Car and Home Insurance in Phoenix, AZ

What I help with

Your house, your car, or both on one plan. Pick the one on your mind.

HomeownersThe house, your belongings, your liability and a place to stay after a covered loss. Renters insurance is the same idea without the building.
AutoLiability at or above Arizona’s minimum, plus the parts that pay for your own car, uninsured drivers and medical bills.
Home and auto togetherOne insurer writing both, often with a multi-policy discount to ask about. Compare it on the same coverage as two separate policies.

Your renewal went up. What to look at before you switch

Solid: a declarations page, the same fields on eachDashed, behind both: the policy wording, where the exclusions are writtenBrown bar: an amount; a longer bar is a higher amountEqual: the field matches. Not equal and ringed: the quote differsGrey lines stand for entries, drawn without names or amounts. A cheaper policy with lower limits or a higher deductible is a different policy, not the same coverage for less.

Put the two pages side by side

Your declarations page next to the new quote. Then check, in this order:

Who is covered
The vehicle or the home
Each coverage, by name
The liability limits
The deductibles

Then read the exclusions in the policy wording. If any line doesn’t match, it isn’t the same policy.

Car insurance in Phoenix, in plain words

Full coverage

Usually means liability plus comprehensive and collision, which pay for damage to your own car. Each of those has its own deductible.

Monsoon damage

Hail, wind and flood damage to your own car fall under comprehensive, not liability, the Insurance Information Institute explains. If you carry liability only, a monsoon storm that dents your car is yours to pay for.

Someone else driving

Insurance usually follows the car: a driver you allow to use it is often covered, but someone in your household who drives it regularly may need to be listed on the policy.

Uninsured and underinsured motorist

Pays when a driver who hits you has no insurance or too little, and after a hit and run, as the Insurance Information Institute explains. Arizona law requires insurers to offer both in writing, and your declarations page shows whether you bought or turned them down.

Medical payments

Pays for treating injuries to the driver and passengers in your car (Insurance Information Institute). Each part of an auto policy is priced separately, so check whether each quote includes it.

An excluded driver

Arizona law lets a policy exclude a person by name through a written agreement, and the exclusion carries over at every renewal until the insurer agrees in writing to cover that person. The policy does not insure an excluded person while they drive.

Driving for pay

A personal auto policy usually does not cover delivering for pay, courier work or carrying paying passengers through a ride share app, the Insurance Information Institute warns. Arizona law does not require a personal policy to cover ride share driving unless the policy or an endorsement says it does.

The three numbers on your policy

Liability is written as three limits, in this order. Each is the most the policy pays for:

One person’s injuries
All injuries in one accident
Damage to other people’s property

Arizona law sets the minimum at $25,000 for one person’s injuries, $50,000 for all injuries in one accident and $15,000 for damage to other people’s property, for policies issued or renewed since July 1, 2020. That is the floor the state requires. Damage above your limits can fall to you.

Home and renters insurance, in plain words

Homeowners or renters: what each one covers

Part of a loss	Homeowners policy	Renters insurance
The house, and other structures such as a fence or a shed	Covered	Not covered
Your belongings	Covered	Covered
Your liability to others	Covered	Covered
The cost of living elsewhere after a covered loss	Covered	Covered

If you rent, the landlord’s policy covers the building, not what you own.

How much coverage

Enough to rebuild the house at today’s costs, which is not its market value, and enough to replace your belongings. A room by room list of what you own helps.

Being underinsured

If the dwelling limit is below the cost to rebuild, a large loss can leave a gap. Compare the limit on your declarations page with a current rebuild estimate.

Flood and earthquake

A standard homeowners policy does not pay for flood or earthquake damage, as the Insurance Information Institute notes. Coverage for either is bought separately, which is worth knowing before monsoon season, not after.

Replacement cost or actual cash value

For your belongings, actual cash value pays less for older items than you paid for them new, while replacement cost pays to replace them, the Insurance Information Institute explains. Check which one each quote uses.

