Brooklyn buildings we insure
- Brownstones and row houses with four or more apartments, often more than a century old.
- Walk-ups, typically three to six stories, the backbone of many Brooklyn neighborhoods. See landlord insurance for rental buildings.
- Prewar and postwar elevator buildings, rentals and co-ops alike. See co-op insurance.
- Mixed-use buildings with stores below and apartments above. See mixed-use building insurance.
- Buildings under construction or renovation, including gut rehabs and conversions. See builders risk insurance.
What Brooklyn landlords should look at
Age and updates. Insurers ask about the roof, wiring, plumbing and heating, and when each was last updated. In older Brooklyn buildings those answers can move the price more than the size of the building does.
Flood exposure. Parts of southern Brooklyn and the waterfront, such as Coney Island, Sheepshead Bay, Red Hook and Gowanus, fall in FEMA flood zones. Standard property policies generally exclude flood, so a separate flood policy may be needed, and a lender will require one for a building in a Special Flood Hazard Area. Check an address on NYC's Flood Hazard Mapper.
Open violations. Underwriters can see public HPD and DOB records. Clearing open violations before renewal, especially hazardous ones, helps. You can look up your building on HPD Online.
Frequently asked questions
Is landlord insurance the same as building insurance?
For an apartment building, yes, mostly. Landlord insurance usually means property coverage for the building, loss of rents, and general liability for the owner. Larger buildings add an umbrella, equipment breakdown and other coverages.
Do you insure small Brooklyn buildings?
Yes. We insure four-family brownstones as well as large elevator buildings. The instant estimate works for buildings with 4 to 1000 apartments. For smaller or unusual buildings, call 646-494-4355.
My building is near the water. Do I need flood insurance?
If the building is in a FEMA Special Flood Hazard Area and has a federally backed mortgage, the lender will require flood insurance. Outside those zones it is optional, but flooding does happen outside mapped zones. We can quote flood alongside the rest of the program.