Insurer and agent
Write down the legal insurer name, not only the agency name.
The agent helps place and explain the policy. The insurer makes the final underwriting call and pays covered claims. Verify both before money or signatures move.
Home & Money / Home insurance
Compare the policy before you compare the premium.
A lower Florida home-insurance quote is not a bargain if the coverage, deductible, roof facts, flood requirement, or insurer changed.
Use the same house record for every quote. Then line up what the policy would pay, what you would pay, and what is still waiting on underwriting.
The useful distinction
The agent can prepare a quote, but the insurer decides the final premium and whether it will accept the home. A wind report, four-point report, permit, grant recommendation, and flood policy also do different jobs. Keep those lanes separate until the final declarations are in hand.
Build the quote file
Give every company the same house, then compare the same six files.
Accurate applications matter. If the roof, occupancy, updates, or prior losses change halfway through the process, stop and update every open quote.
Policy
Keep the form, endorsements, dates, and pending conditions together.
A quote is an estimate. It is not final until underwriting is done. Record the policy form, dates, named insureds, mortgage company, and anything still needed to bind or renew coverage.
House
Make one house record that every quote can use.
Keep the construction type, use, occupancy, size, roof age, roof covering, permits, updates, prior coverage, and claim history accurate. If those facts change, the prices are not for the same house.
Coverage
Compare how the home and roof would be paid, not only the limit.
Write down the dwelling limit. Then check replacement cost, actual cash value, roof settlement, ordinance or law, exclusions, and special limits. Similar headline limits can still leave different repair bills.
Deductibles
Turn every percentage into a dollar amount for this home.
List the hurricane deductible beside each other deductible in the quote. For example, a 2 percent hurricane deductible on a $400,000 dwelling limit is $8,000, not 2 percent of the repair bill. Include all-other-perils, wind or hail, roof, and sinkhole lines, then use the actual dollar amount printed on the declarations page.
Water
Keep flood beside the home policy, but do not fold the two together.
A homeowners policy does not become flood insurance because the flooding came with a hurricane. Keep the flood quote or declarations, map result, lender requirement, and any Citizens requirement in a separate water file.
Wind and inspection file
The wind form and the four-point report are not twins.
Ask which report the insurer wants, who may complete it, what it will use the report to decide, and whether an older saved form is still current.
Current form check: OIR says the updated OIR-B1-1802 took effect April 1, 2026. It is valid for up to five years if the structure has no material change and the form has no inaccuracy.
Wind mitigation
This form records features that can reduce wind loss.
An authorized inspector completes Florida's Uniform Mitigation Verification Inspection Form, OIR-B1-1802. Send the signed form and photos to the insurer. Then ask which wind credit changed. The form supports a credit review. It is not a full condition report.
Four-point
This is an underwriting snapshot, not the wind form.
A four-point inspection looks at the roof, electrical, plumbing, and heating and air-conditioning systems. An insurer may ask for it on an older home. It is not a full home inspection. It does not replace a wind-mitigation inspection.
Insurer check
The insurer may verify the inspection at its own expense.
Florida law lets the insurer check the mitigation facts. Keep the form, photos, inspector license, and any later reinspection together. That shows which record the insurer used.
Work records
Permits and invoices support the story; they do not settle the credit by themselves.
Keep permits, final inspections, product approvals, contracts, invoices, and photographs for roof or opening work. Ask the insurer what updated form or proof it needs after the work is complete.
Compare line by line
Put the premium on the last line.
A quote that cannot answer the first five lines is not ready to win on price.
- 1
Company and market lane. Legal insurer name; Florida-authorized, eligible surplus lines, or Citizens; verified agent; and any guaranty-association boundary.
- 2
Coverage and settlement. Dwelling and other limits, replacement cost or actual cash value, roof settlement, ordinance or law, exclusions, and endorsements.
- 3
Storm cost. Hurricane deductible in dollars, every other deductible, flood premium, and any inspection or repair cost the insurer asks for.
- 4
House facts. Same address, occupancy, construction, square footage, roof facts, updates, claims, and prior coverage on every application.
- 5
What is still conditional. Inspection, photographs, underwriting approval, mortgage requirements, Citizens eligibility, flood proof, or a repair deadline.
- 6
Final premium and dates. The number after underwriting, the policy effective and expiration dates, payment plan, and the deadline to accept or replace it.
For a Florida-authorized personal residential policy, the hurricane deductible generally follows covered hurricane losses through the calendar year with the same insurer or insurer group. Save the first claim's deductible record. A surplus-lines policy can use different terms, so read that policy on its own.
Florida market paths
The company lane can change the backup behind the policy.
These paths are not interchangeable. Name the lane before comparing coverage, price, flood requirements, or a mitigation program.
Authorized market
Check the company, then check the policy.
A Florida-authorized insurer is an admitted company in the state. Company status does not tell you what one policy covers. Verify the legal name first, then read the form.
Surplus lines
Eligible does not mean Florida-authorized.
An eligible surplus-lines insurer may cover a risk that the authorized market will not. It is still nonadmitted. Florida's insurance guaranty protection does not cover an insolvent surplus-lines insurer. Ask the agent to name this lane before you compare the price.
Citizens
Citizens is an eligibility path, not an automatic quote choice.
Citizens says it may write a new policy in two cases. One is when no Florida-authorized company offers coverage. The other is when comparable authorized coverage costs more than 20 percent above Citizens. Only a Citizens-appointed agent can place the policy.
Citizens flood
In 2026, the flood phase-in has reached the $400,000 line.
