How much is flood insurance in Virginia?

Floods can happen anywhere, at any time. It can be a painful experience, especially when you have to think about all the damage to your home and all the costs involved in getting your life back together. With unpredictable weather patterns that bring flooding to unexpected places, it’s important to consider flood insurance for your home in Virginia.

There are different levels of protection available depending on where you live. Knowing how much flood insurance in Virginia will cost you is part of protecting what matters most.

Our team of Flood Nerds is experienced in understanding all the options available for your property so that you can confidently make an educated decision. Most of our clients save from $500 – $2,500 on their Virginia flood insurance by moving to one of our many private flood insurance options.

Certain variables need to be considered to determine the cost of flood insurance in Virginia. For an accurate estimate, we’ve created a quick calculator below. But, to obtain a reliable assessment, we recommend requesting a free quote that only takes a few minutes to complete.

Most of our clients in Virginia pay between $500 and $1,500 for home flood insurance.

Learn how much flood insurance coverage could cost for your Virginia home with us today.

 

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Finding Cheap Flood Insurance in Virginia, the Flood Nerd™ Way 

You’ve probably heard it before – finding cheap flood insurance in Virginia can be daunting. But have no fear; flood nerds are here! If you’re looking for cheap flood insurance in Virginia, then you’ve come to the right place. We shop for the cheapest flood insurance policies that don’t compromise on coverage and have a few exclusive cheap Flood insurance companies in Virginia. Let us show you how we do it. 

Step 1: Get us your information by filling out our online form

The first step to getting your cheap flood insurance in Virginia is getting your Flood Nerd your property information using our online form. This will allow us to shop your property and compare it to the NFIP to ensure you get the cheapest flood insurance policy. 

Step 2: Shop Around and Compare Rates 

Don’t just accept the first quote you get from your local agent – let a flood nerd shop around and compare rates to our pre-flood nerd-approved options to ensure you have found a flood insurance company with your flood nerds’ help getting the better deal. The NFIP has had a monopoly on flood insurance for many years, and now it is time to save money in Virginia.

Step 3: Utilize Exclusive Companies 

Since Flood Nerds only work in flood insurance, we have many more options than others, and we have some exclusive relationships with several companies that can offer low-cost policies not available to an agent that isn’t a flood insurance expert in Virginia – giving our customers access to even more savings opportunities than they would find elsewhere. By leveraging our exclusive relationships, customers can save hundreds of dollars on their premiums while still receiving better coverage and peace of mind knowing their property is protected from floods.

Getting quality flood insurance in Virginia doesn’t have to be difficult or expensive. With Flood Nerds on your side, you can feel confident that you’re getting great coverage without compromising on coverage or quality of service. We understand that everyone’s situation is different, so we strive to provide personalized solutions tailored to each customer’s needs and budget constraints – so why wait? Contact us today, and let us help you find cheap flood insurance in Virginia!

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Virginia Flood Insurance

Does my Virginia homeowner insurance cover flooding?

A typical Virginia homeowners’ policy is written through Farmers, State Farm, Allstate, and Progressive, for instance, excludes flooding as something that will be covered under their homeowner’s policy.

In most cases, the only way to get flood coverage is by purchasing a stand-alone flood insurance policy. However, you should ask your homeowners agent if you can add an endorsement to your homeowner’s policy to cover flooding. Yet, don’t be too surprised if the answer is NO.

Do I need flood insurance in Virginia?

Having flood insurance coverage in Virginia is important because our beloved Cowboy State has seen a fair share of flooding, and more is likely coming.

We believe most homeowners think about Flood insurance in Virginia at some point, maybe before buying a home or during the closing process.  However, many of us only think about it when a big storm is looming, or we have heard on the news that there is flooding forecasted or happening too close to our home.

If your home or business is in a flood zone, that is considered a low flood-risk area. Sadly, many homeowners decide to forgo purchasing coverage because they believe they are safe from flooding. Some real estate and insurance agents may even say you don’t need it.

I ask you to consider the facts: 20 percent of all flooding events across our nation come in areas that are considered low risk. After our last few major storms (Hurricane Harvey), we saw flooding in these low-risk areas.  80 percent of these individuals had water in their homes or buildings and didn’t have flood insurance coverage.

In Harris county, nearly 135,000 homes were damaged.  Three-fourths of these properties were considered low to moderate risk.

Flooding in Virginia

We often hear that people believe the government will help, which is true.  However, a few things must align for you to get government assistance.

1 – The president of the United States must declare the flooding event a state of emergency.  If this doesn’t happen, then there won’t be assistance.

