By Jon Merwin, Founder and CEO
Fairfield has a little of everything a Connecticut homeowners policy has to handle: beach cottages a few feet above Long Island Sound, the historic houses of Southport, large wooded lots in Greenfield Hill, and rentals near two universities. The right coverage depends a lot on which part of town your house is in.
Portsmouth Atlantic Insurance is a family-owned independent agency founded in 2005 and licensed in 10 states. We compare home coverage from 40+ carriers and serve Fairfield homeowners.
New Hampshire’s highest-rated agency on Google · 1,000+ Google reviews and over 2,000 testimonials. Request a quote. There’s no obligation to buy.
Fairfield homeowners insurance by part of town
The beach area
Neighborhoods near Penfield, Jennings and Sasco beaches took heavy damage from Tropical Storm Irene in 2011 and Hurricane Sandy in 2012, and many homes there have since been elevated. Homeowners policies exclude flood, and coastal policies often carry a separate hurricane or named-storm deductible. An elevation certificate can affect how flood coverage is priced, so keep a copy and check your address on the FEMA Flood Map Service Center.
Southport and older houses
Southport’s historic district and Fairfield’s many older colonials and Capes bring underwriting questions about roof age, wiring and heating. Rebuilding period details costs more than standard construction, so we set the dwelling limit from a replacement-cost estimate rather than market value.
Greenfield Hill and northern Fairfield
Farther from the water, lots get bigger and trees get closer to the house. Wind and tree damage, long outages, and frozen pipes become the more likely claims. A generator, low-temperature alarm and water-leak shutoff are worth mentioning when we quote. For larger homes, Openly and National General write up to about $5 million. Cincinnati and Chubb both write homes at any dwelling limit, so we quote both. See our Southport high-value home insurance and Greenfield Hill home insurance pages, plus our guide to Old Post Road Historic District home insurance.
Rentals near Fairfield University and Sacred Heart
If you rent a house to students, you need a landlord policy rather than a standard homeowners form, and carriers will ask how the home is occupied. Tenants should carry renters insurance.
Winter storms and Nor’easters in Fairfield
In Fairfield, one Nor’easter can push Long Island Sound into the beach area, drop trees across Greenfield Hill and cut power for days. A policy handles each of those differently.
Fairfield Beach, Pine Creek and Ash Creek
A slow Nor’easter can hold water against the shore through more than one high tide, flooding low streets off Fairfield Beach Road, around the Pine Creek marsh and along Ash Creek. That is a flood loss, which homeowners policies exclude. We write new NFIP flood policies through Selective and compare private flood from Flow Flood, Neptune Flood, Beyond Floods, The Flood Insurance Agency, CatCoverage and Aon Edge. A new NFIP policy generally has a 30-day waiting period, so don’t wait for the forecast. Our Fairfield County flood insurance page covers flood zones and elevation certificates.
Know your shoreline deductibles in dollars
Many Connecticut shoreline policies carry a hurricane deductible set as a percentage of the dwelling limit, not a flat dollar amount, so on a larger home it can be far bigger than your regular deductible. In Connecticut it is tied to hurricane conditions, so a Nor’easter is usually handled under your other deductible terms. Some policies also have a separate windstorm deductible. Find both on your declarations page now.
Greenfield Hill trees and long outages
On big wooded lots, the winter risks are heavy limbs, ice dams on older colonials and multi-day outages. A tree that lands on the house is generally a homeowners claim, subject to your deductible and terms. Burst pipes are usually covered only if you kept the heat on or shut off and drained the water, so a standby generator that runs the furnace and sump pump earns its keep.
Empty houses in January
Beach cottages closed for the season and rentals near Fairfield University and Sacred Heart often sit empty over winter break. Many policies have vacancy or unoccupancy conditions, so tell us how the house is used and who checks on it. See our guide to snow and ice damage.
Who insures high-value homes in Fairfield?
