Home Insurance in Florida
Out of the 12 homeowners insurance companies to make our Best Homeowners Insurance Companies of 2026 list, eight of the providers are available in Florida. Erie Insurance, Lemonade, American Family, and Progressive don’t offer coverage in the Sunshine State.
A standard policy with any of the other eight companies offers similar coverage to repair or rebuild your home following damage from fire, theft, vandalism, or a storm. All also include medical and liability coverage for visitors to your home, and funds for food and lodging if you have to relocate while repairs are made.
Prices for homeowners insurance range from $1,370.86 annually with Nationwide to $2,420.66 with State Farm. The average policy among all insurers costs $1,775.54 per year. The sample rates used for our comparison are based on a policy with $300,000 in home coverage and $100,000 in liability.
What Homeowners Insurance Coverages Are Available in Florida?
A typical Florida homeowners insurance policy provides coverage to repair or replace your home and its contents following damage from a fire, theft, vandalism, or a weather event, such as wind, hail, lightning, or rain. In addition to the structure itself, a standard policy also covers heating and cooling systems, major appliances, furnishings, clothing, and other personal possessions.
A standard policy will also help pay for food and lodging if you need to relocate while your home is being repaired. If someone is injured on your property, your policy includes coverage to help pay for guest medical expenses and legal expenses that you may incur.
Most policies will also cover an outbuilding like a detached garage or shed, along with a fence, an outdoor fireplace, or another permanent structure. A swimming pool, trampoline, or other types of recreational equipment may also be included in a standard policy but might require additional liability coverage due to the increased risk.
Depending on the insurance company, additional coverages are either covered with or can be added to a standard policy, including identity theft coverage, additional liability protection, or added property coverage for valuables and artwork.
What Homeowners Insurance Discounts Are Available in Florida?
There are many discounts available on Florida homeowners insurance. Some are widely available, while others are unique to certain companies.
All insurance companies in our review offer a multi-policy discount to customers who purchase more than one policy, such as those who combine homeowners and life insurance under one insurer. Sometimes called bundling, buying multiple policies from one insurance company can save you 10% or more per year.
You may also be eligible for a discount if your home is equipped with a monitoring system or security devices, such as smoke detectors, motion detectors, or a home security system. All of the companies that made our Best Home Insurance Companies list offer discounts to homeowners that install security devices in their homes.
All insurance providers in our Best Homeowners Insurance rating also offer discounted rates for new or freshly remodeled homes, except for State Farm and USAA. USAA offers competitive rates, but only writes policies for members of the military, veterans, and their families. Other discounts include The Hartford’s discount for retirees.
Some companies such as Farmers and Liberty Mutual incentivize electronic document delivery with lower rates, and opting for autopay can save you even more with Liberty Mutual.
Allstate and Liberty Mutual offer a discount for signing up with them before your current policy with another company lapses. Whereas simply staying with some insurers, will earn you a loyalty discount over time.
The number and variety of discounts vary by company but can add up to substantial savings. Compare your options carefully and take advantage of discounts that apply to you.
What Additional Homeowners Insurance Coverages Are Available in Florida?
With the ever-present threat of hurricanes and severe storms in Florida, it’s important to have coverage for hazardous weather events. Damage from hurricane-force winds is typically included with a standard homeowners insurance policy in Florida. However, related flood damage is not covered. For this reason, optional flood insurance is a must for Florida residents. All of the homeowners insurance companies in our rating offer add-on flood insurance as an option.
Another option worth considering is water backup coverage, which protects against flooding due to a broken sump pump or a sewer backup. While some water damage is covered under a standard home policy, water backup is not generally covered by a standard policy or with add-on flood insurance.
Most companies include coverage for a detached garage, shed, fence, swimming pool, or other permanent structure on the property as part of a standard homeowners policy.
If you’re one of the many Florida homeowners with a pool on your property, you might want to consider additional liability coverage due to the increased risk. All the insurers in our rating offer this.
Identity theft protection can help pay bills, legal fees, and other costs associated with a data breach or fraudulent use of your credit cards. USAA includes identity theft coverage with a standard policy, while all others offer it as an option.
Expensive jewelry, artwork, or other collectibles in your home may exceed the personal property limits of a standard policy, making extra coverage for valuables a good idea. This coverage is included with a standard policy only from Farmers.
What Unique Features Are Offered by Homeowners Insurance Companies in Florida?
Homeowners insurance usually doesn’t differ widely from company to company, especially in the same geographical area, but some home insurance companies’ policies have unique offerings that may fit your particular needs better than others.
