Derry, NH Home Insurance

By Jon Merwin, Founder and CEO

Home · Condo · Landlord · Flood · Umbrella · 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 Derry home across 40+ carriers. Start with New Hampshire homeowners insurance, or read on.

Derry at a glance

The town’s 2020 Hazard Mitigation Plan, prepared with the Southern New Hampshire Planning Commission, puts Derry at about 33,312 people in 12,962 households. Quoting the town’s 2020 master plan, it describes a traditional downtown flanked by compact neighborhoods on one side of town and low-density countryside, curving roads, farmsteads and open land in East Derry on the other. Much of western and southern Derry is low-density residential subdivisions near I-93. Along and west of Route 28, Derry is a densely settled center. The population grew sharply from 1970 to 1990 and has held between 33,000 and 34,000 since.

Elevations run from about 190 feet near Island Pond to about 600 feet on Warner Hill. The plan names large wetland areas around Ballard Lake, north of Big Island Pond, and near Hoodkroft Country Club and Lower Shields Pond.

Where you live in Derry changes the policy

• Downtown and Beaver Brook. The plan says the Beaver Lake (Meadow) Dam and the Beaver Brook Dam control water flowing from Beaver Lake southwest through downtown Derry and on into Londonderry. It flags the Highland Avenue, West Broadway and Birch Street bridges as flood-risk concerns. Downtown also has many multi-family buildings, so landlord and renters policies come up often.
• East Derry. The plan describes East Derry as predominantly lower-density residential, with semi-rural roads and limited utilities. It lists East Derry Road at Thornton Street as a bridge of concern. Older farmhouses here need rebuild estimates based on their actual construction.
• Hood Pond. The plan says the town-managed Hood Pond Dam was in disrepair, and that in January 2019 the Town Council approved a bond that included $250,000 to improve it. If you live near the pond, ask about the dam’s current status and check your flood zone.
• Island Pond and Big Island Pond. Island Pond is the lowest point in town. Waterfront homes on the ponds can be seasonal or year-round, and the policy should match how you use the house.
• Recurring road problems. The plan’s table of problem spots includes Old Chester Road at the fire pond, Cemetery Road at Humphrey Road, and the Fordway Bridge. The Fordway Bridge was replaced in 2011 but still sits in the floodplain, with potential for overtopping.

Flood coverage in Derry

The plan reports that as of October 2020, Derry had 112 NFIP policies in force, with $25,733,100 of total coverage. There have been 38 paid flood losses since 1978, totaling about $192,970, and six residential repetitive-loss properties. Derry has been in the NFIP since April 15, 1981, and its flood maps took effect May 17, 2005. Flooding is the hazard the plan calls Derry’s greatest risk, and it says road flooding from changes in land use in the watershed has increased over time.

A homeowners policy will not pay for a brook over its banks or surface water. Flood is its own policy. Lenders require flood insurance for federally backed mortgages in a special flood hazard area, but homes outside mapped zones flood too. Check your address on the FEMA Flood Map Service Center.

• 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.

See our flood insurance overview. 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.

Ice storms and wind

The plan includes a photo of the December 2008 ice storm in Derry and rates ice storms a medium-high risk. It estimates that 1% to 5% damage to Derry’s buildings in a severe winter event would mean roughly $39.6 million to $197.8 million in losses. Ask us how your policy handles fallen trees, ice dams and long outages.

Winter, trees and wind in Derry

New Hampshire winters bring ice dams, frozen pipes and heavy snow loads, and storms bring down trees and limbs. 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 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.

See high-value home insurance in New Hampshire.

Condos, rentals and multi-family homes

Your HO-6 condo policy covers what the association’s master policy does not: usually your interior, improvements, belongings, liability and loss assessments. If you own a two-family or multi-family building downtown, or rent out a house, you need a dwelling or landlord policy. It covers the building, lost rent and your liability, and we don’t charge fees on those either.

Renters and tenants in Derry

If you rent in Derry, 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 Derry households also need auto insurance, and many add a personal umbrella. 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 Derry

• 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 Beaver Brook, Hood Pond or the Fordway Bridge
• A downtown multi-family rental insured on a homeowners form, or with no loss-of-rent coverage

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 Derry

• 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
• Near a pond or brook, keep valuables up off the basement floor and test your sump pump each spring

Buying a home in Derry

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 Beaver Brook or a pond, ask for any elevation certificate and the seller’s flood policy. For a multi-family building, get the leases and rent roll. We line up the homeowners binder, and a flood binder if you need one, so both are ready for your lender.

How a Derry 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 Derry from Portsmouth

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

Sources

• Town of Derry, Hazard Mitigation Plan 2020 (Southern New Hampshire Planning Commission)
• 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 Derry, NH?

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

Does Derry flood?

Yes, in some areas. The town’s 2020 hazard mitigation plan calls flooding Derry’s greatest risk and flags the Highland Avenue, West Broadway, Birch Street and Fordway Extension bridges and East Derry Road at Thornton Street. Derry has 38 paid NFIP flood losses since 1978. 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.