What Does Homeowners Insurance Cover in Connecticut?

What does homeowners insurance cover in Connecticut? Most homeowners bought their policy at closing, because the lender required it, and have not looked at it since. That is understandable. It is also why so many claims conversations begin with “I thought that was covered.” This is a walk through what a standard Connecticut homeowners policy actually does, what it leaves out, and what is worth adding if you own a house in Farmington, Avon, Simsbury, West Hartford or anywhere else in the Valley.

The six coverages in every homeowners policy

A standard policy (the industry calls it an HO-3) is built from six parts, lettered A through F. Condo owners have a different form, the HO-6, which works alongside the association’s master policy; that is covered in condo master policy vs. HO-6.

Coverage A, Dwelling. The house itself: structure, roof, built-in systems, attached garage. The limit should be what it costs to rebuild, which in Hartford County has risen sharply in recent years and is often higher than the market value of an older home. A limit set at the purchase price five years ago may be badly short today.

Coverage B, Other structures. Detached garage, shed, fence, in-ground pool. Usually set at ten percent of the dwelling limit, which is not enough if you have a real barn or a detached workshop.

Coverage C, Personal property. Your belongings, typically 50 to 70 percent of the dwelling limit. Two things to check: whether it pays replacement cost or depreciated actual cash value (insist on replacement cost), and the sublimits on jewelry, firearms, silver and cash, which are low.

Coverage D, Loss of use. If a covered loss makes the house unlivable, this pays for a rental and the extra cost of living elsewhere while repairs are done. Rebuilds in this market take months, so make sure this is not capped too tightly.

Coverage E, Personal liability. Covers you if someone is hurt on your property or you cause damage to others, including lawsuits. The default is $100,000 or $300,000. For most homeowners with equity and savings, $500,000 plus a personal umbrella is the right answer.

Coverage F, Medical payments. Small, no-fault payments for guests injured on your property, regardless of who is at fault. Keeps small injuries from becoming lawsuits.

What a Connecticut homeowners policy does not cover

This is the list that matters.

Flood. Excluded on every standard policy, regardless of where you live. Surface water from a storm, an overflowing Farmington River, or runoff from a neighbor’s yard is flood. Coverage comes from the National Flood Insurance Program or a private flood carrier, and you do not need to be in a mapped flood zone to buy it.

Sewer and sump backup. Water that comes up through a drain or a failed sump pump is excluded unless you add a water backup endorsement. Almost every Farmington Valley house has a basement, and this is the most common claim we see denied on policies that skipped the endorsement. It costs very little to add.

Earth movement, settling and foundation problems. Earthquake, sinkholes, and the gradual deterioration of a foundation are excluded. The crumbling foundation problem affecting homes in parts of central and eastern Connecticut falls under this exclusion, which is why the state created a separate program to help affected owners (more below).

Wear, tear, and maintenance. A roof that leaks because it is thirty years old is a maintenance issue, not a covered loss. Roof age is also a major factor in what you pay and whether a carrier will write the house at all.

Business activity. A home office laptop is fine. Clients coming to the house, inventory in the garage, or a business vehicle in the driveway are not covered under a homeowners policy.

Some dog breeds, trampolines, and unfenced pools. Carriers vary. Disclose them; an undisclosed dog is a good way to have a liability claim denied.

Connecticut rules that change how your policy works

A few things about homeowners insurance are specific to Connecticut, and they are the ones people most often get wrong.

Hurricane deductibles have a legal trigger. Many Connecticut policies carry a separate hurricane deductible, usually a percentage of the dwelling limit rather than a flat dollar amount. It cannot apply to just any windstorm. It starts only after the National Hurricane Center has issued a hurricane warning for some part of Connecticut and the storm brings sustained winds of at least 74 mph somewhere in the state, and it ends 24 hours after the last hurricane warning for Connecticut ends or the storm is downgraded, whichever comes first. If a storm weakens before it gets here, as Tropical Storm Henri did in 2021, your normal deductible applies. Insurance Department guidelines cap these deductibles at 5% for homes within 2,600 feet of the coast and 2% inland, and your declarations page must show the dollar amount. A nor’easter, however strong, is not a hurricane.

Flood is excluded, and the state now makes everyone say so. Since July 1, 2025, sellers must complete a “Flood Risk Awareness” section in the property condition report: whether the house is in a FEMA floodplain, whether it has had flood damage, claims or disaster aid, and whether it carries flood insurance. Since July 1, 2026, homeowners and renters policies must come with a plain-language notice that they do not cover flood, and mortgage lenders must give borrowers a flood notice at least 10 days before closing. A National Flood Insurance Program policy covers up to $250,000 on the house and $100,000 on contents, and it usually takes 30 days to start, so it cannot be bought when a storm is already forecast. More on flood insurance in the Farmington Valley.

Water backup is an endorsement, not a given. A standard homeowners form excludes water that backs up through sewers or drains or overflows from a sump pump, and flood insurance does not cover it either unless a flood caused it. The water backup endorsement adds it for a modest premium, up to a set limit. Pick a limit that would actually redo a finished basement.

Crumbling foundations have their own program. Homes in north-central and northeastern Connecticut built from about 1983 on may have concrete that is slowly cracking from pyrrhotite. Homeowners policies generally do not pay to replace these foundations, because they cover only an abrupt collapse and pyrrhotite damage develops over years; the Connecticut Supreme Court sided with insurers on this in 2019. Help comes from the Connecticut Foundation Solutions Indemnity Company (CFSIC), which for proposals submitted from January 20, 2026 pays up to $205,000 per house or $82,000 per condo unit, for homes built in 1983 or later, after an engineer’s or certified inspector’s report and evidence of an insurance claim. New applications close June 30, 2030. The Insurance Department has also directed insurers not to cancel, non-renew or raise premiums because of a crumbling foundation, so asking about it should not count against you. In Hartford County, Manchester, South Windsor and East Windsor are among the affected towns named in a 2020 federal GAO report. If you are buying a house built after 1983 in an affected town, ask about testing the foundation before you close.

What Connecticut homeowners pay. The NAIC’s most recent figures put the average Connecticut homeowners policy at $2,036 a year (2023 data), above the national average of $1,737. Your own number depends far more on your house, its roof, your deductibles and your claims history than on the average.

Endorsements worth adding for a Farmington Valley home

• Water backup. Add it. Every house with a basement.
• Extended or guaranteed replacement cost. Pays above the dwelling limit if rebuild costs exceed it. Essential in a rising-cost market.
• Ordinance or law. Pays the cost of bringing an older house up to current code during a rebuild. Important for pre-1970 homes in Unionville, West Hartford and Plainville.
• Scheduled personal property. Engagement rings, watches, art, instruments at appraised value with no deductible.
• Equipment breakdown. Covers furnaces, heat pumps, and major appliances against mechanical failure, which the base policy excludes.
• Personal umbrella. Not an endorsement but a separate policy. Adds $1 million or more of liability for a few hundred dollars a year.

The two numbers to check today

Pull out your declarations page and look at two things. First, the Coverage A dwelling limit: would that rebuild your house at today’s prices? If you are not sure, we will run a replacement cost estimate for free. Second, the deductibles: many Connecticut policies carry a separate hurricane deductible expressed as a percentage of the dwelling limit. A two percent deductible on a $500,000 house is $10,000, which is not what most people picture when they think of their deductible.

If either number looks wrong, or you simply have not reviewed the policy since you bought the house, send us the declarations page and we will compare it line by line against what other carriers would offer. No obligation, and getting a quote does not affect your current coverage. More on homeowners insurance in the Farmington Valley.