Auburn, NH Home Insurance

By Jon Merwin, Founder and CEO

Home · Flood · Condo · Renters · Umbrella · Auburn, New Hampshire

Portsmouth Atlantic Insurance is an independent agency founded in 2005 and licensed in 10 states. We are the most-reviewed independent insurance agency in New Hampshire, with 1,000+ Google reviews and over 2,000 testimonials across our two offices. We shop each Auburn home across 40+ carriers, and we charge no fees. Start with New Hampshire homeowners insurance, or read on.

Auburn at a glance

The U.S. Census Bureau estimates 6,336 Auburn residents as of July 1, 2025 (5,960 in the April 2020 estimates base). The town’s Hazard Mitigation Plan Update 2025, prepared by Emergency Management By Design with the town’s hazard mitigation team (the posted copy leaves the adoption dates blank), counts about 18,438 acres in town and two fire stations covering about 29 square miles.

The plan says 100% of Auburn residents get their water from private wells, with no public water utility, though Manchester Water Works runs about two miles of water lines and 17 hydrants on the west side of town. It counts about 88.7 miles of public roads, including eight gravel roads.

The plan says the newer trend in Auburn is condominium units making up most new single-family permits, with residential growth concentrated in a handful of locations and no significant new building in hazard-prone areas. For insurance, that means a mix of older houses, newer homes on larger lots, and condos.

Where you live in Auburn changes the policy

• The brooks and the bridges over them. The plan asks for attention to bridges along Maple Falls, Clark Pond, Little Massabesic, Hook, Murray Mill, Preston, Neal and Cohas brooks, where debris or ice can block the flow and back water up. In 2003, flooding and debris caused the culvert on Hook Road to fail.
• Priscilla Lane and Raymond Road. The plan names both as areas with persistent beaver problems that can block culverts. It also places the Wayne Eddows Recreational Fields on Priscilla Lane and the Auburn Village School athletic field in the 1% annual-chance floodplain.
• Lake Massabesic. The plan describes several unpaved private roads with homes along the lake, many narrow and poorly maintained, and lists Shore Drive, Fox Lane, Deerneck Lane and Deschenes Lane as isolated neighborhoods. In a December 2004 house fire on Shore Drive, only one fire truck could reach the home. Distance from the fire station and road access both matter to home insurers.
• Below Tower Hill Pond. The plan says Auburn’s one high-hazard dam, owned by Manchester Water Works at Tower Hill Pond on Maple Falls Brook, would send water south through Clark Pond and Little Massabesic Lake toward the Town Center and Raymond Road if it failed. It notes the area is mostly undeveloped land with little development at risk, and there has never been a dam breach in Auburn.

Flood coverage in Auburn

Auburn joined the NFIP on May 19, 1986, and its flood maps date from May 17, 2005. The plan reports 10 NFIP policies in force, 1 paid residential loss and no repetitive loss properties. Citing the town’s most recent NFIP biennial report, it counts about 45 homes, and about 306 residents, in the FEMA 100-year floodplain.

The plan says no new building is allowed in the floodplain district without a variance, and that the town has replaced several undersized culverts with larger pipes and box culverts, some with FEMA grants. Still, 10 policies against roughly 45 homes in the mapped floodplain suggests many of those owners have no flood coverage.

A homeowners policy will not pay for a river or pond over its banks, or for surface water. Flood is its own policy. Check your address on the FEMA Flood Map Service Center and ask us to compare NFIP and private flood.

• NFIP through Selective. We write National Flood Insurance Program policies through Selective, a Write Your Own carrier. The NFIP covers up to $250,000 for the building and $100,000 for contents. New policies generally have a 30-day waiting period (see FloodSmart), so buy before storm season, not during it.
• Private flood. When a home costs more than the NFIP building limit to rebuild, or you want coverage the NFIP leaves out, we compare Flow Flood, Neptune Flood, Beyond Floods, The Flood Insurance Agency, CatCoverage and Aon Edge. Each one decides address by address.
• Elevation certificates. If you have one, send it. If the house has been raised or has flood vents, it can make a real difference in how flood carriers rate it.

Water backup (sewer, drain or sump pump failure) is an add-on to homeowners; flood is separate. If your basement is finished, ask about both. See basement flooding coverage and our flood insurance overview.

Other hazards in the Auburn plan

The plan calls wildfire highly likely and names Pingree Hill Road and Silver Hill, Dearborn Road near Chester Turnpike, the Lake Massabesic area and Manchester Water Works land, and the Route 28 Bypass from Parker Farm to the Londonderry line as areas susceptible to wildland fire. It also lists drought years from the 1960s through 2022, which matters in a town on private wells.

For a homeowner, most Auburn losses start with trees, wind and water: roofs, basements, wells and outbuildings. We review wind, water backup, flood and well coverage on every Auburn homeowners quote.

Winter, trees and wind in Auburn

The plan says Tropical Storm Isaias in August 2020 knocked out power to more than 270,000 homes and businesses across New Hampshire, with falling trees badly damaging homes, and that Henri in 2021 brought flash flooding, tree damage and outages. For homeowners, that means ice dams, frozen pipes, snow loads and trees on roofs. These are generally homeowners claims, subject to your deductible and policy terms. A properly sized wind and all-perils deductible, and a roof in good shape, do more for most homeowners than any single add-on. Water damage from a burst pipe is usually covered when the home is heated and occupied; long vacancies can change that, so tell us if the house will sit empty.

