Go Back   Winnipesaukee Forum > Winnipesaukee Forums > General Discussion
Home Forums Gallery Webcams Blogs YouTube Channel Classifieds Calendar Register FAQDonate Members List Search Today's Posts Mark Forums Read

Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
Old 09-07-2021, 09:36 PM   #1
hewitt52
Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2020
Posts: 17
Thanks: 16
Thanked 2 Times in 2 Posts
Default Homeowner's Insurance for Land

Hello,

Are there any requirements for insurance on a lot that does not yet have a home on it? I am obviously going to get something but want to have an idea of what is required.

Also, any recommendations on insurers? The lot is in Moultonborough.

Thank you!
hewitt52 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-07-2021, 11:10 PM   #2
John Mercier
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2021
Posts: 2,904
Thanks: 2
Thanked 523 Times in 431 Posts
Default

Only if the mortgage holder(s) have such requirements.

With the statutes in NH, since I never gave permission to hunt, fish, or hike/etc my property... I never really thought about it.
John Mercier is offline   Reply With Quote
The Following User Says Thank You to John Mercier For This Useful Post:
TKD (09-08-2021)
Old 09-08-2021, 12:36 AM   #3
mswlogo
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2014
Posts: 660
Thanks: 196
Thanked 222 Times in 143 Posts
Default

It’s a good idea to have an umbrella policy.
To cover loose ends.
mswlogo is offline   Reply With Quote
The Following User Says Thank You to mswlogo For This Useful Post:
dykg (09-09-2021)
Old 09-08-2021, 06:09 AM   #4
TiltonBB
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: Gilford, NH and Florida
Posts: 2,880
Thanks: 637
Thanked 2,146 Times in 893 Posts
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by mswlogo View Post
It’s a good idea to have an umbrella policy.
To cover loose ends.
Many umbrella policies require underlying insurance to meet the low end of the umbrella. That may necessitate a primary policy on the land.

For example: If you have a $1 million umbrella that starts at $500,000 you would need a policy on your other risks (home, vacation home, cars, boats, airplane, jet ski, bungee park ) that insured you for the first $500,000. That would give you a total of $1.5 million in coverage.

If you have this type of umbrella and don't insure the other risks that could leave you with a $500,000 gap before coverage kicks in.
TiltonBB is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-08-2021, 06:33 AM   #5
BillJohn
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2020
Posts: 50
Thanks: 18
Thanked 17 Times in 15 Posts
Default What I was told

I asked the same question years ago and was told as long as it was just land and nothing else there was no liability. If I added something to the land, such as a picnic table then I needed to insure.

Having said that I would double-check with a lawyer because what you do not know can and will hurt you.
BillJohn is offline   Reply With Quote
The Following 2 Users Say Thank You to BillJohn For This Useful Post:
BroadHopper (09-08-2021), Doobs41378 (09-13-2021)
Sponsored Links
Old 09-08-2021, 07:00 AM   #6
swnoel
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2007
Posts: 527
Thanks: 83
Thanked 194 Times in 118 Posts
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by hewitt52 View Post
Hello,

Are there any requirements for insurance on a lot that does not yet have a home on it? I am obviously going to get something but want to have an idea of what is required.

Also, any recommendations on insurers? The lot is in Moultonborough.

Thank you!
You don't need any insurance unless there are things like abandoned wells that aren't protected, mines, etc. Something that can be a hazard. There are laws in the state that protect you from those that get hurt hunting, fishing, hiking, etc. If you really want to protect yourself, post your land, that way the public has been notified of your intentions.
swnoel is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-08-2021, 07:07 AM   #7
Seaplane Pilot
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2004
Posts: 1,176
Thanks: 659
Thanked 943 Times in 368 Posts
Default

Check with your current homeowners insurance company. Your policy may already cover any vacant lots that you own.
Seaplane Pilot is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-08-2021, 07:58 AM   #8
YOLO
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2020
Posts: 16
Thanks: 1
Thanked 23 Times in 10 Posts
Default

Others have given good advice here. If you are not already covered due to having other policies on other homes, it is cheap money to put liability insurance on it just in case even though you may not actually need it. Talk to your agent.
YOLO is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-08-2021, 08:20 AM   #9
AC2717
Senior Member
 
