Newmarket, NH Home Insurance

By Jon Merwin, Founder and CEO

Home · Condo · Landlord · Flood · Umbrella · New Hampshire

Portsmouth Atlantic Insurance is an independent agency founded in 2005 and licensed in 10 states, based in Portsmouth. We insure homes across the Seacoast and shop each Newmarket home across 40+ carriers. 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. Start with New Hampshire homeowners insurance, or read on.

Newmarket at a glance

The town’s 2018 Multi-Hazard Mitigation Plan describes Newmarket as 14.2 square miles, including 12.6 square miles of land and 1.6 square miles of water. It lies within the Lamprey River, Exeter River and Great Bay watersheds and has both freshwater and tidal rivers. The plan says tides on the Lamprey reach as far as the Macallen Dam downtown, near the NH Route 108 crossing. Great Bay’s tides reach up Lubberland Creek and the Squamscott River. The town’s 2017 coastal vulnerability assessment put the 2014 population at an estimated 8,928.

Newmarket rents more than most Seacoast towns. The plan reports that, as of 2015, about 53% of occupied homes were owner-occupied and 47% renter-occupied, out of roughly 4,000 housing units, and that the town has very few seasonal homes. So homeowners, condo, landlord and renters policies all come up often here.

Where you live in Newmarket changes the policy

• Downtown, below the Macallen Dam. The plan and the vulnerability assessment both name the area south of the dam on the west side of the Lamprey, near downtown, as among the most susceptible to coastal flooding. The plan lists the Macallen Dam as a high hazard dam, a rating based on where the dam sits and how big it is, not on its condition.
• Lubberland Creek and Bay Road. Low-lying land around Lubberland Creek is also named, and the plan lists the Bay Road culvert over Lubberland Creek as a vulnerable transportation asset. It also notes clusters of new homes off Bay Road (Bayview Drive, Lookout Place) and Cushing Road (Lubberland Drive, Eagle Drive).
• Along Great Bay. Low-lying land south of the Lamprey along Great Bay is the third area the plan names. The vulnerability assessment found that small sections of 10 roads in town are vulnerable to its sea-level rise scenarios.
• Inland brooks. The plan says Newmarket has significant land in the 100-year floodplain along Folletts Brook, Lubberland Creek, the Piscassic River and tributaries of the Lamprey. It recalls flooding on parts of Route 152 in February 2010 and on Route 108 in October 2016, plus damage in the “bowl” area on Exeter Street in a 1996 storm.
• Wind. The plan records a 1984 microburst that destroyed 8 homes in the mobile home park on Bay Road and damaged the library roof and the Mill building, and an October 2017 wind storm that left about 67% of the town without power.

Flood coverage in Newmarket

The plan reports, from FEMA data as of May 31, 2017, 162 flood policies in Newmarket and 30 paid flood claims totaling $838,500. Four were repetitive-loss properties, all residential: two apartment buildings and two multi-family homes. Two of those four had no flood insurance. Of the 162 policies, 114 were standard or preferred-risk policies on buildings in moderate-to-low risk zones, where flood insurance is not required. Those owners bought it anyway.

A homeowners policy will not pay for a river over its banks, tidal flooding or surface water. Flood is its own policy. Lenders require flood insurance for federally backed mortgages in a special flood hazard area. The plan also notes that new FEMA flood maps were being prepared, so check your current zone 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.

Winter, trees and wind in Newmarket

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.

Condos

If you own a condo, your HO-6 policy covers what the association’s master policy does not: usually your interior, improvements, belongings, liability and loss assessments. Ask the association for its master policy and deductible before you set your coverage. Converted and older buildings can have different master policy terms than newer complexes.

Rentals and multi-family homes

With nearly half of Newmarket homes rented, many of our Newmarket clients are landlords. If you own a two-family or multi-family building, or rent out a house, 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. If you live in one unit and rent the others, tell us. It changes which policy fits.

Renters and tenants in Newmarket

If you rent in Newmarket, 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.

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; above $3 million, Cincinnati; and at $5 million and up, Chubb. Each carrier underwrites the specific house, so these are starting points, not promises.

See high-value home insurance in New Hampshire.

Auto, umbrella and the rest of the household

Most Newmarket 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 Newmarket

• 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 or rental near the Lamprey below the dam, Lubberland Creek or Great Bay
• A multi-family rental insured on a homeowners form, or with no loss-of-rent coverage

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 Newmarket

• 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
• If you own a rental, keep current leases and tenant contact details where you can reach them after a storm

Buying a home in Newmarket

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 river or the bay, ask for any elevation certificate and the seller’s flood policy. For a condo, get the master policy and the association’s budget 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 Newmarket 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 Newmarket from Portsmouth

Our office is at 601 Islington St, Unit 206, Portsmouth, NH 03801, and we also work by phone, email and online. Call (603) 431-4020. Nearby, see our Exeter, Portsmouth, Dover, Epping and Lee pages.

Sources

• Town of Newmarket, Multi-Hazard Mitigation Plan Update 2018 (Strafford Regional Planning Commission)
• Town of Newmarket, Climate Risk in the Seacoast Vulnerability Assessment (2017)
• 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 Newmarket, NH?

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

Does Newmarket flood?

Some areas do. The town’s hazard mitigation plan names the area south of the Macallen Dam on the west side of the Lamprey River near downtown, low-lying land around Lubberland Creek, and land south of the Lamprey along Great Bay. It also notes floodplain along Folletts Brook and the Piscassic River. 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.