Most new and renewing Citizens home policies with wind also need flood coverage. Outside a special flood hazard area, the 2026 threshold is $400,000 or more in Coverage A. Homes inside such an area already have a rule. On January 1, 2027, the outside-zone threshold reaches all Coverage A values. Condominium unit-owner policies, tenant contents policies, and policies without wind coverage are exceptions.
My Safe Florida Home
An inspection report is not a grant award.
On July 22, 2026, the program site said free wind inspections and grants up to $10,000 were available. The steps happen in order. An account and survey come before the inspection. The report and grant check come later. Check current status before work starts or you count on repayment.
Rate context
CHOICES is a market clue, not a quote for your house.
OIR's CHOICES tool offers comparative rate information by county. Use it to understand the market, then get quotes that use the same house facts, coverage, deductibles, and effective date.
Who answers what
Send the question to the person who can actually settle it.
Policy options, application questions, or quote differences
Licensed agent or agency. Ask for the legal insurer name and keep the explanation in writing.
Final premium, eligibility, inspection demand, or renewal condition
The insurer's underwriting department. A quote or agent estimate does not replace its final decision.
What the wind or four-point report observed
The authorized inspector who signed that report. Ask for corrections before sending an inaccurate form onward.
Whether work was permitted and passed final inspection
Local building department and the licensed contractor. Neither one can promise an insurance credit.
Company status, agent license, or a consumer complaint
Florida OIR for regulated company information and Florida DFS for license and consumer-help paths.
Home insurance FAQ
Short answers to the Florida insurance questions that get crossed
Is a four-point inspection the same as a wind-mitigation inspection?
No. A four-point report is an insurance snapshot of the roof, electrical, plumbing, and heating and air-conditioning systems. The wind-mitigation form records construction features used for a wind-credit review. Neither is a full home inspection.
Which Florida wind-mitigation form is current?
OIR says the updated Uniform Mitigation Verification Inspection Form, OIR-B1-1802, took effect April 1, 2026. An authorized inspector completes it. Use OIR's current form page rather than an old saved blank.
How long is a Florida wind-mitigation form valid?
OIR says OIR-B1-1802 is valid for up to five years if no material structural change is made and no inaccuracy is found. An insurer may independently verify the information.
Does a wind-mitigation inspection make the total premium lower?
Not by itself. Florida has wind credits for features that qualify. The inspection does not freeze the rest of the rate. It does not mean the total policy premium will fall. Ask which credit changed, then compare the final price.
Does the Florida hurricane deductible apply once per storm?
For Florida-authorized home policies, the hurricane deductible generally works by calendar year. This applies to covered hurricane losses with the same insurer or insurer group. Keep each claim and deductible record together. Surplus-lines terms can differ, so read that policy on its own.
Does homeowners insurance cover hurricane flooding?
Do not assume it does. Florida law requires a warning that a homeowners policy does not include flood damage even when hurricane wind or rain caused the flooding. Check flood coverage separately.
Can anyone buy a Citizens policy?
No. Citizens has eligibility rules. Its current page gives two main paths. No Florida-authorized company offers coverage, or comparable authorized coverage costs more than 20 percent above Citizens.
Does a My Safe Florida Home inspection mean the grant is approved?
No. The program's current sequence puts the inspection and report before the grant application. The report may show potential eligibility, but it is not a grant award or permission to assume work will be reimbursed.
Next steps
Keep insurance beside the rest of the house file
The useful next page depends on whether the open question is water, a purchase, work on the house, or a claim already underway.
Water file
Flood insurance
Separate the FEMA map, local floodplain record, lender rule, flood policy, and evacuation zone.
Open ->Buying
Buying a Florida home
Keep insurance beside inspection, title, flood, association, permit, and closing records.
Open ->House work
Repairing or remodeling
Check contractor, permit, product, payment, and final-inspection records before work starts.
Open ->Claim trouble
Insurance claim problems
Route a delay, denial, estimate dispute, flood split, mediation question, or failed-insurer file.
Open ->Sources and review
Official sources behind this guide
Statewide sources define the market and inspection lanes. The answer for one home still comes from its accurate application, completed underwriting, policy forms, endorsements, declarations, inspection records, and separate flood file.
Last reviewed: July 22, 2026
- Florida OIR wind-mitigation resources for the current OIR-B1-1802 form, inspector boundary, credit notice, and five-year condition.
- Florida DFS homeowners insurance overview for four-point, wind-mitigation, specialized inspection, and underwriting distinctions.
- Florida DFS purchasing insurance guidance for agent checks, accurate applications, quote limits, and underwriting factors.
- Florida DFS hurricane-deductible guidance for hurricane timing, declarations, and calendar-year handling.
- Florida Statutes 627.701 - residential property deductibles for percentage offers, dollar disclosure, and calendar-year hurricane handling.
- Florida OIR surplus-lines search and explanation for eligible nonadmitted insurers and the guaranty-fund boundary.
- Citizens eligibility requirements for private-market availability, the 20-percent comparison, and appointed agents.
- Citizens flood requirements for special flood hazard areas, the 2026 threshold, the 2027 phase, exceptions, and proof.
- My Safe Florida Home for current program status and the inspection-before-grant sequence.
Use this carefully: Policy terms, underwriting decisions, Citizens eligibility, flood requirements, and program status can change. Match the exact home, insurer, policy type, and effective date before relying on an answer.
Page feedback
Send a correction or source update.
Send a quick note if a Florida source, county office, local detail, or link needs a closer look.
Page feedback
Share an update
The page you are on will be included automatically.