When should I review my insurance for hurricane season?

Before June 1, when the Atlantic season starts. Many insurers pause new policies and coverage changes once a storm threatens, and flood insurance usually has a 30-day wait.

How long do I have to report hurricane damage in Florida?

Florida law gives you 1 year from the date of loss to report a new or reopened claim, and 18 months for a supplemental claim (Fla. Stat. 627.70132). Report as soon as you safely can.

Does my home insurance cover flooding from a hurricane?

Usually not. Storm surge and rising water need a separate flood policy, and an NFIP policy generally takes 30 days to start.

Can I sign my claim over to a contractor?

Not on Florida policies issued on or after January 1, 2023. Assignment of post-loss benefits is no longer allowed (Fla. Stat. 627.7152).

Your hurricane-season insurance checklist — From Elona’s desk

The insurance part of hurricane prep has to happen before a storm is on the map. Once one threatens, many insurers stop writing new policies and changes for the area, and flood insurance usually takes 30 days to start. So the best time to do this list is spring.

Print it, or just work through it with your declarations page in front of you.

Before the season (by June 1)

Know your hurricane deductible in dollars. Florida requires it to be shown as a dollar amount on your declarations page. Look at it and ask yourself honestly whether you could pay it after a storm. (How hurricane deductibles work.)

Check your dwelling limit. Is it still enough to rebuild your home at today’s costs? Building costs move, and a limit set years ago may not have kept up.

Decide about flood. Your home policy usually doesn’t cover storm surge or rising water. A flood policy through the National Flood Insurance Program generally has a 30-day wait before it starts, with few exceptions, so buying it once a storm is coming is usually too late. (The 30-day flood waiting period.)

Update your wind mitigation form. If you’ve added shutters, impact windows or a new roof since your last inspection, a new wind mitigation inspection can get those features credited before renewal.

Make a home inventory. Walk through every room with your phone and record a video, opening closets and drawers. Save it somewhere that isn’t your house: cloud storage or an email to yourself.

Gather your documents. Your declarations pages (home, flood, auto), your insurers’ claim phone numbers and your agent’s number, all saved digitally and on paper.

Don’t forget the car and the boat. Comprehensive coverage is the part of an auto policy that usually covers storm and flood damage to your car. If you own a boat, check what your policy says about a hurricane plan.

When a storm is coming

Don’t expect to change coverage. Once a storm threatens, many insurers pause new policies, higher limits and lower deductibles until it passes.

Photograph the outside of your home. Roof, windows, doors, fences, the yard. Before-photos make the after-claim much clearer.

Protect what you can. Shutters up, loose things inside, cars somewhere safer if you can.

Keep your documents with you if you evacuate.

After it passes

Stay safe first. Then report damage to your insurer as soon as you reasonably can. Florida law gives you 1 year from the date of loss to report a new or reopened hurricane claim, and 18 months for a supplemental claim (Fla. Stat. 627.70132), but waiting only makes things harder.

Prevent more damage. Tarp the roof, board broken windows, dry what you can. Keep every receipt; reasonable emergency repairs are usually part of the claim.

Photograph everything before you clean up. Don’t throw out damaged items until the adjuster has seen them or you’ve documented them.

Be careful what you sign. Florida policies issued since January 1, 2023 can’t be signed over to a contractor (Fla. Stat. 627.7152). If you sign a roofing contract soon after a declared emergency, Florida generally gives you a short window to cancel it. When in doubt, the Florida Department of Financial Services Insurance Consumer Helpline is 1-877-693-5236. Their advice after a storm: don’t sign anything, call first.

Track your hurricane deductible. It applies once per calendar year with the same insurer or insurer group, and for a later hurricane that year the insurer can apply whichever is greater: what’s left of it, or your regular deductible. So keep a record of every hurricane loss, even small ones.

Good to know

Renters and condo owners need a list too. Your belongings and your part of the unit aren’t covered by your landlord’s or association’s policy. (Condo insurance, explained.)
Mobile phones die. Write down your claim numbers on paper as well.
Call me after a storm, even if you’re not sure it’s worth a claim. I’d rather help you decide than have you guess.

Want to go through this list together?

Upload your declarations page at /quote/ or send it to me before June, and I’ll walk through your hurricane deductible, your dwelling limit and your flood options with you, one at a time.

Talk to Elona