Homeowners,
for shoreline houses.

What homeowners covers (and doesn't)

The standard policy in Connecticut is the HO-3 form — "open peril" on the dwelling, "named peril" on personal property. The premium HO-5 form is open peril on both. Both cover:

• Dwelling (the house itself), other structures (garage, shed)
• Personal property (your stuff)
• Loss of use (hotel and meals if your house is unlivable)
• Personal liability (someone gets hurt at your house)
• Medical payments to others (small no-fault medical)

What homeowners doesn't cover, almost universally:

• Flood. Separate policy. Read about flood here.
• Earthquake. Connecticut has minor seismic risk; coverage is cheap if you want it.
• Surface water and storm surge. Excluded as flood, even if windblown rain causes water entry through a damaged roof — this is the "wind vs. water" dispute we mention.
• Routine wear and tear, neglect, faulty workmanship. Insurance covers sudden accidents, not slow deterioration.
• Mold, in many policies, except minor amounts following a covered loss.

The coastal extras we look at

Hurricane / named-storm deductible

Most Connecticut coastal policies have a separate higher deductible — typically 1%, 2%, or 5% of dwelling coverage — for damage from a "named storm" declared by the National Weather Service. On a $600K dwelling with a 2% deductible, that's $12,000 out of pocket on hurricane claims. Some carriers let you buy down this deductible. We look at it.

Replacement cost vs. actual cash value

Replacement cost pays to rebuild without depreciation. Actual cash value pays the depreciated amount. On a 1920 Madison center-chimney with original woodwork, replacement cost is the only sensible choice — but it costs more.

Extended replacement / guaranteed replacement

The dwelling limit on your policy is a guess at rebuild cost. After 2021's construction-cost spike, we've seen claims where the limit fell short. Extended replacement (typically +25% or +50%) and guaranteed replacement (no cap) are worth the extra premium for shoreline homes you couldn't easily reproduce.

Coastal proximity

Carriers use distance-to-coast as an underwriting factor. Some won't write within 1 mile. Some will write but with mandatory wind exclusions. We know which carriers are open in your specific zip code right now — it changes.

Umbrella coverage

An umbrella policy adds personal liability coverage on top of your home and auto liability limits. Typical limits are $1M, $2M, or $5M. Premiums for $1M run roughly $200–$500/year for an average Connecticut household with no significant claims history.

If you own a home and have any of: meaningful assets, teenage drivers, a pool, a dock, or rental property — an umbrella is one of the highest-value insurance dollars you can spend. We typically pair it with a homeowners review.