AC2717's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: Maynard, MA & Paugus Bay
Posts: 2,520
Thanks: 742
Thanked 344 Times in 257 Posts
Default

agent here
two options:
extend liability off of your homeowners policy if your carrier will allow it, most do - but you need to notify them and give address of the land so it can be documented on the policy
better option:
keep it separate and get a vacant land liability policy. Touch more expensive but keeps it separate of your other assets.

just because you do not allow anything to happen on your land or vice versa, does not mean it will not

then depending on your ownership of the land personal or in a LLC/commercially owned can extend your personal umbrella to it or you can purchase a commercial umbrella for it
__________________
Capt. of the "No Worries"
AC2717 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-08-2021, 08:38 AM   #10
codeman671
Senior Member
 
codeman671's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2005
Posts: 3,343
Thanks: 206
Thanked 759 Times in 443 Posts
Default

When we bought a vacant island lot the coverage extended from our existing primary home policy.
codeman671 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-08-2021, 08:38 AM   #11
Biggd
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2016
Location: Waltham Ma./Meredith NH
Posts: 3,733
Thanks: 1,952
Thanked 1,068 Times in 673 Posts
Default

No matter what, post no trespassing signs!
Biggd is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-08-2021, 08:44 AM   #12
FlyingScot
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2016
Location: Tuftonboro and Sudbury, MA
Posts: 2,208
Thanks: 1,108
Thanked 934 Times in 576 Posts
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Biggd View Post
No matter what, post no trespassing signs!
Not very friendly, and not very NH
FlyingScot is offline   Reply With Quote
The Following 5 Users Say Thank You to FlyingScot For This Useful Post:
BroadHopper (09-08-2021), Doobs41378 (09-13-2021), SAB1 (09-08-2021), Slickcraft (09-08-2021), subaruliving (09-08-2021)
Old 09-08-2021, 09:49 AM   #13
SAB1
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: Tuftonboro
Posts: 1,162
Thanks: 182
Thanked 297 Times in 220 Posts
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by FlyingScot View Post
Not very friendly, and not very NH
Agree. An alarming trend up here now. Gets tougher to hunt every year.
SAB1 is offline   Reply With Quote
The Following User Says Thank You to SAB1 For This Useful Post:
subaruliving (09-08-2021)
Old 09-08-2021, 10:34 AM   #14
Biggd
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2016
Location: Waltham Ma./Meredith NH
Posts: 3,733
Thanks: 1,952
Thanked 1,068 Times in 673 Posts
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by FlyingScot View Post
Not very friendly, and not very NH
It may not be friendly but it gives you some protection as opposed to nothing.
If everyone would respect others rights and property there would be no need for them, but that's not the case today.
No one wants to be told what they can or can't do, thus the need for insurance! Someone will always be held responsible, $$$$$$.
Biggd is offline   Reply With Quote
The Following User Says Thank You to Biggd For This Useful Post:
Marauder (09-08-2021)
Old 09-08-2021, 11:02 AM   #15
BroadHopper
Senior Member
 
BroadHopper's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: Laconia NH
Posts: 5,504
Thanks: 3,113
Thanked 1,089 Times in 783 Posts
Default Laws protecting landowners from trespassers

Laws are written so that trespassers are at their own risks! So it has not been a problem in NH. Some a$$hat tried to sue the farm because a family member tripped on an animal hole and tried to sue for medical and 'mental' bills. The court determined the hole was a naturally occurring event and the claim is mute. The poor guy had to pay for all the court-related expenses for his stupidity. Live free and learn.
__________________
Someday may never be an actual day.
BroadHopper is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-08-2021, 01:52 PM   #16
hemlock
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Oct 2009
Posts: 52
Thanks: 1
Thanked 35 Times in 15 Posts
Default agree

Yes
In NH if you keep your land open for hunting walking etc then you are more protected against liability than if you post it. The statute says that you do not owe a duty of care to those persons if you do not post.

With that said getting a form of insurance is wise anyway. Let the insurance companies fight it instead of you personally.
hemlock is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-08-2021, 03:06 PM   #17
hewitt52
Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2020
Posts: 17
Thanks: 16
Thanked 2 Times in 2 Posts
Default

I appreciate all of the insight. Some additional context. The lot is cleared and has a new septic on it as I will be building in about a year or so.

My primary residence is in Mass so I'm not sure what, if any, might exist for extended coverage from my existing policy.

