Farmers Mutual of Osage
Carrier website links, underwriting access points, mapped product lines, and appetite notes in one place.
This appetite summary is only a guide. Confirm eligibility, submission requirements, restrictions, and binding authority directly with the carrier or underwriter before relying on it.
Carrier appetite summary
Verified official homeowners underwriting guidance is still published on Farmers Mutual Insurance Company’s website as a 3-page Homeowners Program underwriting PDF (rev. 5/18). Appetite is focused on West Virginia owner-occupied residential property written through local contracted agencies. Website marketing states the company writes insurance for West Virginians and highlights traditional homeowners, mobile home, farm, seasonal dwelling, renters, and small commercial offerings. For Homeowners specifically, binding authority is granted to agents for risks meeting the manual, with Coverage A capped at $300,000. Minimum Coverage A by form is listed as Form 1 $30,000, Form 2 $50,000, Form 3 $100,000, and Form 4 $10,000. Preferred/acceptable characteristics include 1-2 family risks on lower forms, 1-family only for Form 3, continuous solid masonry foundations for Forms 2-3, central heat age 25 years or less for Form 3, breaker electrical for Forms 2-3 with Form 3 wiring age 25 years or less, copper or plastic plumbing for Forms 2-3, and shingle/metal roofs for Form 3 within 25 years; Form 1 allows more basic risks including pier foundations, galvanized plumbing, fuse service, and space heaters. Townhomes are acceptable if each unit is separated by a proper fire division. Dwellings under construction or total renovation must go to the Dwelling Fire program. Hybrid homes/mobile homes with room additions must be written under the Mobile Homeowners program if owner occupied, or Dwelling Fire if tenant/seasonal occupied. Restrictions/declines on the homeowners form include no rolled or Ondura roofing, no vacant or unoccupied dwellings, no mobile homes or hybrid dwellings on this form, no dwellings using a wood stove as sole heat source or kerosene space heaters, no student housing, and no structures originally built for non-residential use. Liability-related ineligibility includes trampolines, broken steps, missing handrails, unfenced pools, and risks with vicious dogs or listed breeds/mixes including Rottweiler, Pit Bull, Chow, Doberman Pinscher, German Shepherd, and Akita; any dog with prior bite history is also unacceptable. Prior underwriting concerns include applicants canceled, non-renewed, or declined by another carrier within the past 5 years, applicants with a total loss or theft claim, and any prior losses that require underwriting review. Operational requirements: mailed applications must be complete with signatures, payment, and photos of all insured structures; online submissions require all screens complete plus payment information and photos, with signatures retained at the agent office. Photos are also required when extending liability to other structures, and a wood stove questionnaire plus photo must accompany any application with a wood stove. All co-habitating individuals must be named insureds. Farmers comprehensive liability is mandatory on properties over 5 acres, whether farmed or not, with additional premium per separate tract and location details required for each tract. In-ground pools must be fenced and locked; above-ground pools must be enclosed/gated/locked or fenced. No more than two mortgages per policy. Dwellings in an estate must be written under the Dwelling Fire program. Reinstatements after cancellation require underwriter approval and a signed no-loss statement. Producer notes from the agency manual indicate applications/forms are available through the website’s agency support center after login, and the company positions its staff as available for writing/servicing assistance.