Boston insurance, from triple-decker to Back Bay

Three-deckers, brownstones and condo conversions

The triple-decker defines much of Boston outside downtown. A 1999 city report counted triple-deckers as a quarter of Boston's one- to three-family buildings and 42 percent of their units, with the highest concentrations in East Boston, Roxbury and Dorchester. Many owners live on one floor and rent the other two, so one building often needs an owner-occupied policy with a landlord's liability exposure. Many others have been converted to condos, which raises the question of what the association's master policy covers and what each unit owner's policy has to pick up.

Back Bay, the South End, Beacon Hill and Charlestown are row and brownstone neighborhoods, with plaster walls, slate roofs and old masonry that cost more to rebuild than their square footage suggests. Larger and historic homes there and in West Roxbury and Jamaica Plain often need high-value home coverage in Massachusetts.

The economy runs on hospitals, universities, life sciences, finance and tourism. Labs in the Seaport and Fenway and the hospitals of the Longwood Medical Area pull in lab, medical and professional work, while restaurants, bars and contractors serve every neighborhood.

What underwriters weigh in Boston

Carriers writing Boston property and autos look hardest at winter, water and the age of the building.

• Nor'easters and harbor floodingOn January 4, 2018, a nor'easter pushed Boston Harbor to its highest recorded storm tide, edging out the Blizzard of 1978. In the Seaport, the tide came over the seawall and into an office building's parking garage, and streets flooded. Home and building policies exclude flood, so property near the waterfront in East Boston, Charlestown, the Seaport and the North End needs separate flood insurance.
• Ice dams and frozen pipesSnow load, ice dams and burst pipes are the classic Boston winter claims, and a winter like 2014–15, the snowiest on record in Boston, loads roofs for weeks at a time. Carriers ask about roof age, insulation, heat source and whether units sit empty. In a split triple-decker, a burst pipe on the third floor can damage all three units.
• Old wiring and heatingCentury-old buildings may still have knob-and-tube wiring, old oil heat or undersized electrical service. Many carriers want updates before they will write the home policy or landlord policy.
• Condo master policy gapsWhen a triple-decker or brownstone becomes three condos, the association's master policy and each unit owner's policy have to fit together. Gaps show up in deductibles, interior improvements and loss assessments.
• Liability in a dense citySnow and ice on sidewalks, tenants, dogs and car accidents on narrow streets all create lawsuits. An umbrella policy adds limits above home and auto.

Massachusetts and Boston rules that change the policy

• Compulsory auto, new limitsFor policies issued or renewed on or after July 1, 2025, Massachusetts requires bodily injury liability of $25,000 per person and $50,000 per accident, property damage of $30,000, bodily injury caused by an uninsured auto of $25,000/$50,000, and personal injury protection of $8,000 per person. The old property damage minimum was $5,000. See insurance rules in Massachusetts and my auto insurance page.
• No-fault PIPMassachusetts is a no-fault state for injuries. Your own PIP pays medical bills and part of lost wages after a crash, regardless of who caused it. If you have health insurance, PIP's medical payments can be limited to $2,000, with the health plan picking up the rest. You can sue the other driver for pain and suffering only if medical expenses top $2,000 or the injury involves death, a fracture, loss of a body member, permanent and serious disfigurement, or certain loss of sight or hearing.
• Workers' comp for every employerMassachusetts requires every employer to insure workers' comp benefits for its employees, either through an insurer or a licensed self-insurance arrangement. There is no minimum employee count.
• Boston rental registrationEvery rental unit in Boston must be registered with Inspectional Services each year by July 1, even if it's vacant, under renovation or rented to relatives. Owners who live outside Massachusetts must name a Boston-area emergency contact. Late registration can bring a $300 monthly penalty, and registered properties are inspected at least once every five years.
• Short-term rentals and the FAIR PlanBoston allows short-term rentals, stays of fewer than 28 consecutive days, only in owner-occupied condos and one- to three-family buildings, and the owner must live there at least nine months of every twelve. Renting a whole second unit in a two- or three-family requires owning every unit in the building. The license renews yearly and does not transfer on sale, so a short-term rental policy has to match it. Owners who cannot get property coverage in the regular market can apply to the Massachusetts FAIR Plan (MPIUA).

Business insurance for Boston's labs, hospitals and kitchens

Life sciences companies in the Seaport, Fenway and along the Longwood corridor need life sciences coverage for products liability, clinical trials and lab property. Medical practices near the hospitals, consultants and finance firms need professional liability and cyber limits that match their contracts.

Restaurants, bars and cafes from the North End to Southie need property, liability and liquor coverage written around their operation through restaurant insurance. Contractors keeping old buildings standing need workers' comp from the first employee and general liability that their clients will accept.

What Bostonians call me about

• Owner-occupied triple-decker. You live on one floor and rent two. The policy has to cover the whole building and your landlord liability, and many standard home carriers will only write it with specific forms. I shop the ones that do.
• Condo unit after a water loss. A leak from the unit above lands on the association's deductible and your interior. I check the master policy and set the unit-owner policy, including loss assessment, to fit it.
• Higher auto minimums. The July 2025 changes raised the compulsory limits, but the minimum is still thin for a serious crash. I quote higher liability and optional underinsured motorist limits side by side.
• Waterfront flood exposure. Buyers in East Boston, Charlestown or the Seaport learn after closing that flood is excluded. I place NFIP and private flood coverage, and the NFIP has a waiting period before a new policy starts.
• Non-renewed older building. Old wiring, old roofs or a prior water claim can lead to a non-renewal. I go to other carriers and, if needed, the FAIR Plan.

Working with me from Boston

I don’t have an office in Boston. I work with Boston clients from my office in Beverly Hills, California: quotes, applications and policy changes are handled by phone, email and the online quote form, and I shop each request across admitted carriers and specialty markets. Saman Alishahi holds a Massachusetts nonresident insurance producer license (NPN 21022298) and a California license (#4348151). Call (424) 552-4545, answered 24/7, or send a quote request.

Boston insurance, answered

Sources

• Massachusetts General Laws c.90 §34A (compulsory limits, PIP)
• Massachusetts Division of Insurance: Filing Guidance Notice 2025-A, new mandatory auto limits
• Massachusetts General Laws c.231 §6D (pain and suffering threshold)
• Massachusetts General Laws c.152 §25A (workers' comp)
• City of Boston: How to register a rental property
• City of Boston: Short-term rentals
• City of Boston: Triple Decker close-up report (1999)
• Science News: Boston's record January 2018 storm tide
• Massachusetts Property Insurance Underwriting Association (FAIR Plan)

General information about insurance in Boston as of October 2026, not legal advice. State rules, local ordinances, hazard maps and carrier appetite change; check the current rules with the Massachusetts insurance regulator and your city. Coverage depends on underwriting and the terms, conditions and exclusions of the policy actually issued.