Lynn, MA Home Insurance

By Jon Merwin, Founder and CEO

Home · Condo · Multi-Family · Flood · Umbrella · Lynn, Massachusetts

Portsmouth Atlantic Insurance is an independent agency founded in 2005 and licensed in 10 states, including Massachusetts. We are the most-reviewed independent insurance agency in New Hampshire, with 1,000+ Google reviews and over 2,000 testimonials across our two offices. If you are shopping for home insurance in Lynn, MA, we compare each house across 40+ carriers. Start with Massachusetts homeowners insurance, or read on.

Lynn at a glance

The city’s Hazard Mitigation Plan 2021 Update, prepared with the Metropolitan Area Planning Council, describes a former shoemaking and tannery center and the birthplace of the Thomson-Houston Electric Company, which became General Electric. In 1850 the northern section of Lynn seceded and became the Town of Swampscott. The U.S. Census Bureau estimates 104,236 residents as of July 1, 2025.

The plan counts 33,371 housing units, about 50% renter-occupied. Lynn has two beaches on Nahant Bay, Lynn Beach and King’s Beach. More than a quarter of the city is the Lynn Woods Reservation, and the plan says about 28% of the city sits on the filled Strawberry Brook watershed, where the brook now runs through underground drains and pipes from Flax Pond to the Saugus River.

For insurance, that means a lot of rented units, and a lot of rain that has to leave through pipes. Each building should be insured at today’s cost to rebuild, not market value.

Where you live in Lynn changes the policy

• Lynn Shore Drive and the Nahant Rotary. The plan names this stretch as one of the two areas of greatest and most frequent flooding.
• The Boston Street corridor. The other is the whole length of Boston Street from Flax Pond to the Saugus River. At Bridge Street and Boston Street, the plan says Strawberry Brook backs up with the tide during heavy rain and coastal surge.
• River Street to Cooper Street. From Western Avenue to the Saugus River, the plan says flooding is often tidal because the drainage system does not work at high tide. The area mixes homes, businesses and light industry.
• The waterfront and the Saugus River bank. The plan lists flooding and erosion risk along the east side of the Saugus River and south of the Lynnway at Lynn Harbor.
• Neighborhood drainage spots. Surfside Road, Valley Road, Silsbee Street, Johnson Street, Alley Street, Munroe Street, Washington and Broad streets, and Lockwood and Maplewood roads all appear on the plan’s list of local flooding areas, mostly from undersized drains or the combined sewer system.

Flood and sewer backup coverage in Lynn

The plan says the city’s combined sewer overflow system creates a capacity problem: in heavy flows, wet wells flood in the lower parts of the system. Lynn is separating its sewers in an 11-phase project. For a homeowner, that is the case for a water backup endorsement, which a standard policy leaves out or caps.

The plan’s flood insurance figures are old. It repeats data from October 14, 2013: 397 flood policies in force with $94,597,700 in coverage, and 128 paid losses totaling $1,110,609. It also counts 18 repetitive loss structures (12 residential, 6 commercial) as of February 2014. The plan itself says this data was to be updated by FEMA, so treat it as a floor, not today’s count.

A homeowners policy will not pay for storm surge, tidal flooding or rising water. Flood is its own policy, and lenders require it 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; flood is separate. If your basement is finished, ask about both. See basement flooding coverage and our flood insurance overview.

Storms and winter in Lynn

The plan lists the Blizzard of 1978 and the January and March 2018 storms among the floods that hit Lynn, and calls the February 2013, January 2015 and March 2018 blizzards large nor’easters. Wind damage, fallen trees, ice dams and frozen pipes are generally homeowners claims, subject to your deductible and policy terms. Rising water is a flood claim.

Larger and older homes

Under about $2 million, most of our 40+ carriers are in play. Andover writes up to about $2.25 million in Massachusetts, sometimes higher with underwriting approval. Around $2 million to $3 million, Hanover is among the carriers we compare. Over about $3 million, Cincinnati is our go-to, and Chubb, which focuses on high-value homes, joins it at $5 million and up. 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.

Condos, multi-families and rentals

Your HO-6 condo policy covers what the association’s master policy does not: usually your interior, improvements, belongings, liability and loss assessments. If you rent out units in a two- or three-family house, tell us how many units there are and who lives in each; you may need a dwelling or landlord policy. It covers the building, lost rent and your liability.

Renters and tenants in Lynn

If you rent in Lynn, 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 Lynn 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 Lynn

• 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 water backup endorsement in a basement unit
• No flood policy near Lynn Shore Drive, Boston Street or the Saugus River
• Two- or three-family insured as owner-occupied when units are rented

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 Lynn

• 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
• Clear the catch basin in front of your house before heavy rain if it is safe to do so

Buying a home in Lynn

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. Ask for the seller’s flood history and any elevation certificate. For a two- or three-family, ask for the leases so we can match the policy to who lives there. We line up the homeowners binder, and a flood binder if you need one, so both are ready for your lender.

How a Lynn 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 Lynn from Portsmouth, NH

We do not have a Massachusetts office. We insure Lynn homes from our Portsmouth, NH office, and work by phone, email and online. Call (603) 431-4020. Nearby, see our Swampscott, Nahant, Lynnfield, Saugus and Revere pages, or our Massachusetts homeowners insurance guide.

Sources

• City of Lynn, Hazard Mitigation Plan 2021 Update (adopted June 29, 2022; MAPC)
• 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 Lynn, MA?

Yes. We’re licensed in Massachusetts and insure Lynn homes from our Portsmouth, NH office by phone, email and online. Call (603) 431-4020.

Where does Lynn flood?

The city’s hazard mitigation plan names Lynn Shore Drive near the Nahant Rotary and Boston Street from Flax Pond to the Saugus River as the areas of greatest and most frequent flooding, plus River Street to Cooper Street, where drainage fails at high tide.

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.