Nantucket Insurance Agency
117 Pleasant Street, Nantucket, MA 02554
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117 Pleasant Street, Nantucket, MA 02554
View this agency's profile to learn more about their services.
Learn about insurance coverage options specific to Nantucket residents.
Nantucket's coastal location creates higher risk for wind damage, storm surge, and hurricanes, driving premiums up significantly. Additionally, rebuilding costs on the island can reach $1,200 per square foot due to labor shortages and the expense of transporting materials by boat, meaning insurers must provide much higher coverage limits than for comparable mainland homes.
Your regular deductible (often $1,000-$2,500) applies to most claims like fire or theft. Your wind deductible is calculated as a percentage of your dwelling coverage—typically 2% to 5% on Nantucket—and only applies to wind and hurricane damage. On a home insured for $2 million, a 3% wind deductible means you pay the first $60,000 of wind damage out of pocket.
Yes, absolutely. Nantucket is an island surrounded by water, and storm surge can affect properties well beyond mapped high-risk zones. Your homeowners policy excludes all flood damage, so without separate flood insurance, you'd pay the full cost of flood repairs yourself. At an average of $1,781 annually, flood insurance is essential protection for any Nantucket property.
You'll need to obtain coverage through the surplus lines market. First, your agent must document rejections from admitted carriers (this is a legal requirement in Massachusetts). Then they'll work with a surplus lines broker to find coverage from non-admitted insurers who specialize in high-risk coastal properties. Surplus lines policies typically cost more and don't participate in state guaranty funds, but they're often the only option for Nantucket homeowners.
Always insure for replacement cost, which is typically much higher than market value on Nantucket. Your home might be worth $3 million on the market, but if rebuilding costs $1,200 per square foot, a 2,500 square foot home could cost $3 million just to reconstruct. If you're underinsured and face a total loss, you'll be responsible for the difference out of pocket.
Ordinance or law coverage pays for the additional cost of bringing your home up to current building codes after a covered loss. Nantucket has strict building regulations, and if you need to rebuild, you'll likely face requirements that didn't exist when your home was built—potentially adding hundreds of thousands to your costs. Standard policies don't cover these code upgrade expenses, so this endorsement is critical for island properties.
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