Homeowners insurance premiums have risen for five consecutive years, and the clients who are re-examining every line of their household budget are the same ones agents are trying to retain. New data from JD Power puts a number on what happens to retention when that pressure collides with poor communication from carriers.
The JD Power 2026 US Home Insurance Study, based on 17,191 homeowners and renters surveyed between July 2025 and July 2026, finds that high customer trust is associated with three times higher intended retention and 2.6 times lower likelihood of shopping for a new carrier. That is not a soft finding about goodwill. It is a measurable retention gap in a market under financial strain.
Among homeowners who say their experience was not consistent across contacts, 25% received different or conflicting answers from different sources. On the 1,000-point satisfaction scale, customers who strongly agree their overall experience was connected and consistent score 794, versus 384 among those who strongly disagree.
That 410-point gap is the largest single differential in the study. It maps directly onto what agents can control, being the single and consistent source of accurate information when carrier channels conflict.
Policy understanding is another variable, and it has barely moved. Only 55% of homeowners say they completely understand what their policy covers, a figure that has stayed within a three-point band for six years.
Carriers that make proactive contact lift that to 60%, against 48% among policyholders who received no contact in the past 12 months. That 12-percentage-point gap from proactive outreach is not large in absolute terms, but its implications compound. A client who does not understand their coverage discovers the gap at claim time, and that discovery damages trust at exactly the moment when trust most directly predicts whether they stay or shop.
“Homeowners are dealing with a broader affordability problem, not just an insurance premium problem,” said Craig Martin, executive director, insurance intelligence at JD Power. “Because household costs are rising and insurance rates are under pressure, customers need carriers to explain what is changing, why it matters and what value they are getting in return. Carriers that communicate early, make service easy and help customers understand coverage are better positioned to keep homeowners who are facing increasing financial pressure.”
Amica ranked highest in homeowners insurance for the second consecutive year, with a score of 680. Erie Insurance placed second at 678, followed by Chubb at 676.
In renters' insurance, State Farm ranked highest at 702, ahead of Erie Insurance at 692 and Amica at 689.
The affordability pressure that is pushing homeowners to shop more actively makes the trust and communication findings in this study more important. JD Power's data suggests agents best positioned to hold accounts are the ones who communicate clearly and early, rather than waiting for a client to raise cost at renewal.