Any referrals on agents in the area?
hewitt52 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-08-2021, 03:11 PM   #18
Biggd
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2016
Location: Waltham Ma./Meredith NH
Posts: 3,733
Thanks: 1,952
Thanked 1,068 Times in 673 Posts
Default

I had 20 acres many years ago that got dumped on, not that a sign would have prevented this. Rogue contractors looking to dump their garbage to avoid paying a dump fee. This was before tree cams were available.
Ya, wonderful, "live free or die" NH contractors?
I guess the live free means dump your crap where ever as long as you don't get caught.
If all you have to worry about is hunters then you're good.
Biggd is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-08-2021, 03:17 PM   #19
Descant
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Merrimack and Welch Island
Posts: 4,003
Thanks: 1,203
Thanked 1,498 Times in 975 Posts
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by BroadHopper View Post
Laws are written so that trespassers are at their own risks! So it has not been a problem in NH. Some a$$hat tried to sue the farm because a family member tripped on an animal hole and tried to sue for medical and 'mental' bills. The court determined the hole was a naturally occurring event and the claim is mute. The poor guy had to pay for all the court-related expenses for his stupidity. Live free and learn.
The guy's lawyer should have told him he had no case. Generally, NH law allows use of private land without liability. The intent is to encourage hiking, hunting, snowmobiling, etc. Without this free protection, we'd lose a high percentage of our outdoor recreation industries and we'd lose the hunter's assistance in herd management.

Mostly, extending liability coverage to second locations, vacant land, is no charge as long as you call the carrier to make the addition. A picnic table or a hunter's stand may or may not make the site vacant. There is a difference between vacant and unoccupied, so you need to know how your carrier approaches this. Same with umbrella policies. Some require the underlying coverage, say auto, or boat, to be in place or the umbrella doesn't kick in at all. Others require that the underlying coverage and the umbrella be with the same company so they have control from the first dollar. No umbrella carrier wants the underlying carrier to say "This is a loser" and just pay the underlying, jeopardizing the million. We usually talk about a $1MM umbrella, but these days, if you own a couple of cars, two homes and a boat, $1MM isn't enough.
Descant is offline   Reply With Quote
The Following User Says Thank You to Descant For This Useful Post:
FlyingScot (09-08-2021)
Old 09-08-2021, 06:06 PM   #20
John Mercier
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2021
Posts: 2,904
Thanks: 2
Thanked 523 Times in 431 Posts
Default

Not quite. Snowmobiles and OHRV provide landowner liability protection for the designated trails, and require written landowner permission - thus inferring a possible liability - for all property not owned by the rider.

Hunting, fishing, and scouting (some have inferred hiking) is historical and has to do with the harvesting of a public resource that goes back to the Mayflower Compact.
John Mercier is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-08-2021, 06:08 PM   #21
John Mercier
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2021
Posts: 2,904
Thanks: 2
Thanked 523 Times in 431 Posts
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by hewitt52 View Post
I appreciate all of the insight. Some additional context. The lot is cleared and has a new septic on it as I will be building in about a year or so.

My primary residence is in Mass so I'm not sure what, if any, might exist for extended coverage from my existing policy.

Any referrals on agents in the area?
Which municipality is the lot in? A local agent would have more insight.
John Mercier is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-08-2021, 06:10 PM   #22
John Mercier
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2021
Posts: 2,904
Thanks: 2
Thanked 523 Times in 431 Posts
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by hemlock View Post
Yes
In NH if you keep your land open for hunting walking etc then you are more protected against liability than if you post it. The statute says that you do not owe a duty of care to those persons if you do not post.

With that said getting a form of insurance is wise anyway. Let the insurance companies fight it instead of you personally.
That would be false.

https://www.wildlife.state.nh.us/lan...er-rights.html
John Mercier is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-08-2021, 06:15 PM   #23
John Mercier
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2021
Posts: 2,904
Thanks: 2
Thanked 523 Times in 431 Posts
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by SAB1 View Post
Agree. An alarming trend up here now. Gets tougher to hunt every year.
Contact the posted landowner and ask for written permission.
Some will turn you down, but others will respect the effort.

