Question: I’m shopping around for new renters insurance since State Farm raised my premium. How can I cancel my State Farm renters insurance?
Answer:
According to State Farm’s website, there are three ways to cancel your policy when the time comes. It should be noted that one of those ways is not via the online portal or the app.
Cancel your State Farm policy by phone
Option one, likely the easiest and fastest, is to cancel by phone. For renters insurance, you’ll want to contact your local State Farm agent who sold you the policy and manages the account. Let them know you want to cancel the account. Be prepared to have your policy number handy as they will likely need to confirm personal details like your name and date of birth.
By default, cancellations typically go into effect immediately unless you ask them to schedule it for a future date, so be sure to specify depending on what your needs are.
While this doesn’t apply to renters insurance, for auto insurance cancellations, you can call their general customer service number at 1-800-STATE-FARM.
Cancel your State Farm policy by mail
Your second option is to cancel by mail. In order to do this, you’ll need to write a letter with specific information and send it to Corporate Headquarters in Illinois. You’ll want to include your name, address and phone number in the letter along with your State Farm policy number and the date you want your policy to end.
Be sure to sign and date the letter and mail it out within at least two weeks before your requested cancellation date because it will take time for the mail to get delivered and for State Farm to process your request. The address you will want to mail it to is:
Corporate Headquarters
State Farm Insurance
One State Farm Plaza
Bloomington, IL 61710
Cancel your State Farm policy in person
Finally, you can always cancel your State Farm policies in person by seeing your local State Farm representative. It is generally best to ensure that you have the following information handy when you do: Name, address, phone number, policy number, and date you want coverage to end.
The bottom line
It is important to note that you may need to ensure you have new coverage going into effect before you cancel your current State Farm policy. If you don’t have concurrent or overlapping coverage you may end up with lapse in coverage. This could possibly raise your premium or cause problems with your lease. So play it safe and get your new policy all setup and confirmed before canceling your old one.
Kevin Berry is the Senior Director of Content at Jerry and has been working in the digital content space since 2011 across the car insurance/repair, personal finance, travel and sports industries. Prior to Jerry, Kevin was a content team lead at NerdWallet overseeing the Multimedia Production and Travel Rewards teams. Previously, he worked for NBC Sports, Comcast Cable and Nike. He has a Master`s Degree from Arkansas State and a Bachelor`s from Oregon State University.
Giselle Gomez is an editor with over a decade of experience editing content across personal finance, education, travel, and sports. In editing for Jerry, Giselle’s focus is on making sure content is consumer and SEO-friendly and helping readers understand all things car ownership. In prior roles, she worked as a content strategist, syndication editor, and writer. Her work is featured in AP, NerdWallet.com, BestColleges.com, and more. Giselle holds a master’s degree from Arizona State University.
