Best Landlord Insurance in New Hampshire

The demand for rental properties in New Hampshire remains high, whether as commuter residences in Massachusetts or as scenic vacation getaways. If you’re a landlord in the state, you need to protect your rental property with the right landlord insurance.

Homeowners insurance won’t cover tenant-occupied homes, so landlords need landlord insurance, also known as rental property insurance, to financially protect their property and liability.

Read on for some of the most important information you need to know when shopping for rental property insurance in New Hampshire.

The average cost of landlord insurance in New Hampshire is about $809 per year for a $200,000 home, $1,088 per year for a $300,000 home, and $1,374 per year for a $400,000 house. 

Landlord insurance rates are generally 15% to 25% higher than homeowners insurance premiums on the same homes. Using this knowledge and the numbers from the state’s homeowners insurance page we created, we can estimate the average landlord insurance in New Hampshire at a few different home price points.

When comparing these rates to nearby states, New Hampshire landlords might take comfort in the fact that these average rates are cheaper than the ones in nearby Massachusetts by hundreds of dollars at every valuation.

Landlord insurance helps protect you and your property from potential damage from the elements, lawsuits, and disruptions to your rental income stream. 

Policies for rental property insurance in New Hampshire are officially known as dwelling fire plans (DP), broken up into three types below. Their coverages and costs vary.

A DP-1 policy is the most basic dwelling fire plan you can get, which makes it the cheapest. It covers your property from the fewest potential sources of damage, called perils. It also covers property damage at actual cash value, which means your insurer will deduct depreciation before every claim payout, so you’ll get less money for damages.

DP-2 insurance covers more perils, notably water damage, theft, vandalism, and falling objects. It also covers property losses at replacement cost. Having replacement cost coverage means your carrier will reimburse you fair market value for an item regardless of its age during a claim.

DP-3 plans cover the greatest number of perils and also typically include liability and personal property coverage by default, which isn’t always the case for DP-1s and DP-2s. DP-3s offer the most coverage, meaning they’re also the most expensive. DP-3s can carry higher coverage limits, but may also have more writing restrictions.

To get the best landlord insurance in New Hampshire, you should:

You need to know what coverage you need to find the best fit for you and your rental property. This will depend on the features of your rental and your relationship with the property. For instance, you can bypass other structures coverage if you have none on your property, saving you money. If your rental property currently has no tenants, you may opt to forego liability coverage until you have renters again.

No one knows your rental property better than you, especially if you live on-premises. If you take good care of your rental, you may feel more comfortable opting for less comprehensive coverage, especially if your rental is newly built or has never had issues in the past.

But, if you live far away and can’t check on your property regularly, you might want as much coverage as possible. Liability, theft, and vandalism coverage might be crucial for you, which rules out DP-1 policies. 

Ask an insurance agent or provider any questions you have in the quoting process relating to coverage needs or pricing so you’re not making any decision in the dark. Have an idea of what you can afford. If you have some wiggle room in your budget, you may look into optional endorsements to further enhance your protection, such as inflation guards or extended replacement cost coverage.

Regardless of your budget, you should always get quotes from at least a few providers to see the going rates.

Vermont Mutual and Travelers have some of the cheapest landlord insurance in New Hampshire, according to the table below. 

Comparing quotes is the best way to find cheap landlord insurance in New Hampshire. You must shop around to find the best deal. To help with your search, we analyzed rates from some of the top landlord insurance companies in New Hampshire.

Vermont Mutual differs from the other providers on the list because it’s a regional provider offering coverage in the Northeast headquartered in Vermont. The others are national carriers. It would be helpful to get quotes from each type of provider to note differences in price, customer service, and more. Know that USAA is only available to active duty military or veterans and their families.

You should also always ask for discounts for which you may qualify. Providers offer rate discounts for security systems, new construction, bundling, and more.

Insurance companies are in the risk management business. They must accurately weigh every property they insure to guarantee they won’t lose money covering that house. Your insurance premium is a reflection of your risk. If you pay more, your property is riskier to cover for one reason or another. 

Some of the most essential considerations insurance carriers consider to determine your landlord insurance premiums include:

Many aspects of a property’s construction affect rates. For example, insurers will always ask about your rental property’s age if they can’t determine it from property records. They may also ask when you last replaced your roof and HVAC. Older houses and house components can mean higher premiums since wear and tear or outdated building methods cause homes to have more issues that lead to claims.

The materials with which your home was built also affect premiums. Houses made of brick or concrete are more wind-resistant and less fire-prone. As a result, these homes tend to have lower premiums than wooden frame ones because they’re more resistant to damage.

The location of your rental is also important for rates. Although New Hampshire has the shortest coastline in the United States, properties on or near the coast may be more prone to wind damage, which can cause higher premiums. Homes in flood zones or high-crime areas may also pay more for insurance.

Claims history also plays a role. If you or your property has a history of filed claims, insurers will likely see you as more of a risk than someone who has never filed a claim. Depending on your carrier, you must disclose any claims you’ve filed in the past three to six years when getting quotes. This affects premiums.

Landlord insurance is never required by law in New Hampshire, but mortgage lenders always require insurance coverage on mortgaged properties. If you purchased your rental property with a mortgage, you need a type of landlord insurance.

Lenders need ways to protect their investments since they’re spending large amounts on home loans. Thus, they require loanees to get and maintain property insurance coverage. Since homeowners insurance doesn’t cover tenant-occupied residences, landlords need landlord insurance on mortgaged properties.

Residential landlord insurance is versatile. It can cover properties with landlords living on or off premises at single-family or multi-family dwellings with seasonal or year-round tenants. Landlord policies can also suffice as vacation home or secondary home insurance in New Hampshire.

Dwelling fire policies can also serve as investment property insurance in New Hampshire when the home is vacant and waiting to be flipped or sold as long as the purchase isn’t through a company.

Landlord insurance won’t cover any rental properties you own through companies or trusts. Business ownership of properties calls for commercial insurance coverage, which is a different type of policy.

One of the best ways to get landlord insurance quotes in New Hampshire is with the help of an independent agent. Independent agents can take your information and shop with several providers to find the coverage you need at the price you want.

At Clovered, we have a couple of ways of doing this. You can use our online quoting tool to get New Hampshire landlord insurance quotes whenever you want from the comfort of your own home. We help you compare plans from our partners, some of the top landlord insurance companies in New Hampshire.

You can also speak with one of our licensed agents for help with your quote. Just call 833-255-4117 during business hours, or email agent@clovered.com with any questions.