Northwood, NH Home Insurance

By Jon Merwin, Founder and CEO

Home · Flood · Condo · Renters · Umbrella · Northwood, New Hampshire

Portsmouth Atlantic Insurance is an independent agency founded in 2005 and licensed in 10 states. 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. We shop each Northwood home across 40+ carriers, and we charge no fees. Start with New Hampshire homeowners insurance, or read on.

Northwood at a glance

The U.S. Census Bureau estimates 4,757 Northwood residents as of July 1, 2025 (4,639 in the April 2020 estimates base). The town’s Multi-Hazard Mitigation Plan Update, a draft posted for public comment in 2025 and prepared with the Strafford Regional Planning Commission, updates the 2020 plan.

The plan says Northwood has land in the 100-year floodplain along Bow and Pleasant lakes, with larger floodplains around Northwood and Harvey lakes and their tributaries, Narrows, Kelsey and Tucker brooks. Lucas Pond and the stream that feeds it have floodplain in the eastern part of town. In all, it counts about 358 acres of 100-year floodplain, and it notes significant past flooding along Flat Meadow Brook near Old Turnpike Road.

For insurance, that usually means year-round and seasonal lake homes, rural houses on well and septic, and homes along the Route 4 corridor. The plan notes that around Northwood Lake some residents have private dug wells and that the town has studied septic systems there.

Where you live in Northwood changes the policy

• Gulf Road and the lakes. The plan says floodplain in neighboring Deerfield along Northwood Lake, Pleasant Lake and the stream between them threatens Gulf Road, the only point of egress for many Northwood properties next to those lakes. A secondary access is listed as an ongoing (and likely infeasible) action.
• Flat Meadow Brook and Old Turnpike Road. The plan cites significant historical flooding along Flat Meadow Brook, particularly near Old Turnpike Road.
• Bow Street, Route 4, Ye Olde Canterbury Road and High Street at Route 107. The plan expects an increased likelihood of flooding at these locations, and lists an undersized culvert on the First NH Turnpike (Route 4) as an ongoing project that needs NHDOT.
• Near the dams. The Meadow Lake Dam failed in 2021, temporarily emptying the pond with no reported flooding in town. The plan also flags the Gulch Mountain Pond dam and two low-hazard dams just over the line, Pleasant Lake Dam in Deerfield and North River Pond Dam in Nottingham.

Flood coverage in Northwood

Northwood has been in the NFIP since June 2003. The plan’s FEMA Community Overview (as of October 3, 2024) listed 11 policies, all single-family homes except one condo, with $2,199,000 of coverage, two paid losses totaling $10,870, and no repetitive-loss claims. The most notable recent floods were the Mother’s Day floods of May 2006 and the April 2007 floods, both of which damaged and closed roads.

So very few Northwood homeowners carry flood insurance, and the draft plan rates inland flooding a low overall risk. But it also notes that localized flooding has continued in many risk areas since 2015, and lakefront and brook-side homes are exactly where a flood policy can matter.

A homeowners policy will not pay for a river or pond over its banks, or for surface water. Flood is its own policy. Check your address on the FEMA Flood Map Service Center and ask us to compare NFIP and private flood.

• 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.

Other hazards the plan ranks high

The draft plan rates six hazards as high overall risk: aging infrastructure, high wind events, severe winter weather, long-term utility outages, cyber events and transportation accidents. Hazardous materials, lightning, infectious disease and contaminants rate moderate; tropical storms, wildfire, extreme temperatures, inland flooding and dam failure, conflagration, drought and earthquake rate low.

For homeowners, high wind, winter and long outages are the ones that turn into claims: trees on roofs, ice dams, frozen pipes and spoiled food. We review wind, winter, water backup, generator and well coverage on every Northwood homeowners quote.

Winter, trees and wind in Northwood

The plan says Northwood had widespread power outages for upwards of a week after the December 2008 ice storm, and records sporadic outages and downed trees in town from Tropical Storm Irene in 2011. For homeowners, that means ice dams, frozen pipes, heavy snow loads and trees on roofs. 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 homeowners 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.

Lakefront homes on Northwood, Bow and Harvey lakes can carry rebuild costs well above the assessment, so we start with a replacement-cost estimate. See high-value home insurance in New Hampshire.

Condos, rentals and older homes

Your HO-6 condo policy covers what the association’s master policy does not. See condo insurance in New Hampshire. If you rent out a house in Northwood, you need a dwelling or landlord policy; for New Hampshire landlord and habitational placements we work with Vermont Mutual, Andover, Safety, Concord Group and Providence Mutual. For an older home, carriers will ask about the roof, heating, wiring, plumbing, well and septic. Barns, docks and outbuildings should be listed and valued separately.

Renters and tenants in Northwood

If you rent in Northwood, 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 Northwood households also need auto insurance, and many add a personal umbrella. Route 4 runs through the center of town, and the plan rates transportation accidents a high risk, so liability limits on the auto policy are worth a second look. 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 Northwood

• 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 lake home or a home near Flat Meadow Brook or the other brooks
• A seasonal camp insured as if it were occupied year-round, or the reverse
• A dock, boathouse or outbuilding left off the policy

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 Northwood

• 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 live off Gulf Road or another single-access road, plan for being cut off for a day or two
• Know where your well pump and heat stand in a long power outage

Buying a home in Northwood

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. For a lake home, ask for any elevation certificate, the seller’s flood and water history, and whether the house is winterized. For a rural property, get roof, wiring, heating, well and septic details into the file early. We line up the homeowners binder, and a flood binder if you need one, so both are ready for your lender.

How a Northwood 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 Northwood from Portsmouth

Our office is at 601 Islington St, Unit 206, Portsmouth, NH 03801, and we work with Northwood clients by phone, email and online. Call (603) 431-4020. Nearby, see our Nottingham, Deerfield, Lee, Durham, Concord and Rochester pages.

Sources

• Town of Northwood, Multi-Hazard Mitigation Plan Update, 2025 draft (Strafford Regional Planning Commission)
• 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 Northwood, NH?

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

Does Northwood flood?

In places. The town’s draft 2025 hazard mitigation plan rates inland flooding a low overall risk, but it maps floodplain around the lakes and brooks, cites past flooding along Flat Meadow Brook near Old Turnpike Road, and notes Gulf Road is vulnerable. Its 2024 FEMA snapshot showed 11 flood policies and two paid losses. 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.