North Country Insurance wildlife emblem: deer, raccoon, squirrel, and eagle among pines North Country Insurance Agency, Inc. 231-238-9882

Home and lake home insurance.

Year-round houses, cottages, seasonal homes and rentals.

A log cabin with lit windows at dusk beside a lake, a wooden dock running out into still water

We write year-round homes, cottages that close up in October, places that get rented out part of the season, and most things in between. Tell us how the place is actually used, not how it is supposed to be used, and we will match it to a carrier that wants that risk.

What a home policy can cover.

  • Dwelling

    The structure itself, at a rebuild cost rather than what you paid or what Zillow thinks it is worth.

  • Other structures

    Garage, pole barn, bunkhouse, boathouse, dock and hoist. These are frequently underinsured because nobody adds them up.

  • Personal property

    Everything inside. A cottage that has been furnished over thirty years is worth more than the owner usually guesses.

  • Liability

    Injuries on your property. A lake place with a dock, a raft and other people’s kids raises this risk, not lowers it.

  • Loss of use

    Somewhere to stay and reasonable extra costs while the house is being repaired.

  • Water backup and service line

    Sump and sewer backup, and the buried lines running to the house. Usually add-ons, usually worth it.

All subject to the coverage and limits on the policy.

What we look at on a place up here.

Seasonal vacancy is the first question. A house nobody enters between November and April has different freeze and water risk, and carriers treat it differently. Some want a shut-off, a monitored temperature sensor, or somebody checking on it.

Then heat. Woodstoves, outdoor wood boilers and supplemental heat are common here and are a real underwriting question. So is roof age, under this much snow load.

Short term rental is the one that trips people up. If the cottage goes on a rental site for part of the summer, that is a business use, and a standard homeowners policy may not respond to a guest claim. Tell us before, not after.

Worth raising before you buy.

Replacement cost, not market value

What matters is what it costs to rebuild here, with these trades and these material prices. That figure moved a lot in recent years.

Flood is separate

Homeowners policies do not cover flood. On or near water, ask about it rather than assuming the lake is included.

The dock and the hoist

Confirm they are scheduled and at what limit. Call us. Let’s talk.

Home & lake home by town

Questions we get asked.

Does homeowners insurance cover my dock and boat hoist?
Usually under other structures, and usually at a limit lower than what a dock and hoist actually cost to replace, and named perils only. It is worth asking what the coverage and limit are before ice season rather than after.
Is flood damage covered?
No. Flood is excluded from homeowners policies and has to be written separately. If you live in Cheboygan County, you know that the risk is real. Contact us and we can help you understand flood policy coverage.
What if I rent the cottage out for part of the summer?
Then it has a business use, and a standard homeowners policy may deny a claim tied to a paying guest. There are policies built for this. Tell us how many weeks and through which platform and we will help you out.

Related coverage

Need home insurance?

We will shop it across our carriers, then call you back and talk it through. No obligation.

Request a quote Call 231-238-9882