Two of the insurance companies in this review, Farmers Insurance and The Hartford, include discounts for every year that you don’t file a claim. Farmers does so by including claim forgiveness in its standard policy, which means that you won’t incur a rate increase if you haven’t made a claim in the past five years. The Hartford offers a discount of $50 per year on your deductible for every year you go claim-free through their Advantage Plus package.
Allstate’s free digital locker is offered with its online app. This will walk you through the process of cataloging your possessions, and you can even take videos of the rooms in your home. You can also assign a value to each item. This home inventory is then stored in the cloud, so in the event that your home is destroyed, you have a record of exactly what was in it and the total value.
Most standard insurance policies will replace your home and belongings at actual cash value. That means either the replacement cost less depreciation or the current “fair market value.” The other option is replacement value, which means that the insurer will pay the full cost to replace or repair your belongings or home, up to your policy limit. This option is usually more expensive, but USAA includes replacement cost coverage in its standard homeowners insurance policies.
Those examples are merely a snapshot of how these companies might differ. What’s important is to determine exactly what you think you might need based on your circumstances. In Florida, that might include extra insurance for pools and hurricane-prone areas. If you have a lot of valuable items, you might want to consider adding protection for those items, an option with all of the companies in this review. Insurance company websites are a great place to start but don’t be shy about contacting an agent and asking specific questions if you’re unsure about what your needs are and what’s included in any given policy.
What Special Homeowners Insurance Coverage Is Needed in Florida?
There are no state government requirements for homeowners insurance in Florida, but, because of the propensity for homes to be affected by hurricanes, there are a few things Florida residents should be aware of. For one, although hurricane damage is covered by your standard policy, you might have a separate deductible for that particular type of damage. These deductibles are set by law and tend to be higher than your regular deductible. In Florida, the deductible is calculated as a percentage of your home’s value and is available at $500, 2%, 5%, and 10% (they do not have to offer the $500 option if your home is worth more than $250,000). This means, instead of, say, paying the $1,000 deductible that’s part of your standard policy, a homeowner with a house worth $300,000 and a 5% hurricane deductible would have to pay $15,000 out of pocket. These deductibles apply only when a storm has been designated as a hurricane by the National Weather Service.
Floridians may also be required to purchase flood insurance before they can get financing, depending upon your location. One great resource to find out if that affects an area where you’re looking to buy is floodsmart.gov, a website maintained by the Federal Emergency Management Association and the National Flood Insurance Program. There you will find information about flood insurance and resources such as a map of flood zones and risks. Talking directly to an insurance agent is also a good way to assess what your risk is and how it can affect your premiums.
What Is the Cheapest Homeowners Insurance in Florida?
The following is a comparison of the average homeowners insurance premiums in Florida for $100,000 in liability coverage.
The following is a comparison of the average homeowners insurance premiums in Florida for $300,000 in liability coverage.
Choosing the Right Homeowners Insurance in Florida
What Is Homeowners Insurance?
A standard Florida homeowners insurance policy covers your home in the event of damage from fire, theft, vandalism, or a storm. A typical standard policy will also help pay for lodging and meals if you need to relocate while repairs are made. Standard policies also provide medical and liability protection if a guest is injured while visiting your home.
Most homeowners insurance policies can be customized to meet your needs and preferences. You might want to consider getting more liability coverage if you have a pool, trampoline, or any other item on your property that might raise the risk of injuries. It may also be a good idea to purchase increased coverage if you own any valuables, such as artwork or collectibles.
While homeowners insurance isn’t mandatory by law, lenders normally require it to protect their investment. Even if you pay cash for your home or own it outright, homeowners insurance can spare you the considerable cost of rebuilding expenses due to unforeseen events.
What Are the Types of Homeowners Insurance?
There are two primary types of homeowners insurance policies. An actual cash value policy will pay for repairs up to the preset limits of your policy, and no more. If that limit is $300,000 and repairs cost $400,000, you’re responsible for the difference.
A replacement cost policy will pay the actual cost of rebuilding your home, regardless of increases in inflation, zoning updates, labor, materials, or other expenses. Replacement cost coverage is generally more expensive than an actual cash value policy, but it may be the better bet, especially if you plan to be in your home for a long time since Inflation will inevitably make rebuilding more expensive over the years. Rebuilding costs can also go up if contractors and materials are in short supply, such as in the wake of a hurricane or other weather event that creates an immediate need.