For some landowners, the issue of trespass is not legal and moral hunters, they consider that as a mutually beneficial act as it protects their woodlots from being stripped of new young growth by overpopulation.
John Mercier is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-08-2021, 06:57 PM   #24
hewitt52
Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2020
Posts: 17
Thanks: 16
Thanked 2 Times in 2 Posts
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by John Mercier View Post
Which municipality is the lot in? A local agent would have more insight.
Moultonborough. .42 acre lot.
hewitt52 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-08-2021, 08:27 PM   #25
John Mercier
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2021
Posts: 2,904
Thanks: 2
Thanked 523 Times in 431 Posts
Default

http://66.228.63.32/us/moultonboroug...urance-agents/

Since many are agents, unless specified, they may deal with several companies.
If they quote a company, just do a little research on rating before purchase.

Insurance is regulated in NH, but all policies tend to have ambiguities as to what is and is not covered... make sure you know what is being covered and what isn't. It seems like a straight liability, but I am not an insurance specialist.
John Mercier is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-09-2021, 08:21 AM   #26
Descant
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Merrimack and Welch Island
Posts: 4,003
Thanks: 1,203
Thanked 1,498 Times in 975 Posts
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by John Mercier
Insurance is regulated in NH, but all policies tend to have ambiguities as to what is and is not covered... make sure you know what is being covered and what isn't. It seems like a straight liability, but I am not an insurance specialist.
Where does that come from? Shouldn't this say NOT required?

NH has about 6500 miles of snowmobile trails, much of which is on private land. Each individual rider does not need written permission to be on these designated trails.
Descant is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-09-2021, 08:24 AM   #27
Descant
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Merrimack and Welch Island
Posts: 4,003
Thanks: 1,203
Thanked 1,498 Times in 975 Posts
Default

Now that we know we're talking about .42 acres, the discussion about hunting snowmobiling etc seems pretty irrelevant. The OP should just call his agent in MA give him the address and be done. No big deal here.
Descant is offline   Reply With Quote
The Following User Says Thank You to Descant For This Useful Post:
hewitt52 (09-10-2021)
Old 09-09-2021, 06:13 PM   #28
John Mercier
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2021
Posts: 2,904
Thanks: 2
Thanked 523 Times in 431 Posts
Default

Snowmobiling wouldn't be allowed without that new landowner giving their permission, that is state law.

Hunting would require posting against... but unless they have specific conditions, or do something stupid like boobie trapping or charging for use (don't take any gifts) that shouldn't be a problem.

The MA agent most likely wouldn't sell policy to cover land in NH, regulations being what they are.
John Mercier is offline   Reply With Quote
The Following 2 Users Say Thank You to John Mercier For This Useful Post:
BroadHopper (09-10-2021), hewitt52 (09-10-2021)
Old 09-10-2021, 06:21 AM   #29
BroadHopper
Senior Member
 
BroadHopper's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: Laconia NH
Posts: 5,504
Thanks: 3,113
Thanked 1,089 Times in 783 Posts
Default ATV, snowmobiling use on Private property.

John is correct. That is why there are snowmobile clubs. The clubs negotiate a deal with private owners in the use of the lands. Clubs also have rules regarding the use of the land, trails to satisfy litigation requirements, and landowners. Landowners do realize there are bad users and the club will rectify the problem.
There is a major corridor through the farm. The family realizes LRCT is very strict regarding recreational use so the farm is protected under BCT. There are hiking, biking and XC uses on the trails maintained by an incredible group of volunteers.
If the US wasn't such a litigious society to satisfy lawyers' pockets we wouldn't be in the mess we are today.
__________________
Someday may never be an actual day.
BroadHopper is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-10-2021, 02:57 PM   #30
hewitt52
Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2020
Posts: 17
Thanks: 16
Thanked 2 Times in 2 Posts
Default

So I spoke with a local agent and straight to my insurance company for my home in Mass. I was told by both that there are requirements and am getting quotes for a Vacant Land Liability policy. My home's carrier said it needed to be a separate policy. Could be because in different states. Who knows. Anyway, wanted to provide an update with info that I got in case anyone in the future has similar questions.

I greatly appreciate everyone's replies. Very helpful!
hewitt52 is offline   Reply With Quote
The Following User Says Thank You to hewitt52 For This Useful Post:
Descant (09-12-2021)
Reply

Bookmarks

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is On

Forum Jump


All times are GMT -5. The time now is 04:20 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.11
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions Inc.

This page was generated in 0.54621 seconds