Northern Neck Insurance Company Review & Complaints: Auto & Home Insurance (2023)

Virginia insurer Northern Neck is a homegrown property & casualty insurance company serving only their home state. They write basic personal insurance policies including auto insurance and home insurance.

What is Northern Neck?

Like many local insurers, Northern Neck has its roots in a small group of community members coming together to create a protective mutual association against losses due to fire. Northern Neck Mutual Fire Association was created in 1896 in Irvington, Virginia.

Although still a mutual company, in 1987 the name was changed to Northern Neck Insurance Company, which now serves the entire state of Virginia. The company made the decision to remain a Virginia-only insurance company and focus on products in that state alone.

Policies include personal auto, homeowners, and other home policies including a rural estate option. They are sold through independent agents across the state.

What types of insurance products are offered?

The insurance provider focuses on basic personal insurance needs, offering auto and home insurance as well as personal umbrella insurance. The company website offers very little information on their products, instead directing visitors to contact an agent for assistance.

Auto Insurance

The Northern Neck website does not give much information at all on their auto insurance policy. The only specific coverage on this type of protection that is mentioned is their emergency roadside assistance program which is included at no extra premium on all auto insurance policies and provides coverage of up to $75 per incident.

The section on auto insurance does state that they have coverage for “responsible drivers”, which indicates that they are probably a preferred risk insurer and may not be a good choice if you have a less than perfect driving record.

Homeowners Insurance and Renters Insurance Policy

There is a little more information on the Northern Neck home insurance policy. The site states that they offer 100% replacement cost on their policies as well as earthquake and sinkhole coverage – but does not note whether these are standard coverages included with every policy or options that can be added on for an extra premium.

They also list Equipment Breakdown coverage, which does appear to be an option that can be added to your homeowners policy.

In addition to standard homeowner’s insurance, Northern Neck also offers a variety of other types of home insurance. This includes renters insurance coverage, condo insurance, and landlord insurance for rental properties.

Additionally, they have a Rural Estate package that can be added on to a homeowner’s policy. This provides extra coverage for farm buildings, equipment, livestock, and more that are not the main source of income for the homeowner. It also adds on farm liability.

Personal Umbrella

Like the other programs, information on Northern Neck’s personal umbrella policy is also very limited. There is not a list of limits nor is it made clear whether it is available only to Northern Neck home and auto customers.

Does the company offer competitive rates?

There are no rates available for Northern Neck, not at all surprising given their small size and agent approach to sales. With so little information on the products, getting rates from an agent is necessary even to find out what kind of coverage you would get for your money.

The site does offer an agent locator service to find the nearest option for getting quotes, and there is also a form that can be filled out in order to request an agent contact you with a quote.

We do not usually expect companies like Northern Neck to have the lowest rates; small companies usually make up for higher premiums with excellent customer service, which we will take a look at in another section.

Can claims be filed online?

The website does not offer a dedicated claims section. We found the claims information instead of on the contact page of the site.

Policyholders are directed to contact their agent to file an insurance claim during business hours. After hours, a toll-free number can be used to file a claim.

There is a separate 24-hour line that can be reached for roadside assistance needs.

Beyond the phone numbers, the Northern Neck website gives no claims information. This may be located in the member center section once logged in, but we were unable to verify this.

If you hold a policy with the company, you should make certain you understand what process you should follow in the event of an automobile accident.

Are the ratings and consumer reviews positive?

Northern Neck has been Better Business Bureau (BBB) accredited since 2013 and has an A+ rating. The file lists only three complaints in the past three years, all of which have been closed.

The four reviews on Yelp are each different, with a one, three, four, and five-star review making for a mixed look at the company. The overall rating is 3.5-stars. The complaints are about slow response and one about a denied claim. Northern Neck appears to be responsive to reviews and complaints.

Northern Neck has 3.8 stars overall based on 30 Google reviews. There are a lot of highly positive reviews as well as some negative ones, mainly dealing with claims issues. Overall, this company appears to enjoy a good reputation.

What’s the bottom line?

For those who prefer to work with an agent and obtain their insurance from a small, Virginia-focused company, Northern Neck is a good bet. We are unable to provide a solid opinion due to the lack of product information and rates, but they have a good reputation and are well worth adding to your comparison list.