2 – Homeowners’ average amount of assistance after a flood, when they do not have flood coverage, is $5,000.  The average cost of damage to one’s property after a flood is $38,000+.  That $5K you get from the government?  It comes as a loan, and you will need to pay it back.  Are you willing to gamble your financial future by forgoing flood insurance coverage?

One more note on these low-risk flood zone maps. Many of these maps are over 40 years old. If the area has been developed, there is likely more concrete, creating a barrier for land that previously might have absorbed the massive downpour.

Because of all these factors, it is difficult for property owners to know their true risk of flooding. FEMA admits that their flood maps only give an idea of part of the risk. Our recent storms are facts that it can rain anywhere within Virginia, and you should consider getting flood coverage so you are not uninsured when you need it most.

FEMA flood zone maps often take years to go into effect after the terrain was studied; this gives the impression that the area is “more up to date” than it is.

The average cost for Virginia flood insurance in these Low-risk areas is $595 per year.

FEMA’s National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) and all federally backed lenders rely on these Virginia flood insurance maps to assess risk, set premiums, and determine who is required to purchase flood insurance. Bad information about an area’s flood risk can leave property owners under or uninsured.

 

How much is flood insurance in Virginia?

Virginia NFIP flood insurance.

There are many options available in Virginia regarding flood insurance, but they fall into two main categories. The NFIP/FEMA or government option and the Private flood insurance market.

The National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), also known as FEMA, is the government option for flood insurance.  The NFIP has enjoyed a 50-state monopoly on the flood insurance market.

Not “private flood insurance” but NFIP Resellers

Suppose you have Nationwide Flood Insurance, State Farm Flood Insurance, Progressive Flood Insurance, or any of the logos below. In that case, you are buying the NFIP flood policy that is just being resold through a government program. These companies are private companies, but their flood insurance is not. Here is a list of the 70 companies that resell the NFIP policy.

Virginia private flood insurance market

There are alternatives to the NFIP or government insurance.  It is called Private flood insurance, most notably Lloyds of London Flood insurance. However, there are other options available in Virginia. We shop all the options for your property in your region to ensure you are getting the best premium.  If you are ready to have us do the work for you, please click here.

Our shopping does include the NFIP because sometimes we find that with government subsidies, you can get a much better premium.

Virginia flood insurance quote

Lloyds of London Flood Insurance Virginia Market

Virginia is fortunate to have many Lloyds of London flood insurance options. Although many Lloyds flood insurance companies will have you assume that there is only one option, nothing could be further from the truth.

Lloyds of London has a rich history attributed to having invented the first modern insurance model. Unlike most of its competition, Lloyds of London is not a company but a corporate body.  This structure works well since it has been around for over 330 years. Lloyds operates under multiple financial backers pooling their capital to spread the risk.

I have two blog posts that deep dive into Lloyds of London and what they mean to Virginia’s flood insurance market.  If you are interested, the links are below.

Lloyds of London Flood Insurance

NFIP vs PrivateFlood Insurance

Lloyds also insures the world for flood insurance, meaning they cover flooding events in India, Australia, and much of Europe.  The “game” of insurance is to spread your risk since Lloyds is worldwide.

My joke here is that Lloyds is banking on God’s promise that he won’t flood the entire world again, …..so they won’t have to pay out the whole world’s flood claim.

How much does flood insurance cost in Virginia?

Many factors go into getting the cost of flood insurance for Virginia. If your home is in what is considered a low-to-moderate risk, you can get a heavily subsidized policy through the government.

Virginia flood insurance low-to Moderate Risk rate and cost.
This is Flood Zone X, which is not lender required flood zone.

This is usually identified as an X-flood zone.  Then we would suggest the government Preferred Risk Policy (PRP) which is a subsidized policy and has set flood insurance coverage limits (see the grid below):

Flood insurance rate maps

Here is a link if you want to dig into this one. Be ready for an eye chart because every option is a public record and should be standardized accost whoever writes these policies.

The average cost for flood insurance in Virginia with the maximum set limits in these Low-risk flood zone areas is $405 – $700 per year.

Your property is in a higher-risk flood zone, usually identified with a Flood Zone AE. Your lender will require you to have flood insurance. The cost of flood insurance in Virginia depends on many factors unique to the structure. We will try to give you an idea of the most common homes we see in Virginia with a slab-on-grade foundation.

We will look at the Virginia cost of flood insurance for the NFIP maximum of $250,000 for the (building only) with NO CONTENTS and our recommended deductible of $5,000.

We will be rating this example on the NFIP and on a few of our private flood insurance policies, specifically Lloyds flood insurance options in Virginia.

