Washington Landlord Insurance Cost (2026): Dwelling Fire Benchmarks, OIC Data and What Drives Your Quote
What landlord insurance costs in Washington: why no official landlord average exists, NAIC 2023 dwelling fire benchmarks by coverage amount, Washington OIC homeowners market data and wildfire and FAIR Plan context.
Last verified October 14, 2026 · Insurance 8020 is not a licensed insurance producer, broker or agent and does not sell policies.
Neither the Washington Office of the Insurance Commissioner nor the NAIC publishes an average landlord insurance premium for Washington rentals. What they do publish are useful benchmarks: the NAIC’s 2023 Washington dwelling fire form average of $886 for one-family owner-occupied buildings, the NAIC HO-3 average of $1,232, Washington OIC’s about $3.834 billion of homeowners premium, and OIC guidance that points hard-to-place risks to the Washington FAIR Plan. This guide explains those numbers, what they leave out, and what moves a Washington rental quote.
Key Takeaways
- There is no official Washington landlord average. Washington OIC and the NAIC do not publish a statewide premium average for landlord or DP-3 policies.
- The dwelling fire form averaged $886 in Washington in 2023. That NAIC figure, collected for one-family owner-occupied homes, was 13.1% below the $1,019 countrywide dwelling fire average.
- Coverage amount still matters. Washington dwelling fire policies in the NAIC data averaged $645 under $150,000 of coverage and $889 at $300,000 to $324,999.
- Owner HO-3 averaged $1,232. That NAIC 2023 figure is for owner-occupied homeowners policies, not landlord forms, and is useful only as a comparison. It sits 29.1% below the $1,737 countrywide HO-3 average.
- Wildfire availability is an OIC focus. Washington OIC says standard property policies include fire coverage and directs consumers who cannot find coverage to the FAIR Plan at 425-745-9808.
- Insurers wrote about $3.85 billion of homeowners premium. Washington OIC Appendix A and the NAIC 2025 group report both put statewide homeowners multiple-peril written premium near $3.8 to $3.9 billion.
How much does landlord insurance cost in Washington?
There is no Washington OIC or NAIC table titled “Washington landlord insurance premium.” Landlord policies are priced address by address on rebuild cost, wildfire exposure, liability limit, deductible and claim history. The closest official benchmarks are below. Treat them as context for your quote, not as a quote.
| Official benchmark | Figure | Source and notes |
|---|---|---|
| Washington dwelling fire average premium | $886 | NAIC, 2023 data, one-family owner-occupied dwelling fire policies |
| Countrywide dwelling fire average premium | $1,019 | NAIC, 2023 data |
| Washington HO-3 (owner-occupied) average | $1,232 | NAIC, 2023 data, for comparison |
| Washington renters (HO-4) average, paid by tenants | $165 | NAIC, 2023 data |
| Washington OIC / NAIC 2025 homeowners written premium (statewide) | about $3.83–$3.85 billion | OIC Appendix A and NAIC group totals, not a per-policy landlord average |
| Statewide homeowners loss ratio (2025) | 45.84%–45.89% | NAIC group / OIC Appendix A |
Two cautions. First, the NAIC collects its dwelling fire series for one-family, owner-occupied, non-seasonal buildings and says those figures are not directly comparable with its homeowners data. It shows what the dwelling fire form costs in Washington, not what landlords pay. Second, wildfire and FAIR Plan guidance describe owner homeowners availability pressure; landlord forms face related underwriting but are not the same product.
Washington dwelling fire cost by coverage amount
One of the biggest drivers of any dwelling premium is how much coverage you carry. NAIC’s 2023 Washington table for the dwelling fire form (owner-occupied homes) shows selected coverage bands:
| Dwelling coverage amount | Washington dwelling fire average premium (2023) |
|---|---|
| Under $150,000 | $645 |
| $150,000 to $199,999 | $702 |
| $250,000 to $274,999 | $817 |
| $300,000 to $324,999 | $889 |
| $350,000 to $399,999 | $824 |
| $400,000 to $449,999 | $977 |
| $500,000 to $599,999 | $945 |
| $700,000 to $999,999 | $1,964 |
| $1,000,000 and over | $795 |
Source: NAIC Dwelling Fire, Homeowners Owner-Occupied, and Homeowners Tenant and Condominium/Cooperative Unit Owner’s Insurance Report, Table 4, Washington, 2023 data. Selected bands shown.
The statewide $886 average blends a thin book: only 14,480.9 dwelling fire house-years in Washington in 2023, so band averages can move with a small number of policies. If your rental needs $400,000 of rebuild coverage, the $977 band average is a more useful yardstick than the statewide mean. Set the dwelling limit to the cost to rebuild, not the market value of the property; land is not insured.
