JD Power: Customers Not Happy With Carrier Property Claims Service
Higher premiums and longer wait times make property owners less satisfied with their insurers.
These not-very-surprising results from J.D. Power’s 2025 U.S. Property Claims Satisfaction Study align with today’s climate of increasingly longer claim cycle times and higher costs for homeowners’ insurance.
“Customers are, in essence, paying higher prices for slower service,” said Mark Garrett, director of insurance intelligence at J.D. Power. “The average claimant does not receive final payment on a claim until 44 days after the first notice of loss, and unless insurers communicate frequently and clearly along the way, customer satisfaction suffers.”
Overall, the customer satisfaction score came in at 682 (on a 1,000 point scale). Chubb ranks highest in property insurance claims experience with a score of 773. Amica (745) ranks second and The Hartford (725) ranks third.
Impact of longer waits, higher premiums
The average claim cycle time from filing the claim to finished repairs is now 32.4 days, and the average cycle time from first notice of loss to final payment is now more than 44 days, the longest time since 2008. Claims completed within 10 days score 762 (on a 1,000-point scale), while repairs taking more than 31 days score 595.
Half the customers surveyed experienced insurer-initiated premium increases in the past 12 months. Overall satisfaction scores are 101 points lower (629 vs. 730) when insurers initiate a premium increase unrelated to having a claim than those who did not experience a premium increase.
“There were 27 catastrophic events in 2024 and 28 the year before,” Garrett said. “Homeowners insurers are currently losing roughly one nickel on every dollar of premium they collect, and with total cost of events like the California wildfires still being assessed, there seems to be no end in sight.”
How can insurers improve satisfaction scores?
Communication can be key to mitigating insureds’ aggravation, JD Power said. Overall satisfaction scores are more than twice as high (777) when customers say it is very easy to communicate with their insurer than when it is very difficult or somewhat difficult to communicate (337). Common failure points include often needing to leave voicemails, needing to call with questions repeatedly, and not receiving timely follow-up emails and text messages.
Overall satisfaction is also higher among customers who use digital tools when filing a claim, submitting photos that are used in the estimate and receiving proactive updates. Among digital channels, app usage results in the highest levels of satisfaction. Eighty-seven percent of Gen Z and Millennials indicate they are comfortable managing the entire claims process digitally. Only 60% of Boomers and Pre-Boomers say they are comfortable managing claims online.
Study parameters
The U.S. Property Claims Satisfaction Study was redesigned for 2025, so scores are not comparable with previous-year studies. The study measures satisfaction with the property claims experience among 5,178 homeowner insurance customers who filed a claim within the previous nine months. The study was fielded from January 2024 through December 2024.