Seacoast NH Insurance Agency: Home Insurance Across Rockingham County

By Jon Merwin, Founder and CEO

Home · Flood · Condo · High-Value · Auto · Seacoast NH and Rockingham County

Home › New Hampshire › Seacoast and Rockingham County

Seacoast homeowners do not all have the same insurance problem. A Federal-era house in Portsmouth’s South End, an oceanfront shingle-style home on Route 1A in Rye, a summer cottage near Hampton Beach, a new colonial in a Stratham subdivision and a condo downtown each need a different policy. Portsmouth Atlantic Insurance is an independent, family-owned agency based in Portsmouth since 2005. We compare homeowners insurance from 40+ carriers, then fit flood, auto and umbrella coverage around it, and we charge no fees of any kind.

Homeowners insurance on the Seacoast

Most of our Seacoast work starts with the house. When we compare carriers for a home in Rockingham County, these are the points that change the answer most often:

• Rebuilding cost. The dwelling limit should reflect what it would cost to rebuild today, not the purchase price. That gap is widest on older Portsmouth, Exeter and New Castle homes and on custom coastal homes.
• Wind and storm deductibles. Some policies carry a separate wind or named-storm deductible. We show you where it sits on the declarations page, in dollars.
• Water. Water backup and sump coverage matter for finished basements from Portsmouth to Salem. Water backup from a sewer, drain or sump pump failure is an add-on to homeowners, and flood is separate; see basement flooding coverage.
• Flood. Flood is always a separate policy (see below).
• Liability. Home and auto liability should line up with an umbrella policy when the household has assets to protect.

See our homeowners insurance in Portsmouth, NH page and our town homeowners pages for Rye, Hampton and Exeter. For the statewide view, see homeowners insurance in New Hampshire.

Which Seacoast and Rockingham County towns do we serve?

All of them. Rockingham County holds all of New Hampshire’s Atlantic coastline, and its county seat is Brentwood. These Rockingham County towns have their own pages, listed A to Z. Where a town also has a high-value home page, it is linked alongside.

• Atkinson · high-value
• Auburn
• Brentwood · high-value
• Candia
• Chester
• Danville
• Deerfield
• Derry
• East Kingston
• Epping
• Exeter
• Fremont
• Hampstead
• Hampton
• Hampton Falls
• Kensington · high-value
• Kingston
• Londonderry
• New Castle · high-value
• Newfields
• Newington · high-value
• Newmarket
• Newton
• North Hampton
• Northwood
• Nottingham
• Plaistow
• Portsmouth · high-value
• Raymond
• Rye · high-value
• Salem
• Sandown
• Seabrook
• South Hampton · high-value
• Windham

Seacoast towns in neighboring Strafford County:

• Dover
• Durham
• Lee
• Madbury
• Rollinsford
• Somersworth

Just over the bridge, we also serve Kittery and York, Maine from our Portsmouth office. For the rest of the state, see our New Hampshire insurance agency page.

What do Nor’easters and the ocean mean for Seacoast homes?

New Hampshire’s open-ocean coast is short, running from Portsmouth Harbor through New Castle, Rye, North Hampton, Hampton and Seabrook. The bigger risk on most of it is the Nor’easter rather than the hurricane. A long winter storm that lines up with high tides can push water over Route 1A and into low streets near Hampton Beach, Rye Harbor and Seabrook Beach, as the Blizzard of 1978 did and the January 2024 storms did again. Wind-driven rain, ice dams and fallen trees cause many of the claims inland.

• Flood is a separate policy. Homeowners and condo policies exclude flood and storm surge. We place NFIP new business through Selective as a Write Your Own carrier and compare private flood from Flow Flood, Neptune Flood, Beyond Floods, The Flood Insurance Agency, CatCoverage and Aon Edge. Larger coastal homes often need limits above the NFIP building cap through private or excess flood. New NFIP policies generally have a 30-day waiting period.
• Elevation and mitigation matter. Elevation certificates, raised mechanicals and flood vents can change flood options for beach-area homes.
• Wind and roof. Roof age and material, and how close the house is to the water, shape which carriers will write a coastal home and on what terms.

Read our flood insurance in New Hampshire page, flood insurance in Portsmouth, NH, flood insurance in Hampton, NH and our guide to coastal home insurance in New Hampshire.

Tidal rivers, Great Bay and the Hampton marshes

You do not need an ocean view to have a flood question on the Seacoast. The Piscataqua runs fast and tidal between Portsmouth, New Castle and Kittery. Great Bay reaches inland to Newington, Greenland, Stratham, Newfields, Newmarket and Durham, fed by the Squamscott, Lamprey and Oyster rivers. Behind Hampton Beach and Seabrook Beach, the Hampton-Seabrook Estuary’s salt marshes sit low and fill on storm tides. Inland rivers flood too: the Mother’s Day flood of 2006 and the Patriots’ Day storm of 2007 sent the Lamprey and Exeter rivers over their banks, and Rockingham County was included in the federal disaster declarations for both storms. Farther inland, watch the Powwow River (Kingston, East Kingston and South Hampton), the Spicket River (Salem) and Beaver Brook (Derry, Londonderry and Windham). When we review a home near any of these, we check it against FEMA flood maps. See our article on new FEMA flood maps for Dover, Durham and the Piscataqua watershed.

Historic homes in Portsmouth, Exeter and New Castle

Portsmouth’s South End, the streets around Strawbery Banke and the downtown are full of colonial and Federal-era homes. Exeter and New Castle have many more. These homes often cost more to rebuild than their market value suggests, especially with plaster walls, original millwork and modern code requirements. What we review:

• A dwelling limit based on true rebuild cost, with extended or guaranteed replacement cost where available
• Ordinance-or-law coverage for code upgrades after a loss
• Wiring, heating, plumbing and roof updates, which affect which carriers will write the home

Read how to insure a historic home in Portsmouth.

