage is not included under a standard Illinois home insurance policy. A separate flood insurance policy must be purchased for a home to be insured against flood damage.

Earthquake damage isn’t covered under a basic Illinois home insurance policy, either. Several fault zones are active in Illinois, and homeowners would be wise to consider purchasing an earthquake insurance policy with their Illinois home insurance.

Crime and Illinois Home Insurance

Robbery and burglary rates have fallen over the past two decades, but home robbery is still a major concern when purchasing Illinois home insurance. In areas like Chicago where crime rates are among the highest in the nation, homeowners should take the following steps to make their homes burglar-resistant:

• Install deadbolts or double-cylinder locks along with traditional doorknob locks
• Purchase a home security system that alerts an outside service
• Make sure windows are secured; if possible, install key locks
• Take a home inventory

A Few Ways to Save Money

The average cost for Illinois home insurance is over $56 per month², but following these cost-cutting tips could reduce that premium significantly:

• Purchase your Illinois home insurance and auto insurance from the same insurer and save up to 15 percent on both premiums
• Adjust your deductible – increasing your deductible from $250 to $1,000 could reduce your premium by up to 25 percent
• Ask about discounts for installing smoke detectors, security systems, deadbolt locks, storm shutters and fire-retardant roofing

Compare Illinois Home Insurance Quotes

The average Illinois homeowner pays $674 a year³. Without comparing Illinois home insurance rates from the hundreds of agents and providers who partner with InsWeb, you’ll never know how much you could save. Fill out one simple form and agents will provide you with no-obligation home insurance quotes at your convenience. The whole process is free, and you could save hundreds of dollars a year!

¹ Illinois State Water Survey