Who has the cheapest homeowners insurance in Florida?

On average, Kin's rates are 15% cheaper on average than other Florida insurance companies.

Is it mandatory to have homeowners insurance in Florida?

If you have a mortgage or a federally-backed mortgage in Florida, yes, you're usually required to have homeowners insurance. If you live in certain flood zones, you may be required to have flood insurance, too.

Why is Florida home insurance so high?

Florida has higher insurance rates than other parts of the country because it is exposed to more catastrophic risks, such as hurricanes, floods, and sinkholes.

Is hurricane insurance mandatory in Florida?

While all Florida insurance companies are required to offer hurricane insurance, homeowners can choose not to have this coverage, depending on the terms of their mortgage. However, it's not advisable.

Is it hard to get homeowners insurance in Florida?

Historically, yes, the combination of high prices and few carriers made finding home insurance in Florida difficult. But new insurance companies like Kin exist to make getting insured easy.

Do you need homeowners insurance in Florida?

Yes, if you have a mortgage, your lender will typically require you to have homeowners insurance in Florida. If your home is in a Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA) like most Florida homes, your lender will usually require you to have flood insurance, too.

Florida Homeowners Insurance

Q: What is the average cost of homeowners insurance in Florida?

The NAIC found Florida home insurance averages $1,951 a year in 2019, but prices have gone up. Prices vary from company to company, but for a $300k new build, the average cost is $2,433 a year in Florida.

While other insurance companies withdraw from Florida because of the high cost of hurricanes, Kin is proud to offer quality, affordable coverage to homeowners who need it most.

So what is the average cost of homeowners insurance in Florida? According to our data, Florida homeowners insurance is about $1,091 a year on average (though cost varies depending on your home’s characteristics, where you live, and other factors).

The best Florida homeowners insurance covers your home, other structures, and belongings for major risks, such as hurricane, sinkhole, and flood damage. If you want to experience peace of mind firsthand, get a quote today.

The average homeowner who switches to Kin saves $500 a year.

Creating the Best Homeowners Insurance in Florida

We are a fully licensed Florida home insurance carrier with a financial stability rating of “A – Exceptional” from Demotech, Inc. That means we have the financial strength to pay claims, even after a widespread catastrophe.

Our HO-3 Florida home insurance policies offer:

Replacement cost coverage for your dwelling, other structures, and your belongings.
Loss of use coverage to pay for additional living expenses if a covered claim makes your home uninhabitable during repairs.
Personal liability coverage to help pay your legal bills if you’re held responsible for another person’s bodily injuries or property damage.
Medical payments coverage to help pay for someone’s immediate medical bills if they are injured on your property.

Your policy covers your home for all damage except the perils explicitly excluded in the policy. That means you’re covered for hurricane damage, catastrophic ground cover collapse, and more.

Flood insurance and sinkhole insurance are both available as endorsements, but they are not part of your standard home insurance policy. To add them to your Kin policy, just select the endorsements in our online application or ask your representative to include them.

How Kin Compares

The chart below illustrates the average premium for all Florida counties based on build and home value scenarios for several Florida home insurance companies. Take a look at how Kin stacks up.

Home Value & Construction	Kin Average Premium	Security First Average Premium	Universal Property & Casualty Insurance Average Premium	Tower Hill Average Premium	State Farm Average Premium
$300k Value, New Construction	$1,354	$2,367	$2,061	$2,303	$4,241
$150k Value, Built Prior to 2001 with Wind Mitigation	$924	$1,427	$1,065	$1,304	$2,478
$150k Value, Built Prior to 2001 with No Wind Mitigation	$1,133	$2,156	$2,477	$2,316	$3,387

“I plan on using Kin from now on. These guys really bend over backward to make something work for you and really give the best prices around.” – Stan V.

How Much Is Homeowners Insurance in Florida?

Florida homeowners insurance costs vary depending on where you live, the age of your home, your home’s characteristics, and other factors. That said, the average cost of Florida home insurance is $1,354 a year, according to our data. Kin's rates tend to be 15 percent cheaper on average than other Florida insurance companies.

For an idea of how costs vary based on location, check out our guides below:

Florida City	Average Yearly Premium
Clearwater	$1,206
Daytona Beach	$876
Destin	$1,128
Gainesville	$886
Fort Lauderdale	$2,075
Fort Myers	$1,027
Jacksonville	$848
Miami	$2,771
Naples	$1,076
Orlando	$1,031
Pensacola	$1,222
Sarasota	$827
St. Petersburg	$1,206
Tampa	$1,478
Tallahassee	$974

Keep in mind that the value of your home and its age can impact your rates, too. To give you an idea, check out the chart below for an illustration of the average Kin policy cost depending on the home's value and construction. Again, where your home is located will also impact your premium.