Cost of Flood Insurance in VIRGINIA in high-risk flood zone AE

Our example is Virginia Beach, but the premiums will be the same if in Chesapeake, Norfolk, Hampton, Fairfax, and many other Virginia flood ones.

In our example, the Base Flood Elevation (BFE is 5.1) is a home that is built before 1973

NFIP option in Virginia Flood Zone AE

NFIP – Coverage of $250,000 building coverage (no Contents coverage) and $5,000 deductible

NFIP Annual premium in High-Risk flood zone is $4,806.83

This option is what we see if the property has had a flood loss before and either doesn’t have an Elevation Certificate applied or the Elevation certificate shows that the lowest floor is 4 feet under the BFE for the area. You can use 10% of your coverage to cover other structures on your property.

 Virginia Private flood insurance – Lloyds of London Flood Insurance (option 1)

Coverage of $250,000 building coverage (no Contents coverage) and $5,000 deductible

Lloyds of London (option 1) Annual premium in High-Risk flood zone is $871.34

This option is great, and we are very happy when we can get this option. They can be a bit choosey about what risk they will accept and will not take anything that has had a flood loss. They offer basements coverage, about $2,000 for loss of use, and $2,000 for other structures, but they can’t increase this coverage. They do not require an Elevation Certificate to rate.

Virginia Private flood insurance – Lloyd’s of London Flood Insurance (option 2)

Coverage of $250,000 building coverage (no Contents coverage) and $5,000 deductible

Lloyds of London (option 2)  Annual premium in High-Risk flood zone is $1,010.37

This option is great, and we are very happy when we can get this option for our clients. They seem to be writing almost all risks; however, they do not write any property in a designated floodway or have a depth of -4 under the BFE.  In our example, with our BFE being 5.1, they will not accept this risk if the lowest floor is 2.  They will not take anything that has had a flood loss. They offer limited coverage for basements and do not require an Elevation Certificate to rate as a percentage of coverage for loss of use. If you want coverage for other structures, that will need to be added.

 Private Flood Insurance Virginia (option 3), Not Lloyd’s

Coverage of $250,000 building coverage (no Contents coverage) and $5,000 deductible

The annual premium in a High-Risk flood zone is $3,962.83

This option will take properties that have had one flood loss for more than five years and the payout was under $100,000 on the claim. Their coverage matches the NFIP.  They will write practically all risks, don’t need an elevation certificate to rate, and are a bit lower in premium than the NFIP.

Private Flood Insurance Virginia –  Lloyd’s of London (option 4)

This option must be written on the building’s Replacement Cost Value (RCV). Otherwise, there is a co-insurance penalty that kicks in. So, $250,000 might be a bit low in California, but to keep this going, let’s just use that for this option

Coverage of $250,000 (RCV) building coverage, No Contents, and a $5,000 deductible

The annual premium in a High-Risk flood zone is $891.10 (great price).

This options rating system is all over the board.  Sometimes we get a crazy great price, but other times the premium is way higher than the NFIP will consider taking a property that has had one flood loss before as long as it has been more than ten years and the payout was under $50,000 on the claim. Their preferred coverage is at replacement cost, slightly different from some of our other Lloyd’s flood options.  We usually reserve this one if the property doesn’t fit the above options. We can adjust coverages to control premiums. As mentioned before, these underwriters’ rates are all over the board.  It is worth shopping through to ensure we are getting you the best premium possible. They don’t need an elevation certificate to rate.

Private Flood Insurance Virginia –  Lloyd’s of London (option 5)

Coverage of $250,000 (RCV) building coverage, No Contents, and $5,000 deductible.

The annual premium in High-Risk flood zone is $1,015.68

This option came from the company that used to run the NFIP program, so the coverage matches the NFIP coverage with two differences. They offer living expenses which will cover your cost when you are displaced from your home during repairs (most Lloyds flood policies offer this).  They also offer a unique swimming pool clean-out, so ask for this coverage if you have a pool.

Private Flood Insurance Virginia –  Lloyd’s of London (option 6)

Coverage of $250,000 (RCV) building coverage. No Contents and a $5,000 deductible.

The annual premium in a High-Risk flood zone is $940.04

This options rating system is also all over the board. Sometimes we get a crazy low price; other times, the premium is way higher than the NFIP. They will consider taking a property that has had one flood loss before as long as it has been more than ten years and the payout was under $25,000 on the claim. They have been rumored to give a low price the first year and then non renew following years, or sometimes they jack the price way up so that we will watch them. They have a slick system, and their underwriting is managed by a 3rd party, which also sometimes seems to be a glitch.

