Kemper Preferred & Kemper Specialty
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
Current public information indicates Kemper has exited its *preferred* home and auto business nationwide and is no longer positioning preferred homeowners as a strategic product line. High‑level status / appetite - Kemper announced in August 2023 that it is exiting the preferred home and auto segment; this includes the legacy Kemper Preferred personal lines book. The intent is to focus capital on specialty auto and life.([oldharbor.com](https://oldharbor.com/2023/08/08/kemper-exits-preferred-home-and-auto-insurance-in-california/?utm_source=openai)) - Market reports and producer commentary since that announcement describe Kemper halting new preferred personal lines business and non‑renewing the existing preferred home and auto portfolio as allowed by state regulation.([oldharbor.com](https://oldharbor.com/2023/08/08/kemper-exits-preferred-home-and-auto-insurance-in-california/?utm_source=openai)) - Current public‑facing Kemper materials emphasize Kemper Auto (non‑standard and commercial auto) and Kemper Life; there is no active marketing or updated producer material that treats homeowners as a growth or target line.([kemper.com](https://www.kemper.com/get-started/become-a-property-casualty-agent?utm_source=openai)) Legacy Kemper Preferred home guidance (for reference on any remaining run‑off) Note: The following points are from older Kemper Preferred / Prime home manuals circulating on broker sites (not current on Kemper’s public site) and should be treated as historical guidance useful only for understanding why a risk may be non‑renewed or ineligible, not for placing new business. Preferred/target profile (historic) - Owner‑occupied primary residences with solid prior insurance history and no lapses. - Minimum Coverage A often set at $150,000 for preferred tiers. - Homes with updated major systems (roof, wiring, plumbing, heating), particularly for dwellings over 20 years old; composite shingle roofs 20+ years old were typically ineligible without replacement.([ekemper.com](https://www.ekemper.com/Enterprise_Email/RPW%20Quick%20Start%20Guide%2C%203-2014.pdf?utm_source=openai)) Common restricted / declined classes (historic) - Protection class 9 or 10 risks were not acceptable. - Homes with losses involving negligence/carelessness were ineligible. - Mobile, trailer, modular, manufactured, log homes, and homes on stilts/piers/pilings were excluded. - Dwelling fire business generally required an accompanying primary home and auto account. - Older dwellings (often pre‑1985) required prior underwriter approval and proof of seismic or structural retrofitting where applicable.([appund.com](https://appund.com/content/documents/divisions/personalLines/directSelect/Direct%20Select%20Home%20Guidelines.pdf?utm_source=openai)) Geographic / operational notes - Kemper’s 2023 exit from preferred home and auto initially drew attention in California but applied to the preferred home/auto segment more broadly across states; agencies report that Kemper has halted new preferred personal lines business and is letting existing policies lapse or non‑renew at expiration, subject to state rules.([oldharbor.com](https://oldharbor.com/2023/08/08/kemper-exits-preferred-home-and-auto-insurance-in-california/?utm_source=openai)) - Kemper continues to write in the U.S. through various underwriting companies, but public materials and recent financial communications emphasize specialty auto and life—not homeowners—as the core going forward.([kemper.com](https://www.kemper.com/notice-to-insurance-customers-and-consumers?utm_source=openai)) Submission requirements & producer expectations (where policies still exist) - Historical producer guides stress: accurate prior carrier and lapse information; confirmation of roof age and updates for homes 20+ years old; completion of system‑update questions; and ensuring Coverage A matches replacement‑cost calculations—no rounding down. Incomplete or inconsistent information triggered underwriting review and possible referral before binding.([ekemper.com](https://www.ekemper.com/Enterprise_Email/RPW%20Quick%20Start%20Guide%2C%203-2014.pdf?utm_source=openai)) - Social Security numbers for all named insureds were required in older guidelines to quote preferred home, and many risks with inspection issues or older construction required underwriter review before binding.([appund.com](https://appund.com/content/documents/divisions/personalLines/directSelect/Direct%20Select%20Home%20Guidelines.pdf?utm_source=openai)) Broker / producer instructions - Current Kemper public site provides only a general “Become a Property & Casualty Agent” intake form; it does not surface any active homeowners appetite, manuals, or submission playbooks. Producers looking for homeowners markets should not treat Kemper Preferred or Kemper Specialty as an active or growth home market and should expect new‑business blocks and widespread non‑renewals in the legacy book.([kemper.com](https://www.kemper.com/get-started/become-a-property-casualty-agent?utm_source=openai)) Operational takeaway - Treat Kemper Preferred & Kemper Specialty homeowners as a legacy/run‑off exposure rather than a viable new‑business market. For any in‑force policies, follow state non‑renewal rules and expect tight eligibility consistent with the historic manuals above, but do not plan on placing new homeowners risks with Kemper absent direct, current written confirmation from a Kemper underwriter or territory manager.