Home Value & Construction	Average Premium
$300k Value, New Construction	$1,354
$150 Value, New Construction	$657
$150k Value, Built Prior to 2001 with Wind Mitigation	$924
$150k Value, Built Prior to 2001 with No Wind Mitigation	$1,133

While you can’t control some factors that impact price, like the location of your home or its age, you do have some options to reduce insurance costs.

How to Save Money on Your Florida Home Insurance

Kin offers the following home insurance discounts:

Home security discounts (think security and fire alarms)
Wind mitigation discounts (the more wind-proof your home, the better)
Secured community discounts (if your community entrance has a guard, you’re in luck!)
Water detection discounts (because no one wants a flooded basement)
Accredited builder discount (if your home was recently built and is backed by a builder's warranty)
Responsible Repair Discount (because you should be rewarded for not handing over your claims benefits)
Claims-free discount (good job on keeping your home safe!)
Electronic policy (save some paper and save some green)

And here are some ways to save even more money on homeowners insurance:

Choose a higher deductible. This will lower your premium, but you will pay more out of pocket when you need to make a claim. Never take on a deductible you can’t comfortably afford.
Improve your credit score. This has a big impact on your rates. Simply paying your bills on time and not carrying a large balance on your credit cards can boost your score quickly.
Shore up your home’s wind defenses. Florida requires home insurance companies to offer insurance discounts for homes that are hurricane resistant. Reinforcing your roof and installing impact-resistant windows can significantly reduce your insurance bill.

Is Homeowners Insurance Required in Florida?

Do you need really homeowners insurance in Florida? Yes. Though homeowners insurance isn’t required at the state level, nearly all mortgage providers require it. What’s more, if your home is in a Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA) like most Florida homes, your lender will usually require you to have flood insurance, too.

Is Hurricane Insurance Included?

Your Kin policy covers hurricane wind damage and includes a hurricane deductible. This applies once per calendar year when you make a claim for losses caused by hurricane winds.

Hurricane deductibles are usually available as the following percentages of your policy's dwelling insurance:

1 percent
2 percent (this is Kin’s default option)
5 percent
10 percent

So if you have $300,000 in dwelling coverage and a 2 percent hurricane deductible, you’d be responsible for $6,000 toward a hurricane-wind loss.

As for flood damage that typically accompanies hurricanes, your standard home insurance can't cover that loss. Only flood insurance can do that. Kin can help homeowners in Florida find affordable flood insurance to protect their homes.

When Hurricane Deductibles Apply in Florida

These deductibles apply when you experience property losses from hurricane winds. That means the loss must have occurred during a hurricane in the following timeframes:

Starting when a hurricane watch or hurricane warning is issued for any portion of Florida by the National Hurricane Center.
Remaining in effect for as long as hurricane conditions persist.
Ending 72 hours after the end of the hurricane watch or warning.

In 2018, 2.8 million Florida homes were at risk for storm surge damage from Category 5 hurricanes.
Insurance Information Institute

Does Florida Homeowners Insurance Cover Sinkholes?

Yes, to some degree – and that’s a good thing considering 6,500 Floridians file sinkhole-related insurance claims each year.

Florida law requires insurers to provide catastrophic ground cover collapse coverage, which can cover extreme sinkhole losses. For this coverage to kick in, all the following conditions must be met:

There's an “abrupt” collapse of ground cover
The depression in the ground cover is clearly visible
The home and its foundation sustain structural damage
A government entity condemns the structure and orders it to be vacated

Sinkhole insurance is a separate type of coverage not automatically included in a homeowners insurance policy. It offers more robust protection that applies to a variety of sinkhole losses.

Top Risks for Florida Homeowners

The risks your home faces depend on your location and your home's characteristics. However, in Florida, the biggest risks most properties face are the following.

Top Perils for Florida Properties
Risk	Reason
Wind Damage	In Florida, these claims average $5,300 or more, depending on where you live and the severity of the storm.
Floods	The NFIP paid out more than $17 million in flood claims in 2016 for Florida alone.
Sinkholes	The cost of a sinkhole claim can exceed $100,000, depending on the severity.

Making Florida Stronger 100 Trees at a Time

We’re proud to partner with One Tree Planted to plant 100 trees in Florida for every friend or family member you send our way. Once they get a policy, we’ll plant 100 local tree species to:

Restore forests after natural disasters. New trees make Florida’s forests more resilient and help reduce the impact of hurricanes, wildfires, and flooding.
Support local ecosystems. Young, healthy trees filter pollutants from wetlands and provide shelter for wildlife.
Protect endangered wildlife. Restoring natural habitats ensures the survival of endangered species, like the Florida panther, manatees, sea turtles, and more.

Tell your friends, and let’s work together to help Florida’s 37 state forests thrive.

Florida Homeowners Insurance