Flood Insurance

No state law requires it, but a lender will require it if the home is in a high-risk flood zone, and most homeowners policies exclude flood entirely. Even outside mapped high-risk zones, a large share of flood claims come from lower-risk areas, so it is worth pricing.

It depends on the home's flood zone, elevation, age, and the coverage limits. FEMA's newer pricing reflects each property's specific risk rather than a flat zone rate, and private carriers price independently. We quote both so you see the real range for your address.

The building's structure and, as a separate limit, your contents. It pays for direct physical flood damage. It generally does not cover temporary housing, vehicles, or outdoor property, which is why we walk through the exclusions before you buy.

NFIP is the federal program with standardized coverage and limits. Private flood carriers can offer higher limits, added benefits like temporary housing, and sometimes lower prices, but availability varies by property. We compare both rather than defaulting to one.

No. Standard homeowners policies exclude flood, which surprises people after a loss. Flood needs its own policy. A burst pipe inside the home is a different, covered peril, so the cause matters.

Start a quote with the property address and we pull the flood zone and pricing from both NFIP and private markets. There is often a waiting period before a new flood policy takes effect, so it is worth setting up before you need it.

Standard NFIP policies do not pay additional living expenses while the home is repaired. Some private policies do.

Landscaping, decks, fences, and pools are generally excluded.

Flood damage to a vehicle is covered under the comprehensive part of an auto policy, not flood insurance.

A backup not caused by a flood event is a homeowners endorsement, not a flood claim.

We are licensed in California, Texas, Pennsylvania and New York, and applications in Ohio, North Carolina and Michigan are with those states now. We do not quote a state before its license is issued. Start a quote and we will tell you where you stand before you spend time on it.

You answer a short set of questions, and a licensed broker at Menlo reads them, maps your operation to a class, and shops it with the carriers we are appointed with. There is no instant bind and no black box. You talk to a person before anything is quoted.