Larger homes

Under about $2 million, most of our 40+ carriers are in play. In New Hampshire, Andover generally writes homeowners up to about $1.5 million, or closer to $1 million for homes far from a hydrant or fire station. Around $2 million to $3 million, Hanover is often a fit; above $3 million, Cincinnati; and at $5 million and up, Chubb. Each carrier underwrites the specific house, so these are starting points, not promises.

Newer Auburn homes on large lots and lakefront houses near Massabesic can cost far more to rebuild than their assessment suggests, so we start with a replacement-cost estimate. See our Auburn high-value home insurance page and high-value home insurance in New Hampshire.

Condos, rentals and older homes

Your HO-6 condo policy covers what the association’s master policy does not. See condo insurance in New Hampshire. If you rent out a house in Auburn, you need a dwelling or landlord policy; for New Hampshire landlord and habitational placements we work with Vermont Mutual, Andover, Safety, Concord Group and Providence Mutual. For an older farmhouse, carriers will ask about the roof, heating, wiring, plumbing, well and septic, and about barns and outbuildings.

Renters and tenants in Auburn

If you rent in Auburn, your landlord’s policy covers the building, not your belongings or your liability. A renters policy covers both, plus extra living costs after a covered loss. We shop renters coverage across our carriers, and Progressive Home is one of them; we use Progressive Home for renters policies only. Landlords who own two- to four-family buildings can see landlord insurance.

Auto, umbrella and the rest of the household

Most Auburn households also need auto insurance, and many add a personal umbrella. Auburn commuters rely on Route 101, Route 121 and the Route 28 Bypass, so a good auto policy and roadside coverage are worth a look. We quote them with the home so the liability limits line up, and we put rentals, second homes, boats and valuables under the same review. One agent, one renewal conversation.

Common coverage gaps we see in Auburn

• A dwelling limit based on the purchase price or assessed value instead of the cost to rebuild
• No water backup coverage on a house with a finished basement
• Personal property limits that have not kept up with what the household actually owns
• Liability limits on the home and auto that do not line up with an umbrella, or no umbrella at all
• No ordinance or law coverage on an older home that would need code upgrades after a loss
• No flood policy on a home near one of the brooks, Clark Pond or Lake Massabesic
• A home on a narrow private lake road described incorrectly on the application
• A private well with no plan for a dry summer

Most of these are straightforward to fix once someone reads the declarations pages side by side, and that is the first thing we do in a review.

Before storm season in Auburn

• Know your hurricane or named-storm deductible in dollars, not just as a percentage
• Photograph or video each room so a contents claim is easier to document
• Keep your declarations pages, flood policy and any elevation certificate somewhere you can reach from your phone
• If you are thinking about flood coverage, buy it well ahead of a storm because of the waiting period
• If you live near Priscilla Lane, Raymond Road, Hook Road or a brook crossing, keep sump-pump and elevation records handy
• Know how you will run your well pump and heat in a long power outage

Buying a home in Auburn

Start the insurance conversation before you are under contract, not the week of closing. Send us the listing and the inspection report when you have it. The report answers most of what carriers ask: roof age, electrical panel, heating, plumbing and any water in the basement. Near a brook, pond or Lake Massabesic, ask for any elevation certificate and the seller’s flood history. On a private lake road, ask who maintains it and whether a fire truck can reach the house year-round. We line up the homeowners binder, and a flood binder if you need one, so both are ready for your lender.

How a Auburn home quote works

• Tell us about the house: address, year built, square footage, roof age and updates to wiring, plumbing and heating.
• Send your current declarations page so we can compare like for like and point out limits that look short.
• We shop the carriers that fit and lay the options out side by side, with the differences in coverage, deductibles and storm terms, not just price.
• You choose, and we handle the switch, including your mortgage company and the effective date, so there is no gap.

Serving Auburn from Portsmouth

Our office is at 601 Islington St, Unit 206, Portsmouth, NH 03801, and we work with Auburn clients by phone, email and online. Call (603) 431-4020. Nearby, see our Londonderry, Derry, Hooksett, Chester and Raymond pages.

Sources

• Town of Auburn, Hazard Mitigation Plan Update 2025 (Emergency Management By Design; posted copy shows adoption pending)
• U.S. Census Bureau, Vintage 2025 subcounty population estimates
• FEMA Flood Map Service Center
• FloodSmart, buying a flood policy

Get a quote

Tell us about the property and we will compare carriers and follow up with options. Prefer to talk? Call (603) 431-4020.

Frequently asked questions

Do you insure homes in Auburn, NH?

Yes. We insure Auburn homes from our Portsmouth office at 601 Islington St, and by phone, email and online. Call (603) 431-4020.

Does Auburn flood?

In places. The town’s 2025 hazard mitigation plan update counts about 45 homes in the FEMA 100-year floodplain, recalls the 2003 failure of the Hook Road culvert, and names beaver problems on Priscilla Lane and Raymond Road. Check your address on the FEMA Flood Map Service Center.

Does homeowners insurance cover a flooded basement?

Not from flood. Water backup from sewers, drains or a sump pump is an add-on, and rising or surface water needs a flood policy.

Who writes your NFIP flood policies?

We write NFIP policies through Selective, and we compare private flood from Flow Flood, Neptune Flood, Beyond Floods, The Flood Insurance Agency, CatCoverage and Aon Edge.

Do you charge fees?

No. We don’t charge fees on any policy we write, including homeowners, condo, renters, landlord, dwelling and auto.