How to Change Homeowners Insurance

By Jon Merwin, Founder and CEO, Licensed Insurance Advisor

Short answer: to change homeowners insurance, pull your current declarations page, have the new policy written to start on a specific date, send proof of the new coverage to your mortgage servicer if you have one, and then cancel the old policy in writing as of that same date. Most carriers let you leave mid-term and return the unused portion of what you paid. Renewal is often the cleanest moment to switch because nothing has to be refunded or prorated, but you don’t have to wait for it.

Portsmouth Atlantic Insurance is a family-owned independent agency based on Islington Street in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, and we help New England homeowners move their coverage every week. Because we place homes with 40+ carriers, a switch with us usually means looking at several companies side by side instead of trading one brand for another. Our team brings 200+ years of combined experience, and clients have left 1,000+ Google reviews and over 2,000 testimonials. Below is the full process, plus the timing questions people ask us most.

Can you change homeowners insurance at any time?

Yes, in most cases. A homeowners policy is a contract you can generally end early by asking the insurer in writing to cancel it on a date you choose. The carrier then returns the part of your payment that covers the days after cancellation. Some companies refund strictly by the day. Others keep a small portion when the policyholder ends the policy early, so it’s worth asking how yours calculates the refund before you pick a date.

The carrier side is different. Once a policy has been in force for a while, insurers can usually cancel only for specific reasons, such as nonpayment or a material misstatement, and they have to give advance written notice. Choosing not to renew at the end of the term is more common, and it is one of the main reasons people end up shopping. If that just happened to you, our page on non-renewed or hard-to-place homes in New Hampshire covers what to do next.

Renewal vs. mid-term: which is better?

Renewal is the tidiest switch. The old policy simply ends on its expiration date, the new one starts the same date, and no refund needs to be calculated. Your renewal offer usually arrives a few weeks ahead, which gives you time to compare. Switching mid-term makes sense when something has changed and waiting doesn’t: your current carrier raised your deductible, dropped an endorsement you rely on, or simply isn’t responding the way you need. In those cases there’s no reason to sit on a policy that no longer fits.

When switching makes sense, and when to pause

Situation	Can you switch?	What to watch
Renewal offer just arrived	Yes, the easiest time	Compare before the expiration date so the new policy starts that day
Middle of the policy term	Usually yes	Ask how the refund is calculated, then match start and end dates
Your carrier sent a non-renewal notice	Yes, and you need to	Start early; older roofs and recent claims narrow options
You have an open claim	Usually yes	The claim stays with the old carrier; finish repairs before inspections if you can
You just finished claim repairs	Yes	Keep invoices and photos to show the new carrier the work is done
You are under contract to buy a home	Not a switch, a new policy	The lender will want proof of coverage before closing
You are selling the house	Keep coverage until the deed transfers	See our guide on cancelling when you sell
Your auto policy is packaged with the home	Yes	Ask how moving one policy affects the other
Coverage already lapsed	Yes, but options shrink	Get new coverage in place as soon as possible

For the last two rows, we have dedicated guides on when to cancel homeowners insurance when you sell and getting coverage back after a lapse.

How to change homeowners insurance, step by step

1. Pull your current declarations page

The declarations page lists your limits, deductibles, endorsements and policy period, and it is the yardstick for every new offer. Look for the dwelling limit, other structures, personal property, loss of use, personal liability and medical payments to others, plus every endorsement listed by form number. If you aren’t sure what you are looking at, our guide to reading a declarations page walks through it line by line.

2. Gather the details a new carrier will ask about

• Roof age and material, and the year of any replacement
• Heating type and fuel, including any oil tank and where it sits
• Updates to wiring, plumbing and heating, with approximate years
• Claims in recent years, at this address or any other
• Square footage, construction type, and finished basement space
• Dogs, pools, trampolines, wood stoves and any business use of the home
• Whether the home is a primary residence, seasonal home or rental

Honest, complete answers matter. A carrier that later finds a misstatement can raise the cost, change coverage or, in serious cases, cancel. It’s much better to sort out an older roof or an old claim up front.

