Gilford, NH Home Insurance

By Jon Merwin, Founder and CEO

Home · Lake House · Seasonal · Condo · Flood · Umbrella · Gilford, New Hampshire

Portsmouth Atlantic Insurance is an independent agency founded in 2005 and licensed in 10 states. We are New Hampshire’s highest-rated agency on Google, with 1,000+ Google reviews and over 2,000 testimonials. We shop each Gilford home across 40+ carriers. Start with New Hampshire homeowners insurance, or read on.

Gilford at a glance

The town’s Hazard Mitigation Plan Update 2026, prepared with the Lakes Region Planning Commission, describes Gilford as 38.8 square miles of land and 14.7 square miles of water in central Belknap County. It borders Alton, Gilmanton, Belmont and the city of Laconia. Lake Winnipesaukee dominates the north, and the Belknap Mountains, including Belknap, Gunstock and Piper mountains and Mount Rowe, dominate the east and south. The plan says 40% of the town’s land has a slope greater than 15%. It counts 5,286 housing units, citing state housing data, and says 77% are single-family homes. The U.S. Census Bureau estimates 7,898 residents as of July 1, 2025.

The plan says Census data shows many of Gilford’s seasonal housing units were being converted to year-round homes. Building continued: the plan lists 340 building permits in 2024, including 36 for single-family homes and 6 for new accessory apartments. A lake house, a converted year-round home, a short-term rental and a house with an accessory apartment each need a different policy.

Where you live in Gilford changes the policy

• Governor’s Island and the other islands. The plan says Governor’s Island, home to many year-round and seasonal residents, is the only island reachable by car, over a town-owned bridge at the Laconia line. The other islands need a boat or a frozen lake. Water-access-only homes raise real questions about fire response and how a carrier will rate them, so tell us exactly how you get there.
• Gunstock Acres. The plan calls it a densely populated area with shoulder washouts and sinkholes during heavy rain. It also names Gunstock Acres among the town’s greatest wildfire concerns because it is very wooded and densely settled.
• Belknap Mountain Road and the mountain slopes. The plan lists shoulder washouts and sinkholes on Belknap Mountain Road, and it names Belknap Mountain and Mount Rowe among wildfire areas of concern.
• Lakeshore and Glendale. The plan says flooding is rarely associated with lakeshore properties that have appropriate setbacks, and more likely along brooks such as Poorfarm Brook. It lists Old Lake Shore Road, Gilford Glen Road and Route 11 and 11B among roads that flood, and records a May 2021 thunderstorm that downed trees and wires in Glendale near Lake Shore Road.
• Smaller wooded islands and Lakeshore Park. The plan names Timber Island and Welch Island as heavily wooded with homes and minimal access, and Lakeshore Park as thickly settled, among its wildfire concerns.

Flood coverage in Gilford

Gilford joined the NFIP on May 4, 1992, and the plan says its flood maps were also published that day, with FEMA digital maps not yet available. As of July 2024, there were 38 flood policies in force: 24 on single-family homes, 8 on other residential properties and 6 non-residential. Twenty were in A zones and eighteen in X zones. The plan reports 9 losses, 5 of them paid totaling $64,477, all on single-family homes, and no repetitive losses.

Even with a small flood history, heavy rain causes real damage here. The plan says most past flooding has meant erosion and damage to culverts and roads, and it shows flooding from the December 2022 declared disaster. A homeowners policy will not pay for a brook over its banks or surface water. Flood is its own policy. Basement water from runoff can fall between the two, so ask us about flood and water backup coverage. 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.

Wind, wildfire and winter

The plan notes that much of Gilford is heavily wooded, so a fire could start anywhere, though NOAA records show no wildfires since the 2018 plan. Severe thunderstorms in the plan’s wind table brought down trees and wires. Mountain roads, islands and long driveways can slow help in winter. Ask us how your policy handles fallen trees, ice dams and long outages.

Winter, trees and wind in Gilford

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 and lakefront 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, and Cincinnati and Chubb both write homes at any dwelling limit, so we quote both. Each carrier underwrites the specific house, so these are starting points, not promises.

See high-value home insurance in New Hampshire and seasonal home insurance.

Short-term rentals, condos and accessory apartments

Gilford adopted a short-term rental ordinance in 2023, and the plan says the Planning Board approved 34 short-term rentals in 2024. Many homeowners policies restrict renting by the week, so if you rent your lake house, tell us. You may need a dwelling or landlord policy, or a homeowners form that allows it. An accessory apartment also changes your liability exposure and may need its own coverage. Your HO-6 condo policy covers what the association’s master policy does not; see condo insurance in New Hampshire. We don’t charge fees on any of those.

Renters and tenants in Gilford

If you rent in Gilford, 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 Gilford 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 Gilford

• 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
• A lake house rented by the week on a policy that doesn’t allow it
• An island or water-access home insured without telling the carrier how it is reached

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 Gilford

• 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
• Before you close up a seasonal home, shut off and drain the water, keep heat on, and have someone check the house regularly

Buying a home in Gilford

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. On the lake or an island, ask about the dock, boathouse and access, and for any elevation certificate. If you plan to rent the house, check the town’s short-term rental rules and tell us before you close. We line up the homeowners binder, and a flood binder if you need one, so both are ready for your lender.

How a Gilford 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 Gilford from Portsmouth

Our office is at 601 Islington St, Unit 206, Portsmouth, NH 03801, and we work with Gilford clients by phone, email and online. Call (603) 431-4020. Elsewhere on Winnipesaukee, see our Wolfeboro page, our Meredith, Moultonborough and Tuftonboro pages, or our guide to New Hampshire.

Sources

• Town of Gilford, Hazard Mitigation Plan Update 2026 (Lakes Region Planning Commission)
• 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 Gilford, NH?

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

Does Gilford flood?

Mostly from heavy rain, not the lake. The town’s 2026 hazard mitigation plan says flooding is rarely associated with lakeshore properties with proper setbacks and is more likely along brooks such as Poorfarm Brook. It lists Gunstock Acres, Belknap Mountain Road, Gilford Glen Road, Old Lake Shore Road and Route 11 and 11B among problem areas. 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.