Jewelry and other valuables

A standard policy usually limits what it pays when jewelry, silverware or collectibles are stolen. A floater or an endorsement insures them for their appraised value (Insurance Information Institute).

Building codes

If a covered repair must bring the house up to current building codes, a standard policy generally will not pay that extra cost. An ordinance or law endorsement pays a set amount toward it (Insurance Information Institute).

Illustration: a quiet Phoenix street of stucco homes with red tile roofs at golden hour — Illustration of a Phoenix street. Insure the house for what it would cost to rebuild, not what it would sell for.

Home and auto on one plan

Bundling means one insurer writes both your home and your car. Many insurers offer a discount for combining them, and the Insurance Information Institute suggests asking about it, along with discounts for paying in full or by autopay.

A discount only helps if the coverage is right. Line the bundle up against two separate policies on the same limits, deductibles and drivers, and look at each deductible: home and auto each keep their own.

Want a second set of eyes? Send me what you have now and I’ll walk you through it.

Illustration: a stucco house with a red tile roof and a car parked out front

Renewal went up? Tell me what changed and I'll help you sort out what to keep.

Ask Jodi a question Call (480) 228-0591

What drives the price

What sets a car or home price

The driver or the home, where it is, its claims history, the vehicle or the building, and the limits and deductibles you choose. A real number comes from your own details, not an average.

What sets a renters price

Renters insurance is priced on where you live, how much you insure and the deductible. Ask for the same coverage from each insurer you compare.

Comparing two prices

To tell whether your car insurance is too much, compare like with like: the same limits, the same deductibles and the same drivers. A lower price with lower limits is a different policy, not a better deal.

Illustration: a sunlit kitchen counter with papers, glasses and a cup of coffee

Have these ready before you compare

Your current declarations page
The drivers, or the people and property, to be covered
The limits and deductibles you have now
Each quote on the same limits, deductibles and drivers

Switching without a gap

1
Start the new policy
Before you cancel the old one
2
Cancel the old policy
Once the new one has started
3
Keep proof in the car
Proof of the new insurance; a phone can show it

The order matters. In Arizona, insurers report new, cancelled and nonrenewed auto policies to the state, and an insurer that cancels a policy must tell you that your vehicle registration may be suspended, under Arizona law. Arizona law also lets you show proof of insurance on your phone.

Before you leave, ask your current insurer about discounts for combining home and auto, paying in full or paying by autopay. The Insurance Information Institute notes that some people who switch for a lower price face a higher premium as soon as the next year, and that value includes service and the insurer’s financial strength, not only the premium.

Questions people ask about car and home insurance

What do the three numbers on a car insurance policy mean?

They are the liability limits: the most the policy pays for one person’s injuries, for all injuries in one accident, and for damage to other people’s property, in that order.

What is the difference between liability and full coverage?

Liability pays for injuries and damage you cause to others. Full coverage usually adds comprehensive and collision, which pay for damage to your own car.

At what point is full coverage not worth it?

When the yearly cost of comprehensive and collision gets close to what the car is worth, many owners drop them. A lender usually requires them while the car is financed.

Is someone else covered when they drive my car?

Often, if you gave them permission, because insurance usually follows the car. Someone in your household who drives it regularly may need to be listed on the policy.

How can I get a quote for home and contents insurance?

Have the address, the year the house was built, its size, the age of the roof and a list of what you own, then ask a licensed agent or an insurer for a quote with the limits you want.

Can I refuse renters insurance?

If your lease requires it, the landlord can make it a condition of renting. Otherwise it is your choice, though it covers your belongings, which the landlord’s policy does not.

Keep reading

See everything I can help with, the Phoenix-area cities I work with, or read a little about me.

Let's look at your car and home coverage

Tell me what's going on with your renewal and I'll take it from there. Or just call me.

Arizona Insurance Producer License No. 1461741 (NPN 1461741)