Somersworth, NH Home Insurance

By Jon Merwin, Founder and CEO

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

Somersworth at a glance

The city’s Multi-Hazard Mitigation Plan Update 2021, prepared with the Strafford Regional Planning Commission, cites a 2019 Census estimate of 11,968 residents. That ranked Somersworth 25th among New Hampshire’s incorporated cities and towns. The population grew from 9,026 in 1970, with the fastest growth from the 1960s through 1990 and slow growth since. The plan’s 2020 assessed values total about $615 million for residential buildings and about $21 million for manufactured homes.

The plan’s numbers show Somersworth has single-family homes, two- to four-family buildings and manufactured homes. Each one needs a different policy form, and the age and condition of the house matter as much as its location.

Where you live in Somersworth changes the policy

• Downtown and the Salmon Falls River. The plan says there has never been a dam failure in Somersworth, but the Salmon Falls Dam could cause flooding downtown along the river. It classifies the Lower Great Falls Dam as a high-hazard dam, which is a rating based on location and size, not condition. Inundation mapping shows about 36 acres of Somersworth would flood if that dam failed. Federal regulators last inspected it in July 2019.
• Salmon Falls Road and Blackwater Road. These were among the streets with major flooding, road closures and erosion in the 2006 and 2007 storms. The plan says Salmon Falls Road flooded again in 2010, the city’s most recent flood at the time it was written.
• West High Street and Maple Street. These also flooded in 2006 and 2007. Homes on low ground or with finished basements should look at both water backup and flood coverage.
• Tates Brook and Willand Pond. The plan flags inland flooding along Tates Brook to Willand Pond and mapped floodplain along Peters Marsh Brook and around Lily Pond.
• Older multi-family homes. Two- to four-family buildings need a dwelling or landlord policy if you rent out units, even if you live in one of them. Older wiring, heating and plumbing affect which carriers will write them.

Flood coverage in Somersworth

Somersworth has been in the NFIP since August 16, 1982, and its current flood maps are dated May 17, 2005 and September 30, 2015. The plan says about 10.8% of the city, roughly 693 acres, is in the 100-year floodplain, though much of that is open water on the river and ponds. FEMA’s Community Information System showed 8 NFIP policies as of March 2021: four on single-family homes, two on two- to four-family buildings, one other residential and one non-residential. One residential building accounts for two repeat flood claims, and closed single-family losses total about $256,601.

A homeowners policy will not pay for a river 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, and the plan notes that smaller, more frequent storms can still flood parts of the floodplain. 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.

Storms, ice and wind

The plan says the 2006, 2007 and 2010 storms hit Somersworth hardest. During the 2006 and 2007 storms, the wastewater treatment facility lost power and equipment to flooding. The plan’s loss scenarios show what 1%, 5% or 10% damage to the city’s residential buildings would cost: about $6.1 million, $30.7 million or $61.5 million. Ask us how your policy handles fallen trees, ice dams and long outages.

Winter, trees and wind in Somersworth

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; 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.

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 own a two- to four-family building downtown, 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.

Renters and tenants in Somersworth

If you rent in Somersworth, 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 Somersworth 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 Somersworth

• 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 the Salmon Falls River, Tates Brook or Willand Pond
• A downtown two- to four-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 Somersworth

• 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 the river or a brook, keep valuables up off the basement floor and test your sump pump each spring

Buying a home in Somersworth

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 Salmon Falls River or Tates Brook, ask for any elevation certificate and the seller’s flood policy. For a multi-family building, get the leases and rent roll. We line up the homeowners binder, and a flood binder if you need one, so both are ready for your lender.

How a Somersworth 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 Somersworth from Portsmouth

Our office is at 601 Islington St, Unit 206, Portsmouth, NH 03801, and we work with Somersworth clients by phone, email and online. Call (603) 431-4020. Nearby, see our Dover and Rollinsford pages, and if you own across the river, our Maine homeowners insurance page.

Sources

• City of Somersworth, Multi-Hazard Mitigation Plan Update 2021 (Strafford Regional Planning Commission)
• 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 Somersworth, NH?

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

Does Somersworth flood?

Yes, in some areas. The city’s 2021 hazard mitigation plan says the 2006, 2007 and 2010 storms brought major flooding along Salmon Falls Road, Blackwater Road, West High Street and Maple Street, and it flags Tates Brook to Willand Pond. 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.