Dropped by your Florida home insurer? Here is what to do next

If your homeowners insurance was cancelled, non-renewed, or your renewal quote arrived with a number that made no sense, you are not an unlucky exception. Hundreds of thousands of Florida homeowners have been through the same thing over the past five years.

The good news is that the market has changed considerably, and being dropped in 2026 is a very different situation from being dropped in 2023.

Why carriers drop Florida homes

Non-renewals almost always come down to one of four things.

Your roof

This is the big one. Most Florida carriers now want a roof under 15 years old for shingle, sometimes 20 for tile or metal. Some will not write anything over 10. A roof in perfectly good condition can still be uninsurable on age alone, which feels absurd but is how underwriting works here.

Claims history

Two claims in five years makes you difficult to place. Even claims you did not choose — a burst pipe, a neighbour’s tree — count against you. Water damage claims are scrutinised particularly hard.

The carrier reducing exposure

Sometimes it has nothing to do with you. A carrier decides it has too much concentration in your county and sheds policies to rebalance its book. Your home could be immaculate and you would still get the letter.

Property age and condition

Older electrical systems, polybutylene plumbing, aluminium wiring, and homes built before 1980 all attract scrutiny. Some of these are fixable, and fixing them genuinely reopens the market to you.

What has changed in your favour

Roughly 20 new carriers have entered Florida since 2022. Citizens moved around 546,000 policies back into the private market during 2025 alone, which means private carriers are actively looking for business again.

That matters because the market you were rejected by in 2023 is not the market that exists now. Carriers that would not look at you then may write you today.

What to actually do

1. Get a wind mitigation inspection

Florida Statute 627.0629 requires insurers to give premium credits for wind-resistant features — roof shape, roof-to-wall attachments, roof deck nailing and opening protection. A current inspection often unlocks discounts worth hundreds a year, and it sometimes makes the difference between being declined and being written.

If your last inspection is more than five years old, get a new one. If you have never had one, this is the single highest-value thing on this list.

2. Get a four-point inspection if your home is older

Roof, electrical, plumbing and HVAC. Carriers usually require it on homes over 30 years old. Knowing what it says before an underwriter does means you can fix problems rather than be surprised by them.

3. Work with an independent agent, not a single carrier

A captive agent can only offer you what their one company will write. An independent agent shops across 15 or 20 carriers, and knows which ones currently have appetite for homes like yours. That knowledge changes month to month, and it is not something you can easily research yourself.

4. Treat Citizens as a fallback, not a destination

Citizens exists as the insurer of last resort, and it is a perfectly reasonable place to land while you sort something better out. But depopulation means private carriers may offer to take you out, and those offers are often worth considering.

What not to do

• Do not go uninsured. If you have a mortgage, your lender will force-place a policy that costs far more and covers far less.
• Do not accept the first quote out of relief. Being approved feels good enough that people stop shopping. The second and third quotes are often materially cheaper.
• Do not lower your coverage to hit a price. A cheaper premium with a 5% hurricane deductible on a $400,000 home means $20,000 out of your pocket before anything pays.