Secondary home insurance covers your home away from home.

A standard Florida homeowners policy covers the dwelling structure, other structures (detached garages, fences), personal property, loss of use (temporary living expenses while your home is repaired), personal liability, and medical payments to others. It covers named perils including fire, windstorm, lightning, theft, and vandalism.

⚠️  Important

Flood damage is NOT covered under any standard homeowners policy in Florida. A separate flood insurance policy — through the NFIP or a private flood carrier — is required. Many Florida homeowners also discover too late that their policy excludes gradual leaks or damage from deferred maintenance.

An HO3 is homeowners insurance for single-family homes. An HO6 is homeowners insurance for condominium unit owners. Own a house — HO3. Own a condo unit — HO6.

HO3: Covers the entire dwelling structure, other structures, personal property, loss of use, liability, and medical payments. Written on an open-perils basis — all losses covered unless specifically excluded. The homeowner owns the structure and must insure it fully.

HO6: Covers only the unit interior (walls-in), personal property, loss of use, liability, and loss assessments from the association. The association’s master policy covers the building shell and common areas. Under Florida Statute §718.111(11), the master policy type — bare walls-in or all-in — determines what the HO6 must cover.

An HO6 policy covers the interior of your Florida condo unit (walls-in), personal property, personal liability, loss of use, and loss assessment charges from your association.

The most important first step: determine whether your association’s master policy is bare walls-in (you cover all interior finishes, fixtures, and appliances) or all-in (the association covers interior finishes). Bare walls-in requires significantly higher HO6 dwelling limits. Getting this wrong means you personally pay for flooring, cabinets, appliances, and finishes after a loss.

Standard Florida homeowners policies cover only catastrophic ground cover collapse — a narrow trigger requiring visible, sudden surface collapse. Most sinkhole damage is gradual and is NOT covered under a standard policy.

Under Florida Statute §627.706, admitted insurers must offer full sinkhole coverage as an endorsement. Full coverage pays for gradual subsidence damage — foundation cracking, wall separation, structural settlement — before any visible hole appears.

 💡 Highest-risk counties: Marion, Citrus, Hernando, Pasco, Hillsborough, and Alachua counties form Florida’s ‘Sinkhole Alley.’ Collier County has lower frequency but incidents do occur, particularly near construction dewatering.

A hurricane deductible is a separate, higher deductible expressed as a percentage of your dwelling coverage — commonly 2%, 5%, or 10% — that applies only to hurricane damage in Florida.

On a $400,000 home with a 2% deductible, you pay the first $8,000 out of pocket. At 5%, that’s $20,000. It triggers statewide when the National Hurricane Center declares a named hurricane — inland counties like Marion County are subject to it just as coastal Collier County is. Know your deductible before June 1.

If you are underinsured when a hurricane hits, your insurer pays up to your policy limit — and you are personally responsible for every dollar above that limit, out of pocket. There is no exception.

Example: your home costs $600,000 to rebuild, but your dwelling coverage is $400,000. You cover the $200,000 gap yourself — plus your full hurricane deductible on top. This affected thousands of Southwest Florida homeowners after Hurricane Ian (2022), many of whom had not updated limits to reflect the 40-60% post-2020 construction cost increase in the region.

Citizens is not universally better or worse than a private carrier — it depends entirely on your property and what private market alternatives exist. The right answer requires comparing both side by side.

Citizens advantages: State-backed and cannot become insolvent; often the only viable option for high-risk coastal properties; rate changes subject to legislative oversight.

Citizens disadvantages: Coverage forms are often more restrictive; limited endorsement options; all Florida policyholders share assessment risk after catastrophic events per Florida Statute §627.351. Under recent reforms, Citizens must charge actuarially sound rates, meaning it is no longer always the cheapest option.

Yes — a wind mitigation inspection is one of the most effective ways to lower homeowners insurance in Florida, often reducing the wind portion of the premium by 10-40%.

A licensed inspector evaluates construction features that reduce hurricane damage: roof shape, roof deck attachment, roof-to-wall connections, roof covering type, and opening protection (impact windows and doors). Results are documented on Florida’s standard Wind Mitigation Verification Form (OIR-B1-1802) and submitted to your carrier for discounts. Inspections typically cost $75-$150 and pay for themselves many times over in annual savings.

Insuring a seasonal or second home in Florida requires a policy specifically designed for the occupancy pattern — standard homeowners policies assume regular, year-round occupancy, and a property left vacant or unoccupied for extended periods can trigger coverage limitations or claims denials under a standard policy.

The key issue: most standard homeowners policies define ‘vacancy’ as 30-60 consecutive days unoccupied. If a covered loss occurs while the home exceeds that threshold, the carrier can deny the claim or significantly reduce the payout.

Seasonal or secondary home endorsement: Some admitted carriers offer endorsements that extend the vacancy provision and adjust coverage for known seasonal occupancy patterns.

Dwelling fire policy (DP-3): A standalone dwelling fire policy designed for non-owner-occupied or intermittently occupied properties. Provides strong structure and liability coverage without the occupancy conditions of a standard HO3.

Vacant/unoccupied home policy: For properties with longer vacancy periods or under renovation. Typically written through surplus lines carriers at higher premium but eliminates the occupancy-condition risk.

High net worth carrier programs: Carriers such as Chubb Masterpiece, AIG Private Client Group, and PURE are designed for clients with multiple properties across multiple states. Their programs typically have no vacancy provisions, include automatic coverage for newly acquired residences, and handle the Naples condo, Gulf-front home, and seasonal residence scenario as standard.

 🌊 Naples / Collier County — Why This Market Is Unique: Naples is one of the most concentrated seasonal residence markets in the United States. The majority of luxury Gulf-front and waterfront properties in Collier County are owned by out-of-state residents who are in residence four to six months and absent for the remainder of the year.  (1) Extended vacancy during hurricane season: Many owners are away during peak storm season (August-October). A home that suffers hurricane damage while unoccupied needs a policy with no vacancy exception for wind claims.  (2) Water damage discovery delay: A slow leak or AC condensation line backup in an unoccupied Naples condo can go undetected for weeks. Most standard carriers deny or limit gradual water damage claims.  (3) Flood and storm surge exposure: Naples-area seasonal homes are disproportionately located on or near the water. A flood policy must be in place year-round, not just during the season of residence.  Bird Insurance Services’ Naples office specializes in seasonal and second home programs for the Southwest Florida market.

An HO6 policy covers the interior of your Florida condo unit (walls-in), personal property, personal liability, loss of use, and loss assessment charges from your association.

The most important first step: determine whether your association’s master policy is bare walls-in (you cover all interior finishes, fixtures, and appliances) or all-in (the association covers interior finishes). Bare walls-in requires significantly higher HO6 dwelling limits. Getting this wrong means you personally pay for flooring, cabinets, appliances, and finishes after a loss.