Homeowners insurance in Florida

What home insurance covers in Florida

Florida homeowners buy HO-3 policies covering the dwelling, personal property, liability, and medical expenses — but Florida's market is more restricted than most states. Carriers often impose separate hurricane deductibles, exclude or limit wind and sinkhole, and require four-point and wind-mitigation inspections before binding.

• Dwelling. rebuilds your house structure, roof, and built-in systems after fire, theft, or specified events — but hurricane-force wind is subject to a separate, often high deductible
• Personal property. covers your contents under the same perils as the dwelling (with sublimits)
• Liability. pays legal costs if someone is injured on your property and you're found responsible
• Medical payments. covers a guest's minor injury without assigning fault, usually $1,000 per incident
• Hurricane deductible. a separate, named-storm deductible that may be 2%, 5%, 10%, or 25% of your dwelling limit — separate from the all-perils deductible
• Sinkhole. ground collapse from sinkhole is excluded under standard policies; catastrophic ground collapse coverage is required to be offered but is expensive or limited; sinkhole-subsidence endorsements cost extra

Florida perils and the hard market

Florida's exposure to hurricanes, tropical storms, and catastrophic wind has tightened the market dramatically. Major carriers have exited the market, raised rates sharply, or non-renewed tens of thousands of policies. Non-renewal and coverage restrictions are facts of life in Florida homeownership.

• Hurricane wind: covered at a separate, often steep deductible (2–25% of dwelling limit); a $300k home with a 10% deductible pays $30k before wind coverage kicks in
• Storm surge and flood: excluded from all standard policies — no private insurer covers storm surge; flood requires separate NFIP or private flood insurance
• Sinkhole and ground collapse: ground subsidence is typically excluded; catastrophic ground-collapse coverage is mandatory to be offered but rarely affordable; sinkhole sub-limits are common
• Roof age and condition: Florida insurers scrutinize roof age closely; roofs over 20 years old often cannot be renewed or require roof replacement before binding
• Citizens Property Insurance: the insurer of last resort, used by approximately 1 in 14 Florida homeowners; Citizens rates are rising sharply and reserves are strained

Four-point and wind-mitigation inspections

Nearly every Florida carrier requires a four-point inspection (roof, HVAC, electrical, plumbing) and many require a wind-mitigation report (clips, bracing, roof cover rating, opening protection). These reports determine your rate and sometimes whether you're bindable at all. Roof certification is often mandatory.

What affects your Florida home rate

• Roof age (the single largest factor; roofs over 20 years old are often non-renewable)
• Roof type and wind rating (concrete tiles and architectural shingles rank better than flat or aged asphalt)
• Distance to coast (coastal and post-2004 hurricane zones pay significantly more)
• Dwelling and reconstruction cost (higher valuations drive higher premiums and larger deductibles)
• Prior claims (one or more weather claims can trigger non-renewal or massive rate increases)
• Four-point and wind-mitigation scores

How to lower your Florida home rate

• Replace an old roof with a wind-rated, modern one (the single most effective rate reduction in Florida)
• Install hurricane shutters or impact-resistant windows (can reduce wind-damage rates by 10–15%)
• Bundle auto, renters, umbrella, or condo with home (multi-policy discounts are critical in Florida)
• Raise your deductible from $500 to $1,000 or higher if possible (each $500 increase saves 5–15%)
• Install a monitored security system (5–10% savings common)
• Maintain continuous coverage and re-shop every year (carriers' rates diverge sharply in Florida markets)

Why buy Florida home insurance through Maru

Maru works with Florida carriers who are still writing business and understands the market's complexity. We order four-point and wind-mitigation inspections for you, shop your rate annually across our entire network, and guide you through the gap between what standard coverage provides and what Florida's perils actually threaten. If you land on Citizens Property Insurance, we monitor your renewal to move you to a private carrier as soon as you qualify. Your local advisor is here to answer questions about roof replacement, hurricane preparation, and how to keep your coverage in place.

Frequently asked questions

Vadim — Maru Insurance
Licensed independent insurance agent · WA & FL
Written and reviewed by a licensed Maru advisor. Maru Insurance is an independent agency (WA License WAOIC #1365574, FL License #G363233) representing multiple A-rated carriers across Washington and Florida.