High-value coastal homes in Rye, New Castle and North Hampton

Oceanfront and harbor-view homes in Rye, New Castle, North Hampton’s Little Boar’s Head and Portsmouth need higher limits and broader terms than a standard policy gives. For most Seacoast homes we compare the full field. Openly and National General can fit homes up to about 5 million dollars to rebuild. Cincinnati and Chubb both write homes at any dwelling limit, so we quote both. We look at guaranteed or extended replacement cost, scheduled jewelry, art and collections, detached structures, generators, boats and an umbrella sized to the household.

See high-value home insurance in New Hampshire, our Portsmouth, Rye and New Castle high-value pages, and our article on protecting high-value homes in Rye, New Castle and Hampton.

Second homes, seasonal homes and summer rentals

Many Seacoast homes are second homes, and many beach cottages in Hampton, Rye and Seabrook are rented in summer and closed up in winter. The carrier needs to know how the home is used. A home that is rented out may need a landlord or dwelling policy instead of a homeowners form, and a home left empty for the winter needs heat, low-temperature alarms and the right vacancy terms. See second home insurance in New Hampshire and secondary and seasonal home insurance.

Condos in Portsmouth and across the Seacoast

Downtown Portsmouth, the West End and the beach towns have many condos, including converted historic buildings and two-unit condex properties. A condo owner needs an HO-6 policy matched to the association’s master policy, with loss assessment coverage and the right walls-in limit. See condo insurance in Portsmouth, NH, our New Hampshire condo insurance guide and our condex guide. Rental owners can see landlord insurance in Portsmouth, NH.

New construction and growing towns

Stratham, Exeter, Brentwood, Epping, Londonderry, Windham and Salem have seen a great deal of new construction, from subdivisions to custom homes on larger lots. A house under construction usually needs builder’s risk coverage until it is finished, and the homeowners policy should then be set from the real build cost. Southern-tier homes near Canobie Lake, Cobbetts Pond and Big Island Pond, and inland homes around Pawtuckaway Lake, raise their own waterfront and seasonal questions. See builder’s risk insurance in New Hampshire.

What do Seacoast drivers need?

New Hampshire does not require most drivers to buy auto insurance, but drivers must be able to show financial responsibility after an accident, and lenders and lessors require coverage. Most of our clients carry it, and many coordinate auto limits with an umbrella. Route 1, I-95, the Spaulding Turnpike, Route 101 and I-93 commutes to Massachusetts are all reasons to review limits. See does New Hampshire require car insurance? and car insurance in Portsmouth, NH.

Why Seacoast homeowners work with us

• A family-owned independent agency in Portsmouth since 2005, licensed in 10 states
• 40+ carriers, compared side by side in plain language
• 1,000+ Google reviews and over 2,000 testimonials; New Hampshire’s highest-rated agency on Google
• No fees of any kind on any line
• One agency for a Seacoast home, a second home and the cars, even across state lines

See what clients say on our client feedback page.

Get a quote

Tell us about your home, condo or second home and we will compare carriers for you. Prefer to talk? Call (603) 431-4020 or email insure@portsmouthatlanticins.com.

Frequently asked questions

Is Portsmouth Atlantic Insurance an independent agency on the Seacoast?

Yes. Portsmouth Atlantic Insurance is an independent, family-owned insurance agency founded in 2005 by Jon Merwin. Our main office is at 601 Islington St, Unit 206, Portsmouth, NH 03801. We compare policies from 40+ carriers instead of selling one company’s policy.

Does homeowners insurance cover flooding from a Nor’easter on the Seacoast?

No. Standard homeowners and condo policies exclude flood, including storm surge and rising water from the ocean, Great Bay or a tidal river. Flood needs a separate NFIP or private flood policy. New NFIP policies generally have a 30-day waiting period, so buy before storm season.

Do I need flood insurance if I live inland, in a town like Derry or Epping?

It is worth checking. Rivers, brooks and ponds across Rockingham County can rise in spring storms, and the county was included in the 2006 and 2007 federal flood disaster declarations. Check your address on the FEMA Flood Map Service Center and ask us to compare NFIP and private flood options.

Which carriers fit high-value coastal homes in Rye and New Castle?

Openly and National General can fit homes up to about 5 million dollars to rebuild. Cincinnati and Chubb both write homes at any dwelling limit, so we quote both. The right carrier depends on the home, its distance from the water and the coverage you want.

Can you insure a historic home in Portsmouth or Exeter?

Yes. We start with an accurate rebuild cost rather than the purchase price, add ordinance-or-law coverage for code upgrades after a loss, and look at wiring, heating, plumbing and roof updates, which affect which carriers will write the home.

Do you insure condos, second homes and summer rentals on the Seacoast?

Yes. We write HO-6 condo policies matched to the association’s master policy, second-home policies, and landlord or dwelling policies for homes you rent out. Tell us how often a second home is rented or vacant so the policy fits how it is used.

Does Portsmouth Atlantic Insurance charge fees?

No. We do not charge fees on any line of insurance, including home, condo, flood, auto, umbrella, landlord and high-value home policies.

Sources

• FEMA Flood Map Service Center
• FEMA FloodSmart: National Flood Insurance Program
• New Hampshire Insurance Department
• Federal Register: New Hampshire major disaster declaration FEMA-1643-DR (May 2006)
• Federal Register: New Hampshire major disaster declaration FEMA-1695-DR (April 2007)

This page is general information about insurance on the New Hampshire Seacoast and in Rockingham County. Your policy wording controls coverage. Call (603) 431-4020 with questions about your situation.