Landlord insurance in Florida
Landlord insurance in Florida protects rental property owners from property damage, liability exposure, and loss of rent. Coverage and pricing often reflect coastal exposure and regional storm risk. Get a quote designed for your rental property in minutes.
Best-reviewed coverage for Florida's 2.6 million rental properties
What to know about rental properties in Florida
Florida is one of the biggest and most competitive rental markets in the country. The state's population has been growing for decades, and demand for rental housing is strong across the entire state, from Miami and Fort Lauderdale in the south to Tampa, Orlando, and Jacksonville in the central and northern regions.
Vacation rentals along the coast add another layer of rental activity, particularly in markets like Naples, Destin, and the Keys.
With over 22 million residents and an annual population growth rate consistently outpacing the national average, Florida's rental demand shows no signs of slowing. The state adds approximately 1,000 new residents daily, many of whom enter the rental market before purchasing homes. Short-term vacation rentals generate over $8 billion in annual revenue statewide, creating additional opportunities for property investors. Florida is also one of the most landlord-friendly states in the country.
The flip side is risk. Florida is the most hurricane-exposed state in the nation, and the insurance market here reflects that reality. Beyond hurricanes, the state faces regular tropical storms, severe thunderstorms, and a legal environment that generates a high volume of insurance claims and litigation. Several major carriers have reduced their presence in the state in recent years.
None of that changes the fact that insurance is essential for Florida landlords. The question isn't whether you need coverage; it's how to get the right coverage at a manageable price.
How landlord insurance works in Florida
Landlord insurance in Florida covers your rental property against structural damage, liability claims, and lost rental income. A homeowners policy won't cover these risks for a property you're renting to tenants, so a dedicated landlord policy is necessary.
What makes Florida's insurance landscape different is the hurricane dimension. Most Florida landlord policies include separate, higher deductibles for named storms — typically 2% to 5% of the dwelling coverage amount. So if your property is insured for $300,000, your hurricane deductible could be $6,000 to $15,000, even if your standard deductible for non-hurricane claims is much lower.
Florida's regulatory environment adds complexity through its unique statutory requirements, including specific notice provisions for policy changes and mandatory coverage extensions that differ from standard property policies in other states.
Dwelling coverage handles damage from covered events including fire, wind, and lightning. Liability coverage protects against injury claims. Loss of rent coverage replaces income during uninhabitable periods. For many Florida landlords, especially those with coastal properties, supplemental wind coverage and working with carriers that have strong hurricane claims-handling experience are important factors when choosing a policy.
Should you invest in rental property in Florida?
Wondering whether buying a rental in the Sunshine State actually pencils out? The price-to-rent ratio below divides a home's price by a year of rent, a fast read on buying versus renting: under about 15 favors buying, over 20 favors renting, and the national average sits near 23. We rank all 50 states from #1 (best value for buyers) to #50 (worst), and Florida ranks near the top.
Single-family homes in Florida
Average rent
Price-to-rent ratio
Condos in Florida
Average rent
Price-to-rent ratio
DP-1 vs DP-3 comparison for Florida
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Do you need landlord insurance in Florida?
Florida's natural disaster exposure makes this one of the clearest cases for coverage in the country. A single hurricane can cause hundreds of thousands of dollars in damage. Even a routine summer thunderstorm can produce enough wind and lightning damage to generate a significant repair bill. And liability claims from tenant injuries are common in a state where outdoor living, pool access, and aging building infrastructure create frequent exposure points.
Statistically, Florida experiences more lightning strikes per square mile than any other state, recording over 1.2 million cloud-to-ground strikes annually, while the state averages 2.3 named storm impacts per year based on historical data spanning the past three decades. Property age presents additional challenges, as approximately 40% of Florida's rental housing stock was constructed before modern building codes took effect.
In short, renting out a home in Florida without acquiring landlord insurance is extremely risky. A single storm could cause damage worth 10 times what yearly insurance premiums would cost.
Average cost of landlord insurance in Florida
Florida landlord insurance has a median premium of around $2,404 per year, one of the highest in the country. Hurricane exposure, flooding risk, litigation environment, and significant insurer market disruption have all contributed to a pricing environment that can be volatile and hard to predict year over year.
Not all carriers actively write Florida, and the ones that do price things quite differently, so individual quotes can vary enormously based on location, construction type, roof age, and proximity to water.
It's worth double-tapping on the fact that the exact location of your property will matter quite a bit in determining your premium; Florida's diverse geography means significant variation from coastal areas with hurricane exposure to inland regions with different risk profiles. Coastal properties in Miami-Dade, Broward, and the Keys tend to have the highest premiums, while inland properties in cities like Gainesville, Tallahassee, and Ocala are generally more affordable.