What Washington OIC and NAIC data tell landlords about the broader property market
Washington OIC’s 2025 market information reports and the NAIC’s 2025 group report show how large the owner homeowners market is:
- $3,834,172,000 of homeowners multiple-peril premium written in OIC Appendix A (NAIC group total $3,851,076,000).
- State Farm Fire and Casualty alone wrote 16.02% of company premium; State Farm Group held 16.35% of 2025 group premium.
- The statewide homeowners loss ratio was 45.84% in the NAIC 2025 group report (OIC Appendix A reports 45.89%).
Those figures describe the owner homeowners market, but they matter to landlords because the same wildfire, rebuild-cost and availability pressures feed into rental underwriting. For the full owner market picture, see our Washington homeowners insurance statistics.
Wildfire and the Washington FAIR Plan
Location and availability matter as much as rebuild cost for many Washington rentals.
Fire and wildfire coverage. Washington OIC’s wildfires and insurance page says standard homeowners and property policies in Washington include protection against fire damage, and that most companies also cover heat, smoke, soot and fumes from fire. Ask every landlord quote whether wildfire underwriting restricts the address and how smoke or ember damage is treated.
FAIR Plan. If voluntary coverage is unavailable, OIC directs consumers to the Washington FAIR Plan at 425-745-9808. Confirm whether a quote is admitted-market coverage, surplus lines or FAIR Plan placement, and compare limits and exclusions carefully if you are pushed into the residual market after a non-renewal.
Risk scores and mitigation. OIC’s wildfire risk and your insurance hub covers wildfire risk score transparency and IBHS Wildfire Prepared Home standards. Ask whether a score is being used and what mitigation steps could change eligibility.
What usually moves a Washington landlord quote
Even without an official landlord average, carriers still price the same levers:
- Rebuild cost and Coverage A limit - match the dwelling limit to reconstruction cost, not market value.
- Liability limit - many landlords start at $300,000 to $1 million and then add an umbrella for higher limits.
- Loss of rents / fair rental value - months of lost rent after a covered loss.
- Deductibles - including any percentage or special wildfire/wind deductibles.
- Claims and occupancy - prior claims, tenant screening and short-term rental use.
- Earthquake and flood - almost always separate policies in Washington.
For carrier-by-carrier product notes, see best landlord insurance companies in Washington. Sibling state cost guides include Arkansas landlord insurance cost, Colorado landlord insurance cost, South Carolina landlord insurance cost, Texas landlord insurance cost, North Carolina landlord insurance cost and California landlord insurance cost.
How to get a usable Washington landlord quote
- Pull a rebuild-cost estimate for the rental, not a Zillow-style market value.
- Decide liability and loss-of-rent months before you shop.
- Ask every carrier the same wildfire and FAIR Plan questions.
- Compare State Farm, Liberty Mutual, Allstate and Travelers using our landlord quote form.
- Check converting city pages such as Spokane, Seattle, Tacoma and Vancouver for local context.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does landlord insurance cost in Washington?
There is no official statewide landlord average from Washington OIC or the NAIC. The closest owner-occupied benchmark is the NAIC’s 2023 Washington dwelling fire average of $886. Your rental quote will differ based on rebuild cost, wildfire exposure and liability limits.
Is the NAIC dwelling fire average a landlord rate?
No. The NAIC collects that series for one-family, owner-occupied, non-seasonal buildings. We cite it only as a labeled owner-occupied proxy, not as what Washington landlords pay.
Does Washington have a FAIR Plan for hard-to-place homes?
Yes. Washington OIC directs consumers who cannot find coverage to the Washington FAIR Plan at 425-745-9808 on its wildfires and insurance page.
Which carriers write landlord insurance in Washington?
Carriers with verified public landlord product pages and material Washington homeowners books include State Farm, Liberty Mutual, Allstate and Travelers. See our best landlord insurance companies in Washington ranking for market share and AM Best context.
How should I compare Washington landlord quotes?
Hold dwelling limit, liability limit, deductible, wildfire treatment and loss-of-rent months constant, then request quotes for the same specifications.
How we verified this page
NAIC dwelling fire and HO-3 averages come from the NAIC Homeowners Report (2023 data). Statewide premium and company shares come from Washington OIC’s 2025 Appendix A and Appendix E. Group shares and loss ratios come from the NAIC 2025 P&C market share report. Wildfire and FAIR Plan guidance come from Washington OIC consumer pages. All primary sources were fetched October 14, 2026. We did not invent a landlord premium average. See our methodology.
Important disclosures
Averages are not quotes. Official averages blend many policies, coverage amounts and locations. Your premium depends on your property and the insurer’s underwriting.
About Insurance 8020. Insurance 8020 is an independent insurance comparison and education resource. We are not a licensed insurance producer, broker or agent, and nothing on this page is a recommendation to buy any specific policy. We may earn a referral fee when you request a quote through our partners, at no cost to you.