3. Compare policies, not just totals

Two offers can look similar on the first page and behave very differently at claim time. Put them next to each other and check:

• Dwelling limit and settlement. Is the house insured for its estimated rebuilding cost, and is there extended replacement cost above the limit? Our replacement cost estimator is a good starting point.
• Personal property. Replacement cost or actual cash value? Depreciated settlements can leave a real gap on older furniture and electronics.
• Deductibles. Look past the all-perils deductible to any separate wind, hurricane or named-storm deductible, which matters near the coast.
• Roof terms. Some policies settle older roofs on a depreciated basis or a payment schedule rather than full replacement.
• Liability. Match or raise your liability limit, and confirm your umbrella policy still lines up with the new home policy’s required limit.
• Endorsements you rely on. Water backup, service line, equipment breakdown, scheduled jewelry and art, and ordinance or law coverage don’t carry over automatically.
• Flood. No homeowners policy covers flood. If you carry flood insurance, it is a separate policy, and you generally shouldn’t cancel it as part of a home switch.

If your current bill jumped and that is why you are shopping, our post on why homeowners insurance costs keep climbing explains the forces behind it, so you can tell whether a switch will actually help.

4. Pick a start date and have the new policy issued

Choose the date, and tell the new carrier the exact date the old policy will end. Many homeowners forms begin and end at 12:01 a.m. at the address of the insured home, so a policy that ends on the 15th and a policy that begins on the 15th meet with no gap. Don’t assume, though. Confirm the start time on the new declarations page before you cancel anything.

Expect the new carrier to order an exterior inspection, sometimes after the policy starts. If the inspector notes a problem, such as a worn roof, missing handrails or a damaged chimney, the carrier may ask for repairs within a set time. Ask what the new carrier’s inspection involves so it doesn’t come as a surprise.

5. Send proof of coverage to your mortgage servicer

If you have a mortgage, your lender is listed on the policy as the mortgagee, and the servicer must see that coverage continues. Ask the new carrier, or us, to send evidence of insurance with the correct mortgagee clause and loan number. As the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau explains, many lenders collect homeowners insurance through escrow and pay the bill on your behalf. If the servicer never learns about the new policy, it may keep paying the old carrier.

Losing track of coverage can get expensive. When a servicer can’t confirm coverage, federal mortgage servicing rules allow it to buy insurance on your home and charge you for it, known as force-placed insurance. Under Regulation X, 12 CFR 1024.37, a servicer generally must mail a written notice at least 45 days before charging you for it and a reminder notice before that charge too. If you then show you had acceptable coverage, the servicer has 15 days to cancel the force-placed policy and refund the charges for any overlap. Answer those letters right away. Our post on what happens to your mortgage if home insurance is cancelled goes deeper.

6. Cancel the old policy in writing

Once the new policy is issued and you have the declarations page in hand, ask your old carrier or agent to cancel as of the new policy’s start date. Put it in writing, which many carriers require anyway, and keep a copy of the cancellation confirmation. Turn off any automatic payments tied to the old policy so they don’t keep drafting.

7. Follow the refund and the escrow account

Watch for the refund of unused payment from the old carrier. If the old policy was paid through escrow, the refund may come to you or to the servicer depending on how it was issued, so check where it lands. At your next escrow analysis, confirm the servicer has the new carrier and the correct amount on file.

8. Store both policies

Keep copies of the old and new declarations pages and policy forms. A loss that happened before the switch, such as hidden water damage discovered a month later, is handled under the policy in force on the date it occurred, and you’ll want the old paperwork to file it.

Changing homeowners insurance after a claim

Searches for this are common, and the answer is reassuring: having a claim doesn’t lock you in. A few things to understand first:

• The open claim stays put. The insurer that covered you on the date of the loss handles that claim to the end, even after you move the policy elsewhere. Cancelling doesn’t close or forfeit the claim.
• Your next carrier will see it. The CFPB’s list of consumer reporting companies notes that property insurers buy claims and loss history data and use it to decide eligibility. You can request your own report and dispute errors before you shop.
• Finish the repairs. A new carrier is more comfortable insuring a roof or a kitchen that has been fully repaired. Keep contractor invoices, permits and photos.
• Expect questions. Water and liability claims tend to draw the most underwriting attention. One claim rarely closes every door, but several in a few years can narrow the choices.

For more on how long claims follow you and how they affect renewals, see how long claims stay on your record and whether home insurance goes up after a claim.

Switching when your carrier is leaving you

A non-renewal notice turns shopping from optional to urgent. The notice should give a reason, and the reason guides the search. Roof age is the most common one we see in New England, followed by claims, vacancy and the condition of older systems. Our post on home insurance cancelled because of the roof covers that situation, and an independent agency can check carriers that accept older roofs or the home’s specific profile. Start as soon as the notice arrives instead of waiting until the last week.