Fairfield’s most valuable homes sit in a few distinct parts of town, and each brings its own risks. Greenfield Hill has large colonials and estates on wooded lots of an acre or more, often with pools, barns, guest houses and long stone walls. Southport’s historic waterfront village has 18th- and 19th-century houses near the harbor, where rebuilding original details takes specialized trades and more time. Along Fairfield Beach and the rest of the Long Island Sound shoreline, many homes sit in FEMA coastal flood zones, and Nor’easters bring storm surge, wind-driven rain, fallen trees and long power outages.
As an independent agency, Portsmouth Atlantic Insurance places high-value Fairfield homes with carriers such as Chubb and Cincinnati, which write homes at any dwelling limit. These carriers are built around larger and custom homes, so we look at how the dwelling limit is set, how custom finishes and older details would be rebuilt, scheduled jewelry, art and collections, and liability for pools, docks and frequent guests. What each carrier offers depends on the home and its underwriting, so we compare options side by side.
Homeowners policies exclude flood, so we quote flood insurance alongside the home policy, through the NFIP or a private flood carrier, and we can add a personal umbrella on top. For more neighborhood detail, see our Greenfield Hill home insurance and Southport high-value home insurance pages, or our Fairfield County home insurance page for nearby towns. To talk through a high-value home, call (603) 431-4020.
Related coverage
See our flood insurance, Connecticut coastal home insurance and high-value home insurance pages, and consider a personal umbrella. We also serve neighboring Stratford, Darien and Milford.
Get your quote
Tell us about the house and we will follow up with options. Prefer to talk? Call (603) 431-4020 or use our quote page.
40+ carriers · New Hampshire’s highest-rated agency on Google · 1,000+ Google reviews and over 2,000 testimonials. Request a quote. There’s no obligation to buy.
Frequently asked questions
Who insures high-value homes in Fairfield, CT?
Independent agencies like ours place high-value Fairfield homes with carriers such as Chubb and Cincinnati, which write homes at any dwelling limit. Homeowners policies exclude flood, so we quote flood alongside the home policy.
Does homeowners insurance cover flooding in Fairfield beach neighborhoods?
No. Standard homeowners policies exclude flood. Homes near Long Island Sound or the town’s rivers should look at a separate flood policy.
A Nor’easter knocked a tree onto my Greenfield Hill house. Is that covered?
Damage from a tree that falls on your house is generally a homeowners claim, subject to your deductible and the terms of your policy. A tree that comes down in the yard without hitting a covered structure usually isn’t. Send us your declarations page, or call (603) 431-4020, and we’ll walk through how your policy reads.
My Fairfield Beach cottage or student rental sits empty in January. What should I check?
Check your policy’s vacancy and unoccupancy terms and how it treats frozen pipes when the heat isn’t kept on. Keep the heat on or have the water shut off and drained, and arrange regular checks. Flood from the Sound needs its own policy, separate from the home policy.
My Fairfield home was elevated. Does that matter for insurance?
It can. An elevation certificate documents the height of the home and can affect how flood coverage is priced. Keep a copy and share it when we quote.
I rent a house to Fairfield University students. What do I need?
A landlord or dwelling policy rather than a standard homeowners policy. Tenants should carry their own renters insurance.
Which carriers do you use for Fairfield homes?
We compare coverage from 40+ carriers. For larger homes, Openly and National General write up to about $5 million. Cincinnati and Chubb both write homes at any dwelling limit, so we quote both.
Where is your nearest office?
We serve Fairfield homeowners. Call (603) 431-4020 or email insure@portsmouthatlanticins.com.
Does requesting a quote obligate me to buy?
No. Requesting a quote doesn’t obligate you to buy anything, whether it’s for home, auto, flood or umbrella coverage.
By Jon Merwin, Founder and CEO
Family-owned since 2005, with 1,000+ Google reviews and over 2,000 testimonials. Meet our team.
Fairfield is part of our Connecticut service area. See our Connecticut insurance agency page for other towns we serve.