Property insurance in Florida
What to ask before you write the offer. Not after the inspection.
Money · 14 points
Who it’s for
For anyone buying in South Florida who doesn’t want the insurance surprise.
What’s on the list
- 1
Quote the insurance before you make the offer. In Florida it can change the whole decision, not just the budget.
- 2
Roof age and roof material carry more weight than anything else in a quote, and sometimes decide whether you get covered at all.
- 3
Impact windows, impact doors and shutters matter. Ask for the closed permit that proves they went in right.
- 4
Ask for the wind mitigation report. It documents what the home already has, and it usually helps you with the carrier.
- 5
On older homes, ask about the four-point inspection: roof, electrical, plumbing, A/C.
- 6
Your standard policy does not cover flood. Flood insurance is separate — check the property’s zone on FEMA’s official map before you budget anything.
FEMA — Flood Map Service Center - 7
In Florida the hurricane deductible is a different animal from your regular deductible, and it’s written as a percentage of insured value. State law sets the options the carrier has to offer you.
Fla. Stat. §627.701 — Hurricane deductibles - 8
In a condo, your HO-6 covers from the walls in and the master policy covers the rest. Get both documents and hunt for the gap between them.
- 9
Ask whether the policy pays replacement cost or actual cash value. On a roof, that gap is enormous.
- 10
Pull the property’s claims history — the CLUE report — before you buy. Old claims travel with the house.
- 11
Florida sets legal deadlines for reporting a hurricane or windstorm claim. Don’t let them slide past you. Write them down the week you close.
Fla. Stat. §627.70132 — Notice of windstorm or hurricane claim - 12
See whether you qualify for My Safe Florida Home, the state program that offers inspections and mitigation grants when funding is open.
My Safe Florida Home — Florida Dept. of Financial Services - 13
If the private market won’t cover you, Citizens Property Insurance is the state’s insurer of last resort, with its own eligibility rules.
Citizens Property Insurance Corporation - 14
No quote is final until the carrier inspects the property. Leave room in your budget until that happens.
For the bigger picture
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