Hudson, NH Home Insurance

By Jon Merwin, Founder and CEO

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

Hudson at a glance

The town’s Hazard Mitigation Plan Update 2025, prepared with the Nashua Regional Planning Commission, cites the 2023 American Community Survey: about 25,595 residents with a median age of 45.6, and about 9,920 housing units. About 80% of those units are single-family homes, 18% multifamily, and 2% mobile homes and other units. Hudson covers about 18,770 acres. It borders Nashua to the west, Pelham to the east and Massachusetts to the south, and the Merrimack River runs along its entire western border. Much of the housing is concentrated in the western part of town near Nashua.

The plan notes significant new development since 2018. That includes Eagles Nest Estates off Bush Hill Road, which has added 67 new homes, and rezoning that will likely bring more residents. Newer homes often have better roofs and systems, which widens carrier options. They still need a dwelling limit based on today’s cost to rebuild, not the purchase price.

Where you live in Hudson changes the policy

• Along the Merrimack River. The Merrimack River drainage covers about 3,999 acres, about 21% of town. Homes near the river should check their flood zone carefully.
• Musquash Brook and the conservation land. The Musquash Brook watershed covers about 3,840 acres (20%), and the plan lists the Ayers Pond Dam on Musquash Brook in the 1% annual floodplain.
• Second Brook and Glover Brook. These watersheds cover about 3,323 acres (18%) and 3,060 acres (16%). Smaller brooks can flood yards and basements in heavy rain even outside mapped zones.
• Ponds and small dams. The plan lists privately held dams at Ottarnic Pond on First Brook, Melendy Pond on Hadley Brook and Robinson Pond, each located in the 1% annual floodplain. If you live on a pond, tell us. Waterfront and seasonal use both affect the policy.
• Condos, multifamily and manufactured homes. With 18% of units multifamily and 2% mobile homes and other units, many Hudson owners need an HO-6, landlord or manufactured-home policy rather than a standard homeowners form.

Flood coverage in Hudson

Hudson joined the NFIP on January 3, 1979, and its current flood map took effect April 18, 2011. The plan reports 52 NFIP policies with $13,267,800 of coverage, and 6 paid losses totaling $78,869. It lists 4 repetitive-loss properties, all single-family homes, with $63,191 in repetitive-loss payments. By the plan’s count, 6.8% of the town is in the 1% annual-chance floodplain and 3.8% in the 0.2% floodplain. It estimates 12 structures in the 1% floodplain and 678 in the 0.2% floodplain.

A homeowners policy will not pay for a river 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 most Hudson homes near water sit in the moderate-risk 0.2% zone rather than the 1% zone, so flood coverage is usually optional, not lender-required. The plan also notes that even minor storms can cause localized flooding when runoff overloads drainage. 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.

Storm history

The plan’s storm tables for Hillsborough County include the May 2006 and April 2007 floods, both rated 100- to 500-year events, and the March 2010 flood. It also lists the December 2008 ice storm, Tropical Storm Irene in 2011 and the November 2017 wind storm. The plan says the October 2011 nor’easter, with heavy wet snow on trees still in leaf, caused major destruction in Hillsborough and Rockingham counties and nearly three times the debris of the 2008 ice storm. Ask us how your policy handles fallen trees, ice dams and long outages.

Winter, trees and wind in Hudson

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, 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.

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. See condo insurance in New Hampshire. If you rent out a house or own a multifamily building, 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 Hudson

If you rent in Hudson, 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 Hudson 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 Hudson

• 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 the Merrimack River, Musquash Brook or a pond
• A newer home insured for its purchase price instead of its rebuild cost

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 Hudson

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

Buying a home in Hudson

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 the Merrimack River or a brook, ask for any elevation certificate and the seller’s flood policy. In a new subdivision, get the builder’s specs for the roof, heating and construction. We line up the homeowners binder, and a flood binder if you need one, so both are ready for your lender.

How a Hudson 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 Hudson from Portsmouth

Our office is at 601 Islington St, Unit 206, Portsmouth, NH 03801, and we work with Hudson clients by phone, email and online. Call (603) 431-4020. Nearby, see our Windham page and our guide to New Hampshire.

Sources

• Town of Hudson, Hazard Mitigation Plan Update 2025 (Nashua Regional 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 Hudson, NH?

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

Does Hudson flood?

In some areas. The town’s 2025 hazard mitigation plan says about 10.6% of Hudson is floodplain, along the Merrimack River and Musquash, Second and Glover brooks, and it estimates 678 structures in the 0.2% annual-chance floodplain. Hudson has 4 repetitive-loss homes. 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.