Homeowners Insurance in Connecticut

By Jon Merwin, Founder and CEO, Portsmouth Atlantic Insurance

Home · Flood · Condo · Umbrella · Auto · Connecticut

Portsmouth Atlantic Insurance is an independent insurance agency founded in 2005 and licensed in 10 states, with our office in Portsmouth, NH and a Connecticut office. Because we work with 40+ carriers, we can shop your Connecticut home and show you real choices. We are New Hampshire's highest-rated agency on Google, with 1,000+ Google reviews and over 2,000 testimonials. This guide covers what Connecticut homeowners should know before they buy or renew.

Why Connecticut homeowners use an independent agency

• 40+ carriers, one conversation. We compare options so you don’t have to call around, and we re-shop when a renewal jumps or a carrier pulls back from the shoreline.
• No-obligation quotes. Requesting a quote from Portsmouth Atlantic Insurance doesn't obligate you to buy anything, including homeowners, condo, renters, landlord and dwelling policies.
• Serving Connecticut. We serve Fairfield County, the New Haven area and the rest of the state from our Connecticut office and by phone, email and online. Call (603) 431-4020.
• Reviews. We are New Hampshire's highest-rated agency on Google, with 1,000+ Google reviews and over 2,000 testimonials.

Carrier fit by home value

Under about $2 million, most of our 40+ carriers are in play. Andover writes up to about $2.25 million in Connecticut, sometimes higher with underwriting approval. Around $2 million to $3 million, Hanover is among the carriers we compare. For high-value homes we quote both Cincinnati and Chubb. Both write homes at any dwelling limit. Whatever the size, we build the dwelling limit around the cost to rebuild, not the market value, and we look at extended or guaranteed replacement cost where a carrier offers it.

See high-value home insurance in Connecticut for larger homes and coastal home insurance in Connecticut for shoreline homes.

Hurricane deductibles: what Connecticut law says

The Connecticut Insurance Department explains that a hurricane deductible is different from a windstorm or hail deductible. An insurer can apply a hurricane deductible only during a set window: starting no earlier than when the National Hurricane Center issues a hurricane warning for any part of the state, for a hurricane that produces sustained winds of 74 mph or more somewhere in Connecticut, and ending 24 hours after the last warning ends or the storm is downgraded. If your policy has one, the department says the percentage and the dollar amount will be listed on the declarations page.

The department also says windstorm or hail deductibles may not be mandated by insurers in Connecticut; they are offered, and can be a flat dollar amount or a percentage of the dwelling limit. Because a percentage deductible grows with your dwelling limit, we always convert it to dollars before you choose. See hurricane deductibles in Connecticut.

Flood is never part of the homeowners policy

The department’s hurricane preparedness guidance says flood damage is not covered under standard homeowners, renters or business policies, that flood insurance requires a separate policy, and that storm surge is generally considered flood damage. On the shoreline, the regional MetroCOG hazard mitigation plan estimates that a Category 1 hurricane would flood most of Stratford’s South End and much of Bridgeport’s South End and West End. Inland, river and drainage flooding can reach homes outside mapped zones.

• 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 from a sewer, drain or sump pump is a separate add-on, not flood. Check your address on the FEMA Flood Map Service Center, and see Fairfield County flood insurance or our flood insurance overview.

Crumbling foundations in north-central and eastern Connecticut

The Connecticut Department of Housing says upwards of 35,000 homes in a radius of Stafford Springs may face a failed concrete foundation from pyrrhotite, a naturally occurring mineral that slowly deteriorates concrete when exposed to oxygen and water. Standard homeowners policies generally do not pay to replace a deteriorating foundation, which is why the state created the Connecticut Foundation Solutions Indemnity Company (CFSIC) program. CFSIC says homes built and completed before January 1, 1983 are not eligible, and buyers of homes built in 1983 or later who purchased on or after February 1, 2019 generally need testing or a visual exam before the sale to qualify. The Department of Housing adds that insurers cannot cancel or refuse to renew a homeowners policy because of a crumbling foundation. If you are buying in the affected area, ask about testing before you close.

What carriers look at on a Connecticut home

• Rebuild cost. We set the dwelling limit around the cost to rebuild, with extended or guaranteed replacement cost and ordinance or law coverage for older homes.
• Roof, wiring, plumbing and heat. Roof age and material, the electrical panel and the heating system all affect which carriers will write the house. Documented updates widen your options.
• Distance to the shoreline. Many carriers set wind and hurricane terms by distance to the coast, and some limit new business close to the water.
• Claims history. Prior water and wind claims follow the house and the owner, so tell us up front.

Condos, rentals and renters

Condo owners need an HO-6 matched to the association’s master policy, including loss assessment; boards can see Connecticut condo association insurance. If you rent out a house or condo, you need a dwelling or landlord policy. Tenants need a renters policy; we shop renters coverage across our carriers, and Progressive Home is one of them, which we use for renters policies only.

Auto, umbrella and the rest of the household

Most Connecticut 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 Connecticut

• 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 shoreline or riverfront home
• Not knowing the hurricane deductible in dollars before a storm

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 Connecticut

• 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
• Find the hurricane deductible on your declarations page now, not after a storm

Buying a home in Connecticut

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. In north-central or eastern Connecticut, ask whether the foundation has been tested for pyrrhotite. We line up the homeowners binder, and a flood binder if you need one, so both are ready for your lender.

How a Connecticut 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.

Where we insure homes in Connecticut

Local pages: Stratford, Milford, Fairfield, Norwalk, Stamford, Greenwich, Darien, New Canaan, Wilton, Ridgefield, Avon. See our Connecticut insurance agency page, or homeowners insurance in Stratford. Greenwich homeowners can read our Greenwich homeowners insurance guide.

Sources

• Connecticut Insurance Department, Homeowners Storm Claims
• Connecticut Insurance Department, Hurricanes and Tropical Storms
• Connecticut Department of Housing, Crumbling Foundations
• Connecticut Foundation Solutions Indemnity Company, Underwriting and Claims Management Guidelines
• MetroCOG, Natural Hazard Mitigation Plan Update, 2025
• 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.

Start your Connecticut home insurance quote →

Frequently asked questions

Are you an independent agency in Connecticut?

Yes. We are an independent agency founded in 2005. We serve Connecticut homeowners from our Connecticut office and by phone, email and online. We compare homeowners coverage from 40+ carriers.

When does a Connecticut hurricane deductible apply?

According to the Connecticut Insurance Department, only during a window that starts no earlier than a National Hurricane Center hurricane warning for any part of the state, for a hurricane with sustained winds of 74 mph or more in Connecticut, and ends 24 hours after the last warning ends or the storm is downgraded.

Does homeowners insurance cover flood or storm surge in Connecticut?

No. Flood, including storm surge, needs a separate policy. We write NFIP through Selective and compare private flood from Flow Flood, Neptune Flood, Beyond Floods, The Flood Insurance Agency, CatCoverage and Aon Edge.

Does homeowners insurance cover a crumbling foundation?

Generally not. Connecticut created the CFSIC program to help eligible homeowners with pyrrhotite-related foundation replacement, and insurers cannot cancel or non-renew a policy because of a crumbling foundation.

Do I have to buy if I request a quote?

No. Requesting a quote doesn't obligate you to buy anything, whether it's for homeowners, condo, renters, landlord, dwelling or auto coverage.