Pelham, NH Home Insurance

By Jon Merwin, Founder and CEO

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

Pelham at a glance

The U.S. Census Bureau estimates 14,828 Pelham residents as of July 1, 2025, up from an April 2020 estimates base of 14,231. The town’s Hazard Mitigation Plan Update 2024, prepared with the Nashua Regional Planning Commission, says there has been substantial residential development since 2017, mostly single-family homes. A 16-unit apartment complex has been built on Windham Road, and a 62-unit complex was in the approval process. The plan says these developments are not in hazard-prone areas. It also notes a building moratorium on Sherburne Road because of a lack of water.

For insurance, newer homes often have newer roofs and systems, which can widen carrier options. Older homes need a careful look at roof age, heating and wiring. Either way, set the dwelling limit at today’s cost to rebuild, not the purchase price.

Where you live in Pelham changes the policy

• Along Beaver Brook. The plan describes bridge projects on Beaver Brook meant to ease flooding: the Willow Street Bridge, now replaced; the Old Bridge Street (Abbot) Bridge rehabilitation; and the Main Street Bridge and culvert replacement. It also records a February 1990 ice jam on Beaver Brook in north Pelham, with no damage reported.
• Flood-prone streets. The plan lists Coburn Street, McLain Street, Victoria Circle, Leonard Drive, Old Bridge Street, Mercury Lane, Glenside Drive and Simpson Mill among the areas prone to flooding.
• Ponds and dams. The plan lists the Gumpas Pond Dam and the Little Island Pond Dam among structures in the 1% annual floodplain. If you live on a pond, tell us. Waterfront and seasonal use both affect the policy.
• New subdivisions and apartments. With most new building in single-family homes plus new apartment complexes, Pelham has a growing mix of new homeowners and renters. New homes still need replacement-cost limits that keep up with building costs.
• Two- to four-family homes. The plan says all 3 of Pelham’s repetitive-loss properties are 2-4 family residential. If you own a multifamily building, review both flood coverage and a landlord policy.

Flood coverage in Pelham

Pelham joined the NFIP on March 14, 1980, and its current flood map took effect September 25, 2009. The plan reports 44 NFIP policies with $10,931,700 of coverage, and 23 paid losses totaling $485,796. It lists 3 repetitive-loss properties, all 2-4 family residential, with $165,338 in repetitive-loss payments. By the plan’s count, 16.7% of the town is in the 1% annual-chance floodplain and another 2.0% is in the 0.2% floodplain. With that much land in the floodplain and only 44 policies in force, most Pelham homes have no flood coverage.

A homeowners policy will not pay for a brook 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 homes outside mapped zones flood too, especially in spring melt and heavy rain. 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 flood history for Hillsborough County runs from 1927 and the March 1936 flood through the October 2005 flood and the May 2006 and April 2007 floods, both rated 100- to 500-year events. It says FEMA declared disasters in Hillsborough County for severe winter weather in 1998, 2008, 2010, 2011, 2013 and 2015. Among them was the late-October 2011 nor’easter, whose heavy wet snow on trees still in leaf caused 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 Pelham

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 2-4 family 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 Pelham

If you rent in Pelham, 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 Pelham 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 Pelham

• 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 Beaver Brook, a pond or one of the plan’s flood-prone streets
• 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 Pelham

• 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 Pelham

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 Beaver Brook or a pond, 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 Pelham 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 Pelham from Portsmouth

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

Sources

• Town of Pelham, Hazard Mitigation Plan Update 2024 (Nashua 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 Pelham, NH?

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

Does Pelham flood?

In some areas. The town’s 2024 hazard mitigation plan says about 18.7% of Pelham is floodplain, and it lists Coburn Street, McLain Street, Victoria Circle, Leonard Drive, Old Bridge Street, Mercury Lane, Glenside Drive and Simpson Mill among flood-prone areas. Pelham has 3 repetitive-loss properties. 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.