Start with the right policy form
Most Florida homes are written on one of three forms. The form decides what's covered before any limit or deductible comes into play.
| Form | Who it's for | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| HO-3 | Owner-occupied single-family homes | The house on an open-perils basis (anything not excluded), plus your belongings, liability and loss of use. |
| HO-6 | Condo unit owners | Your interior (often called "walls-in"), belongings, liability, and loss assessments from the association. |
| DP-3 | Homes and units you rent out | The building and the landlord's liability. Your tenant needs their own renters policy for their belongings. |
Your hurricane deductible
Florida insurers must offer hurricane deductible options of $500, 2%, 5% and 10% of the dwelling (Coverage A) limit. Your all-other-perils deductible, used for fire, theft and water damage, is a separate, usually flat, amount.
The hurricane deductible applies once per calendar year. If two hurricanes damage your home in the same year, you pay the hurricane deductible once. The second claim is subject to the greater of what's left of the hurricane deductible or your all-other-perils deductible.
Wind mitigation credits
Florida requires insurers to give premium discounts for construction features that reduce wind damage. A licensed inspector documents them on the state's Uniform Mitigation Verification Inspection form (OIR-B1-1802), which stays valid for five years. The features that matter most:
- Roof-to-wall attachment: clips, single wraps or double wraps rate better than toe nails.
- Roof shape: a hip roof rates better than a gable roof.
- Secondary water resistance: a sealed roof deck keeps water out if shingles blow off.
- Opening protection: impact-rated windows and doors, or approved shutters on every opening.
- Roof deck attachment and whether the roof meets the Florida Building Code.
If an inspector couldn't get into your attic or marked a feature as unknown, your home is usually rated as if the feature isn't there. A re-inspection is often worth paying for.
Roof age and the 15-year rule
Under Florida law, an insurer can't refuse to write or renew a homeowners policy solely because the roof is less than 15 years old. If your roof is 15 years or older, an inspection by an authorized inspector showing at least five years of useful life left must be accepted. Carriers still set their own guidelines for older roofs, so some will take a home that others turn down.
If you don't know when your roof was replaced, the city or county permit record usually has the date.
Citizens Property Insurance
Citizens is Florida's state-created insurer of last resort. Eligibility depends on what the private market offers: if a private carrier offers comparable coverage at a premium no more than 20% higher than Citizens', you're generally ineligible for Citizens. Citizens is also phasing in a requirement that its residential policyholders carry flood insurance (see our flood guide).
Being moved off Citizens through its depopulation program isn't automatic. You can usually choose to stay unless the takeout offer is within the 20% threshold. We'll show you the takeout offer next to other private options so you can compare them properly.
Condo (HO-6) insurance
A condo association's master policy covers the building, but what it covers inside your unit depends on the association's documents. Florida's condominium law makes the association insure the building structure and generally leaves interior finishes, such as floor and wall coverings, cabinets, countertops and appliances, to the unit owner. Your HO-6 policy fills that gap.
- Dwelling (Coverage A): set it to the cost of rebuilding your interior, not the unit's sale price.
- Loss assessment: pays your share when the association assesses owners for a loss, such as a large hurricane deductible on the master policy.
- Personal property and liability: your belongings, plus protection if someone is hurt in your unit or water from your unit damages a neighbor's.
- Renting it out? A standard HO-6 usually limits or excludes rental use. A dwelling-fire (DP-3) policy written for a rented unit is often the better fit.
Coverages people miss
- Ordinance or law: pays to bring the rebuilt home up to current building code.
- Water backup: covers sewer or drain backup, which is often excluded unless you add it.
- Screened enclosures: pool cages and screen rooms often have a separate, lower hurricane limit.
- Flood: excluded from every homeowners and condo policy (read the flood guide).