More options are coming online every day, and we are working to be looking into every viable option.

Flood Insurance rate maps in Virginia

Currently, Virginia has 105,933 NFIP policies in force to date, with a total cost of $78,057,383.  That would make the average flood rate for Virginia $737. Of course, some will pay more, and some will pay less.

Click here to have our shop and save money.

The average cost of flood insurance in Virginia

Hello, Virginia!  Thanks for visiting our page for all your flood insurance needs.

Flooding in Virginia

Let’s start with Accomack, Virginia, where the active flood policies number 1,329 with $917,700 in flood premiums.  The average flood rate in Accomack is $691.

Next is Chincoteague, Virginia, where the average flood rate rises to $771.  There are 1,766 active flood policies with $1,362,388 in written premiums.

Let’s check out a group of areas that include Wachapreague, Albemarle, and Alleghany, Virginia, where the average flood rate is $744.  These areas have a combined premium of $357,156 with 480 flood policies.

Arlington, Virginia, has $368,352 in written premiums with 999 flood policies.  The average flood rate in Arlington is $369.

Look at Augusta and Bedford, Virginia, where policies number 367.  The premiums in these areas total $341,770, allowing the average flood rate to be $931.

Our next group of areas includes Botetourt, Buchanan, and Caroline, Virginia, where the average flood rate is $1,107.  The active flood policies number 436 with $482,651 in flood premiums.

$601 is the average flood rate in Chesterfield, Virginia.  Chesterfield has 914 active flood policies with $549,470 in written premiums.

Another group includes Essex, Herndon, and Vienna, Virginia, where the premiums add up to $358,295 and policy number 439. The average flood rate for these areas is $816.

Fairfax, Virginia’s policies number 6,945 with $3,435,236 in flood premiums.  The average flood rate in Fairfax is $495.

Fauquier, Franklin, and Frederick, Virginia, have an average flood rate of $761.  The premiums here add up to $304,599 with 400 flood policies.

One thousand five hundred thirty-five flood policies are active in Gloucester, Virginia.  The flood premiums here total $1,252,818, which allows the average flood rate to be $816.

Let’s look at another group that includes Hanover, Henry, and Charlottesville, Virginia, where policy number 389 is.  The average flood rate for these areas is $1,023, which includes $397,814 in written premiums.

Next is Henrico, Virginia, where the premiums total $888,250 and the flood policies number 1,051.  The average flood rate in Henrico is $845.

$1,313,534 is the total flood premium in Alexandria, Virginia.  The average flood rate in Alexandria is $832, which includes 1,579 flood policies in effect.

Chesapeake, Virginia, has 8,685 flood policies, with $5,300,462 in written premiums.  Chesapeake has an average flood rate of $610.

Looking at another group of areas, including Colonial Heights, Covington, and Danville, Virginia, we find the average flood rate is $1,649.  The premiums here add up to $524,339, and the flood policies total 318.

Fairfax, Virginia’s premiums total $341,219 with 610 active flood policies.  The average flood rate in Fairfax is $559.

Our next group includes Falls Church, Franklin, and Fredericksburg, Virginia, where the average flood rate calculates to $1,900.  The flood policies add to 463 with $879,694 in total flood premiums.

10,431 is the number of active flood policies in Hampton, Virginia.  The premiums total $8,953,693, allowing the average flood rate to be $858.

The average flood rate in Harrisonburg and Petersburg, Virginia, is $1,636.  The policies add up to $274 with $448,300 in flood premiums.  Give us a call in Harrisonburg and Petersburg!

The premiums in Newport News, Virginia, total $1,371,060.  The average flood rate in Newport News is $688, including 1,994 active flood policies.

Hello Norfolk, Virginia!  Thanks for stopping by!  The flood policies in Norfolk number 12,148 with $9,065,931 in flood premiums.  The average flood rate here is $746.

$2,945,470 is the total of the premiums in Portsmouth, Virginia.  The average flood rate in Portsmouth is $726, which includes 4,057 active flood policies.

Richmond, Virginia, has 606 flood policies with $667,841 in premiums.  The average flood rate in Richmond is $1,102.

The average flood rate jumps to $2,306 in Roanoke, Virginia.  The premiums here total $1,265,815, with 549 flood policies in effect.  Give us a call, Roanoke!

The average flood rate is slightly below $2,277 in Salem and Staunton, Virginia.  The policies here number 512 with $1,166,025.  Give us a call to check your rates!

$477 is the average flood rate in Suffolk, Virginia.  The number of active policies is 995, with $474,757 in flood premiums.