New England details to sort out before you switch

• Older homes. Many Seacoast and New England homes predate modern wiring and plumbing. Carriers ask about knob-and-tube wiring, fuse panels, galvanized pipes and oil tanks, and some decline certain combinations. Having update years ready speeds the process.
• Coastal deductibles. Homes near the shore can carry separate wind or hurricane deductibles. A new policy may handle that deductible differently from your current one, so compare it directly.
• Winter claims history. Ice dams, frozen pipes and roof damage from snow load show up on loss histories after a hard winter. Expect questions about them.
• Seasonal and second homes. A cottage or ski house that sits empty for stretches is often written on a different form from a primary home. Make sure the new policy matches how the home is actually used; see our second and seasonal home guide.
• State pages. For state-specific detail, read our New Hampshire homeowners insurance and Massachusetts homeowners insurance pages.

Should you bundle when you switch?

If your car is insured with the same company as your home, moving the home policy may change how the auto policy is packaged. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t switch. It means you should look at both together. Sometimes it makes sense to move both, and sometimes the home moves alone. Our page on bundling home and auto in New Hampshire covers the trade-offs. If you are leaving a large national auto brand and want to compare, we can shop multiple carriers for both policies at once.

Why an independent agency makes switching simpler

With a captive agent, switching means starting over with a new company and a new person. With an independent agency, we can look at a range of carriers through one conversation, line the dates up, send the mortgagee paperwork and handle the cancellation letter. And if a future renewal goes sideways, we can move the policy again without you starting from scratch. Read more about independent vs. captive agents.

Common mistakes when changing homeowners insurance

• Cancelling the old policy before the new one is issued
• Forgetting to tell the mortgage servicer, so escrow keeps paying the old carrier
• Comparing totals while ignoring a lower dwelling limit or a larger wind deductible
• Dropping endorsements like water backup or scheduled jewelry without noticing
• Leaving autopay running on the old policy
• Leaving out an older roof, a dog or a past claim on the application
• Cancelling a separate flood policy along with the homeowners policy

Questions to ask before you switch

• How will my current carrier calculate the refund if I leave mid-term?
• Does the new policy pay replacement cost for the house, the roof and my belongings?
• What are the all-perils and wind or hurricane deductibles?
• Which of my current endorsements carry over, and which need to be added?
• Will the new carrier inspect the home, and when?
• Who sends proof of coverage to my mortgage servicer, and when?
• If my auto is packaged with the home, how does moving one affect the other?

Want a second set of eyes before you decide? A policy review compares your current coverage against what is available, with no pressure to move.

Not sure where your renewal date or deductibles stand? Email us your declarations page and we’ll walk through it with you.

Frequently asked questions

Can you change homeowners insurance at any time?

Usually, yes. Most homeowners policies let you cancel in writing on a date you choose, and the old carrier returns the unused portion of what you paid. Some carriers refund strictly by the day and others keep a small portion for early cancellation, so ask before you pick a date.

How do I switch homeowners insurance without a gap?

Have the new policy issued first with a start date that matches the date you cancel the old one. Many policies begin and end at 12:01 a.m., so the same date on both leaves no gap. Confirm on the new declarations page before you cancel.

Can I change homeowners insurance after a claim?

Yes. The open claim stays with the carrier that insured you on the date of loss, and switching doesn’t close it. Your next carrier will see the claim in your loss history, so finish repairs and keep invoices and photos to show the work is done.

Do I need to tell my mortgage company when I change homeowners insurance?

Yes. Send your servicer proof of the new policy with the correct mortgagee clause and loan number. If it can’t confirm coverage, it may keep paying the old carrier from escrow or eventually buy force-placed insurance and charge you for it.

Is it better to switch homeowners insurance at renewal?

Renewal is the simplest time, since the old policy just expires and no refund needs to be figured. If coverage or service no longer fits, switching mid-term is usually fine as long as the dates line up.

Will my old insurance company refund me if I switch?

Generally, yes, for the unused part of the policy term. The method varies by carrier, and if you paid through escrow the refund may go to you or your servicer. For help timing a switch, call (603) 431-4020.

Sources

• Consumer Financial Protection Bureau: What is an escrow or impound account?
• 12 CFR 1024.37, Force-placed insurance (Regulation X), via Cornell Law School Legal Information Institute
• Consumer Financial Protection Bureau: List of consumer reporting companies

Already a client and want to update a policy instead? Visit the Service Center or send a policy change request.

This guide shares general information about how homeowners policies, cancellations and mortgage requirements commonly work. It is not legal advice and does not promise coverage or eligibility with any carrier. Refund methods, inspection practices and underwriting rules differ by insurer and state, and your policy wording controls. We’re glad to go over your specific situation.