Homeowners Insurance in Stratford, CT

By Jon Merwin, Founder and CEO, Portsmouth Atlantic Insurance

Home · Flood · Condo · Auto · Umbrella · Stratford, CT

Portsmouth Atlantic Insurance is an independent agency founded in 2005 and licensed in 10 states. We serve Connecticut homeowners from our Connecticut office and by phone, email and online. We shop your Stratford home across 40+ carriers and tell you which ones want to write it. We are New Hampshire's highest-rated agency on Google, with 1,000+ Google reviews and over 2,000 testimonials. Here is what matters when you insure a home in Stratford.

Stratford at a glance

The region’s Natural Hazard Mitigation Plan (MetroCOG) describes Stratford as a town of 52,360 people (2017–2021 American Community Survey) on 19.6 square miles. It is bordered by Bridgeport and Trumbull to the west, Shelton to the north and Milford to the east across the Housatonic River, with Long Island Sound along its southern border. The land rises from the shoreline to about 240 feet in the Oronoque section. The plan reports about 73.9% of occupied housing units are owner-occupied. Medium-density housing is prevalent in the central and southern areas of town, while the northern part is typically lower density. It calls Stratford mostly built-out, with future development largely infill and redevelopment.

Where you live in Stratford changes the policy

• The South End. The plan says a Category 1 hurricane would flood most of the South End, including the industrial areas along Route 113 (Lordship Boulevard and Main Street), Sikorsky Memorial Airport and residential neighborhoods bounded by I-95, Lordship Boulevard, Access Road, Main Street and South Avenue, and a Category 2 storm would expand that area. In 2023 the town partnered with the Connecticut Institute for Resilience and Climate Adaptation on a Resilient Stratford South End study of flood mitigation options.
• Lordship. The plan says most of Lordship sits on higher ground and is less susceptible to storm surge, and that it would be the only part of the South End not affected by a Category 1 hurricane. But it also notes that coastal properties there were first built as seasonal dwellings and many have been converted to year-round use, and that areas of emerging drainage flood risk are in Lordship, such as lower Washington Parkway near West Hillside Avenue, with Third and Fifth avenues also possible.
• Stratford Center. The plan says Stratford has 81 cultural and historic resources in the floodplain, 63 of them on the National Register, many in the Stratford Center Historic District (listed in 1983), which lies partly in the floodplain near the mouth of the Housatonic. Older homes here need a rebuild estimate based on restoration-quality work, plus ordinance or law coverage.
• Northern Stratford. Lower-density neighborhoods to the north, toward Oronoque and the Merritt Parkway, are farther from surge, so roof age, older-home systems, water backup and trees usually matter most.

Rebuild cost, not market value

We set your dwelling limit around what it would cost to rebuild your house at today’s labor and material prices, not what it would sell for. We look at extended or guaranteed replacement cost, replacement cost on contents, and ordinance or law coverage for older homes that would have to be rebuilt to current code.

The hurricane deductible

Many Connecticut homeowners policies carry a separate hurricane deductible, usually a percentage of the dwelling limit, that applies only to qualifying storms. We convert it to dollars when we compare options. See hurricane deductibles in Connecticut. Wind and wind-driven damage from a hurricane or nor’easter falls under homeowners; storm surge and rising water do not.

Flood coverage in Stratford

No homeowners policy covers flood. The plan’s problem statement for Stratford says drainage-related flooding during intense rain is a concern townwide, so homes outside the mapped coastal zones can still take on water. Lenders require flood insurance for federally backed mortgages in a special flood hazard area. 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.

Water backup (sewer, drain or sump pump failure) is an add-on to homeowners and is not flood. If your basement is finished, ask about both. For more, see Fairfield County flood insurance and coastal home insurance in Connecticut. For a local view, see our Stratford flood insurance page.

Larger homes

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 Stratford.

Condos, rentals and renters

The plan notes that 754 housing units have been built in Stratford’s Transit Oriented Development zone around Stratford Center over the past decade. If you own a condo there or elsewhere in town, your HO-6 covers what the association master policy leaves out, often interior finishes, improvements, belongings, liability and loss assessment. Board members can see Connecticut condo association insurance. If you rent out a two- to four-family house or a condo, you need a dwelling or landlord policy. Own a condo? See our guide to Stratford condo insurance.

Renters and tenants in Stratford

If you rent in Stratford, 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 Stratford 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.

See car insurance in Stratford.

Common coverage gaps we see in Stratford

• 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 in the South End or near the Housatonic
• A former seasonal cottage in Lordship insured as if it were newer construction

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 Stratford

• 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
• Know where your basement drains go and whether you have a backwater valve

Buying a home in Stratford

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 the South End or near the water, ask for any elevation certificate and the seller’s flood policy, which can sometimes be assigned to a buyer. We line up the homeowners binder, and a flood binder if you need one, so both are ready for your lender.

How a Stratford 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 Stratford by phone, email and online

We serve Connecticut homeowners from our Connecticut office and by phone, email and online. Call (603) 431-4020. See our Stratford insurance agency page, Connecticut homeowners insurance, and nearby Milford and Fairfield.

Sources

• Connecticut Metropolitan Council of Governments (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 Stratford home insurance quote →

Frequently asked questions

Can you help with homeowners insurance in Stratford?

Yes. We serve Connecticut homeowners from our Connecticut office and by phone, email and online. Call (603) 431-4020.

Which parts of Stratford are most exposed to flooding?

The regional hazard plan says a Category 1 hurricane would flood most of the South End, and that drainage flooding in heavy rain is a concern townwide, with emerging areas in Lordship. Check your address on the FEMA Flood Map Service Center.

Does homeowners insurance cover a hurricane in Connecticut?

Wind damage is generally covered, often subject to a separate hurricane deductible. Storm surge and rising water need 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 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.