To get a quote on your rental property, all you need to do is enter your address and some other quick details below. Quotes are completely free and will be sent to your email within minutes.
Florida's hard insurance market and Citizens Property Insurance
Florida's private property insurance market has tightened significantly since 2020. Six admitted carriers left the state between 2022 and 2024, several others reduced new-policy writing in coastal counties, and rates have climbed across the board. Landlords with older roofs, coastal exposure, or recent claims often have fewer options than they did three years ago.
Citizens Property Insurance Corporation is the state-created insurer of last resort. Under Florida law, you can only get a Citizens policy if no admitted private carrier will quote you. That functions as a safety net, but it comes with strings attached that landlords should understand before relying on it.
Citizens policies carry mandatory surcharges tied to the property's risk profile. If the insurer runs short of funds after a major hurricane, every Florida policyholder pays an assessment to make the state-backed program whole, not just Citizens customers. Coverage itself is more limited than private DP-3 policies, with stricter caps on roof claims, hail damage settlements, and ordinance-or-law coverage.
The practical move is to lock in a private policy before you need it. Roofs older than 15 years, recent claims, and coastal locations all narrow your options as time passes. Once a property is in Citizens, getting back to a private policy typically requires a roof replacement or a multi-year clean claims history.
Properties we look after
We make it easy to get landlord insurance for many types of properties
We also help AirBNBs, VRBOS, and other rental properties
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Coverages
We cover a wide range of risks, or you can choose a limited set of coverages for a lower premium
Riot & civil commotion
Steadily’s landlord insurance covers property damage from riots and civil commotion — broken windows, structural fires, looted common areas — so the repair costs don’t fall entirely on you. Documentation connecting the damage to the civil unrest is required.
Vandalism & burglary
Steadily covers malicious damage to your rental from vandalism and break-ins — broken doors and windows, defaced surfaces, damaged fixtures and appliances. A police report is typically required to file the claim.
Loss of rent
When a covered event makes the unit temporarily uninhabitable, Steadily’s loss of rent coverage replaces the income you’d lose while repairs are underway — whether the cause is a fire, a burst pipe, or storm damage.
Storm and hail
Steadily covers storm and hail damage to the structure of your property — roof punctures, broken windows, wind-torn siding, fallen debris — as well as damage from extreme wind and tornadoes.
Water
For sudden water damage events such as burst pipes, plumbing failures and appliance overflow, Steadily covers the structural repairs and lost rental income if the unit can’t be occupied while the work is done. Flood damage from rising water requires a separate policy.
Legal liability
Landlord liability insurance pays medical bills, legal defense, and settlements when a tenant or visitor is injured at your rental and holds you responsible. It's built into every Steadily landlord policy in all 50 states with $300,000 to $2 million per occurrence, typically adding $200 to $400 a year to the bundled premium.
Fire
Steadily covers structural fire damage, smoke damage, personal property you own at the unit, and lost rental income while repairs are underway. That includes fires started in the kitchen, by the wiring, by a tenant, or by a wildfire nearby.
FAQs
about landlord insurance in
Florida
Is landlord insurance required by Florida law?
Florida doesn't legally require landlords to hold insurance on rental properties. That said, Florida is one of the most expensive and complex states for landlord insurance due to its hurricane exposure, high litigation rates, and volatile insurance market. Virtually every lender requires robust coverage, and going uninsured in a state where a single storm can cause six-figure damage is an extraordinary financial risk.
Can a landlord in Florida require renters insurance?
Yes, and it's especially recommended here. Florida landlords can mandate renters insurance in the lease, and many do — particularly for properties near the coast or in flood-prone areas. Requiring at least $100,000 in liability coverage from tenants provides a layer of protection and reduces the chance that a tenant's negligence results in a claim against the landlord's own policy.
Does standard landlord insurance in Florida cover flood damage?
No. This is one of the most critical gaps in coverage for Florida landlords. Standard policies exclude flood damage entirely. You'll need a separate flood insurance policy, available through the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) or a private flood insurer. Given that much of Florida sits in moderate-to-high flood zones, this additional policy isn't optional for many landlords — it's essential. Coastal and beach rental properties should treat flood coverage as a baseline, not an afterthought.
What does landlord insurance cover if my Florida rental is damaged by a hurricane?
Wind damage from a hurricane is generally covered under a standard landlord policy, though you'll want to check whether your policy has a separate, percentage-based windstorm deductible — which is common in Florida. This means your out-of-pocket cost after a hurricane could be significantly higher than your standard deductible. Flood damage from storm surge, however, requires a separate flood policy. Loss of rental income coverage kicks in if the property is uninhabitable during repairs, helping you keep up with mortgage payments and expenses while the unit is offline.
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