Short answer: usually not by much, but sometimes by a lot. We looked at 36 private flood renewals on Indiana homes since 2024, each compared with the same home's price the year before. The median change was about 4%, or $18 a year, and 14 of the 36 renewed at exactly the same price. But 12 of them went up more than 18%, which is more than the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) can raise most primary homes in a single year.
Here is what actually happened on those renewals, why the big jumps happen, and what to do when your renewal notice comes in higher than you expected.
How we looked at Indiana renewals
- Indiana homes only, renewals completed from 2024 through 2026.
- Each renewal is compared with the same home's price one term earlier.
- Private prices include our agency fees, the same way we show every private quote.
- No names or street addresses. Towns and ZIP codes only.
What 36 Indiana private flood renewals did
| What the renewal did | Renewals |
|---|---|
| Went down | 2 |
| Stayed exactly the same | 14 |
| Went up 10% or less | 7 |
| Went up more than 10%, up to 18% | 1 |
| Went up more than 18% | 12 |
So 24 of the 36 renewals stayed within 18% of the year before. That is the good news, and it matches what most of our Indiana customers see: the private price they bought is close to the private price they renew at.
The other 12 are the reason this post exists.
Where the big increases showed up
The renewals that jumped more than 18% were not limited to one kind of house. They included slab, crawlspace and basement homes, from Warsaw and Kokomo to Dyer, New Haven, Indianapolis and Clark County. A few examples:
- A Warsaw home in Zone A on a crawlspace: $442 to $633 at one renewal, up 43%. (Here is what lake homes in Kosciusko County pay.)
- A Kokomo home on a crawlspace: $581 to $784, up 35%.
- A New Haven home with a basement: $803 to $1,030, up 28%, after moving to a different carrier at renewal.
- An Indianapolis home with a full basement: up 19% at one renewal and 60% at the next, from $1,972 to $3,753 in two years. We wrote up that home's full renewal history, because it is the clearest example we have of private and NFIP prices nearly meeting.
One pattern stood out: increases tend to arrive carrier wide. Three Clark County homes with the same private carrier all went up exactly 24% at the same 2026 renewal. That was a rate change at the carrier, not anything the homeowners did.
Why private flood renewals can jump
A private flood carrier sets its own rates and can change them at renewal. There is no federal cap, so the increase is whatever the carrier files and charges. In our experience the most common reasons are:
- The carrier raised rates across a state or region. That is what the 24% Clark County renewals look like.
- A claim or a flood nearby. Private carriers can reprice, or choose not to renew, after losses.
- A change to the policy itself. Higher building coverage or a lower deductible costs more. Always check the declarations page before you compare prices.
How NFIP renewals are different
On the NFIP side, most primary home premiums cannot rise more than 18% in a year, according to FEMA. Here is how the 18% cap works. The tradeoff is that many Indiana homes start at a much higher NFIP price, so a capped increase can still cost more in dollars than an uncapped private one.
When we re-quoted the NFIP at renewal on Indiana homes, private was still the lower price every time:
| Home | Renewal | Private at renewal | NFIP quote at renewal |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kokomo, crawlspace, Zone AE | 2024 | $543 | $2,020 |
| Schererville, slab, Zone AE | 2024 | $1,959 | $2,402 |
| Indianapolis, full basement, Zone AE | 2024 | $2,347 | $4,394 |
| Plainfield, crawlspace, Zone AE | 2025 | $1,206 | $2,005 |
| Fort Wayne, basement, Zone AE | 2025 | $2,132 | $2,535 |
| Indianapolis, full basement, Zone AE | 2025 | $3,753 | $3,929 |
Look at the two Indianapolis rows. That is the same house a year apart: the private price went up, the NFIP quote came down, and the gap shrank from about $2,000 to under $200. That is exactly the moment to compare again.
What to do when your renewal goes up
- Compare it with last year's declarations page. Same building coverage, same contents coverage, same deductible? If something changed, that may be the whole story.
- Ask for a re-quote, not just a renewal. Other private carriers may price your home very differently this year, and the NFIP price may have moved too.
- Switch on the renewal date. If another policy is the better fit, start it the day the current one ends so you are never without coverage.
- Do not let it lapse while you decide. If you have a mortgage in a high risk zone, your lender requires continuous coverage, and a lapse can lead to the lender buying a far more expensive policy for you.
We start our renewals well before they are due, so there is time to re-quote when a price jumps. If your renewal is coming up with another agent, send us the renewal notice and we will compare it with the NFIP and the private carriers we write.
For the bigger picture, see our NFIP vs private comparison of 83 Indiana homes, the best flood insurance options for Indiana homeowners, or start with our Indiana flood insurance guide.
Get your NFIP and private quotes side by side, or call 205-451-4294 to talk with a licensed flood advisor.