Virginia Beach flood zone

Hello Virginia Beach, Virginia!  You all have the highest number of active flood policies in the state at 24,061.  The premiums in Virginia Beach total $13,387,771, which allows the average flood rate to be $556.

Let’s check out a group of areas, including Waynesboro, Winchester, and Isle of Wright, Virginia, where the average flood rate is $1,385.  The active flood policies add up to 632 with $875,260 in written premiums.

James City, Virginia, has 976 flood policies with $608,370 in flood premiums.  James City has an average flood rate of $623.

The average flood rate rises to $843 in Lancaster, Virginia.  Lancaster has $494,186 in premiums and 586 active flood policies.

Four hundred ninety flood policies are active in Leesburg and Middlesex, Virginia.  The premiums in these areas total $442,144, which allows the average flood rate to be $902.

The average flood rate in Loudoun, Virginia, is $560.  The flood premiums add up to $400,019 with 714 flood policies.

$1,482,806 is the total of flood premiums in Mathews, Virginia.  The average flood rate in Mathews is $1,033, which includes 1,435 active flood policies.

Looking at a group of areas that include Montgomery, New Kent, and Cape Charles, Virginia, we find the number of active flood policies total 453 with $319,506 in written premium.  The average flood rate in these areas is $705.

In another group that includes Northampton and Page, Virginia, the average flood rate is $817.  The premiums total $349,695, with 428 flood policies in effect.

Northumberland, Virginia, has 735 active flood policies with $553,816 in total premiums.  The average flood rate in Northumberland is $753.

$638 is the average flood rate in Prince William, Virginia.  The number of flood premiums adds up to $825,447, with 1,293 flood policies in effect.

Let’s study another group that includes Roanoke, Rockbridge, Smyth, Southampton, and Spotsylvania, Virginia, where the active policies total 1,072.  The premiums in these areas total $924,113, which allows the average flood rate to be $862.

Next up is Rockingham and Shenandoah, Virginia, where the average flood rate is $1,081.  The active flood policies number 470 with $508,228 in written premiums.

Six hundred eighty-four flood policies are in effect in Stafford, Virginia.  The average flood rate in Stafford is $621, which includes $424,923 in flood premiums.

Another group includes Tazewell, Front Royal, and Warren, Virginia, where the average flood rate is $1,393.  The premiums add up to $494,463, and the active flood policies number 355.

The last group we’ll study is Colonial Beach, Westmoreland, and Wise, Virginia, where the premiums total $479,730.  There are 624 flood policies, which allow the average flood rate to be $769.

 $887 is the average flood rate in Poquoson, Virginia.  The premiums add up to $2,829,838, and the policies here number 3,191.

Our last area to look at is York, Virginia.  York has 3,123 flood policies in effect with $2,127,918 in written premiums.  The average flood rate in York is $681.

Thanks for checking out all the flood information on Virginia!!

How to save money on Flood Insurance in Virginia’s VE flood zones

All homes that are ocean-facing are custom-built. With this special consideration, our Lloyd’s of London VE flood zone and other Private Flood Insurance options for oceanfront properties consider this with variable coverage options and significant savings. Below is a case study for a property we were shopping for just last week.

Our example was in a VE flood zone map in the Virginia Beach, VA area.

For the coverage of $250,000 with no contents and a $5,000 deductible, the NFIP annual cost for flood insurance in a VE flood zone is $ 14,001.00. Ouch!

Since we are who we are and experts in Flood Insurance we will look at every property everyway possible to ensure that we are getting the best premium for our clients, and WE often Do (smile wink)

We tried this same property on our Private flood options and were able to get the premium to under $5,150, and we have, in some cases, with similar properties, get the annual premium to $600. This was a feather in our cap and made our clients very happy. Again all properties are unique in these VE flood zones, but if we can find a private flood policy for you, we guarantee it will be better than the NFIP option.

Let us help you save money today.

Cost of flood insurance in Virginia

For decades, the NFIP has over-charged 50 percent of its policyholders and under-charged the other 50 percent while it has racked up $42 billion in taxpayer-funded losses, equating to more than half of every claim paid by the NFIP since 1978.

About 30 percent of NFIP claims payments go to the same 3 percent of insured “repetitive loss” structures yearly. When you do the math, this means that the other 97 percent of their flood-exposed constituents could have paid in less and still netted larger claims payouts if they had better access to private flood insurance. A recent white paper by Milliman found that 90 percent of homes in Sandy-struck Virginia and New Jersey would see reduced flood insurance rates through private insurers.