Strafford, NH Home Insurance

By Jon Merwin, Founder and CEO

Home · Flood · Condo · Renters · Umbrella · Strafford, 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 Strafford home across 40+ carriers, and we charge no fees. Start with New Hampshire homeowners insurance, or read on.

Strafford at a glance

The U.S. Census Bureau estimates 4,338 Strafford residents as of July 1, 2025 (4,240 in the April 2020 estimates base). The town’s 2025 Multi-Hazard Mitigation Plan Update, prepared with the Strafford Regional Planning Commission, says about 2,450 acres, or 7.5% of the town, lies in the 100-year floodplain.

The plan describes significant flooding potential along the Big River in the north and Berry’s River in the east, plus the headwaters of the Mohawk River and the stream feeding Bow Lake, which roughly parallels Province Road. Bow Lake, controlled by a dam the plan classifies as high hazard, is the town’s best-known water body, with seasonal lake homes and the Bow Lake Estates neighborhood.

For insurance, that means rural single-family homes on wells, lake houses that may be seasonal, private roads that can be hard to reach in winter, and a lot of trees.

Where you live in Strafford changes the policy

• Providence Road and Barnard Road. The plan says the east end of Providence Road near the Barrington line washed out in 2019, 2022 and 2023, closing the road, and Barnard Road partly washed out in July 2023, leaving one lane.
• Parsons Hill Road and Willey Pond Road. A culvert at the top of Parsons Hill Road washed out in July 2023 and was replaced with a larger one. Water crossed Willey Pond Road about half a mile in from Parsons Hill Road in October 2018 and April 2023.
• Perry Road and Wingate Road. Perry Road washed out and closed for a day on December 25, 2020. On Wingate Road near the Big River bridge, the plan says water rose up to the road but did not cross it.
• The Isinglass River and Route 202A. The plan expects the Isinglass to keep flooding over Route 202A when the Bow Lake Dam is let out, and maps fluvial erosion hazard areas along the river.
• Bow Lake. Much of the immediate shoreline shows as floodplain in the digital data, but because of dam control and the recognized base flood elevation, the plan says most of the area around the lake is not considered to be in the floodplain. That makes an address-by-address check worth doing.

Flood coverage in Strafford

Strafford has been in the NFIP since February 28, 1986. The plan reports 11 policies in force, all on single-family homes (nine in B, C or X zones, one in an A zone and one in an AE zone), with $3,305,000 of coverage, one paid loss of $775 and no repetitive-loss claims.

Few homes sit inside the mapped floodplain, but the plan expects the floodplain to grow when maps are updated and notes that smaller, more frequent storms can still flood parts of it. Most Strafford flood damage the plan records is to roads and culverts, which is a reminder that a washed-out road can cut off a house even when the house stays dry.

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 in the Strafford plan

Besides tropical storms and hurricanes, the plan rates high wind events, wildfire and long-term utility outages as high overall risks, and severe winter weather, extreme temperatures, lightning and drought as moderate. It also flags winter access and fire and EMS access for residents of Bow Lake Estates.

For a homeowner, the takeaway is that most Strafford losses start with wind, trees and outages: roofs, outbuildings, frozen pipes and spoiled property. We review wind, water backup, flood and well coverage on every Strafford homeowners quote.

Winter, trees and wind in Strafford

The plan’s disaster history includes Hurricane Bob in 1991 with extended power outages, the 1998 ice storm with power outages and school closures, and a 2011 severe storm with widespread outages. For homeowners, that means ice dams, frozen pipes, 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.

Lake homes on Bow Lake and newer homes on large lots can cost much more to rebuild than their 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 Strafford, 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. Homes on private roads, or far from a fire station, should expect questions about access.

Renters and tenants in Strafford

If you rent in Strafford, 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 Strafford households also need auto insurance, and many add a personal umbrella. Strafford households drive Route 202A and Province Road, and the plan records several local roads washing out, so a good auto policy and roadside coverage are worth a 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 Strafford

• 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 Isinglass, Big River or Bow Lake
• A Bow Lake home now used year-round but still insured as seasonal
• No coverage for spoiled food or a generator plan for long outages

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 Strafford

• 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
• Keep your driveway and private road passable for fire trucks and plows
• Know how you will run your well pump and heat in a long outage

Buying a home in Strafford

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 Bow Lake, the Isinglass or one of the listed roads, ask for any elevation certificate and the seller’s flood history. On a private road, ask who maintains it in winter. We line up the homeowners binder, and a flood binder if you need one, so both are ready for your lender.

How a Strafford 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 Strafford from Portsmouth

Our office is at 601 Islington St, Unit 206, Portsmouth, NH 03801, and we work with Strafford clients by phone, email and online. Call (603) 431-4020. Nearby, see our Farmington, Rochester, Milton, Barnstead, Barrington and Dover pages.

Sources

• Town of Strafford, 2025 Multi-Hazard Mitigation Plan Update (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 Strafford, NH?

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

Does Strafford flood?

Mostly at road crossings. The town’s 2025 hazard mitigation plan lists washouts on Providence, Barnard, Perry and Parsons Hill roads and water over Willey Pond Road, and reports only one paid flood claim. 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.