You buy a house. You rent it out. You keep the old homeowners policy running because it’s already paid up and the premiums are good.
That’s it. That’s the mistake.
A homeowners policy is written for a home you live in. Once a tenant moves in, you’ve changed the material risk — and in the eyes of your insurer, you may have changed it without telling them. When something goes wrong — a fire, a hurricane, a water loss, a tenant trips down the stairs and sues — the insurer looks at who was actually living there and when. If the answer is “not you,” they have grounds to deny the claim, void the policy, and in some cases claw back prior payments.
Written for a home you live in.
Written for a home you don't live in.
“Tenants just moved on but currently we only have our standard homeowners insurance. It has come to my attention that we may need to switch to a landlord policy... I don't want to notify them that we are renting without a couple options in case they decide to cancel the policy immediately.”
A Palm Beach County landlord, describing exactly this momentThat anxiety — the awareness that you’ve been exposed longer than you realized — is one of the most common things rental-property owners in Florida call us about.
The fix is straightforward. A landlord/dwelling-fire (DP-3) policy is the form built for a home you don’t live in. It covers what a homeowners policy covers for a rental — plus what a homeowners policy doesn’t: loss of rents when a covered peril displaces your tenant, and landlord liability for what happens on your property.
At A & J Insurance Services, we’ve been writing landlord coverage for Florida rental-property owners since 2007. We’re independent — we work for you, not one carrier. We compare your options, explain the differences, and find the right policy for your specific property.
Roberto picks up. · Se habla español
Florida landlords typically encounter three dwelling-fire policy forms. They’re not the same product at different price points — they’re fundamentally different in what they cover and how they pay.
Fire, smoke, explosions, and a handful of others. If the cause of loss isn't named, it's not covered. Pays actual cash value (ACV) — the depreciated replacement value, not what it costs to rebuild. The cheapest form. Also the riskiest for a property owner who has a real asset to protect.
Adds theft, vandalism, and a wider set of named perils. Still named-peril — still “if it's not on the list, it's not covered.” Pays ACV or replacement cost depending on the carrier.
Covers all causes of loss except the exclusions. This is the form most Florida landlords need and the one most standard long-term rental policies are built on. Typically pays replacement cost on the dwelling. Includes coverage for the structure, other structures, your own personal property kept on-site (not the tenant's — theirs is their own renters policy), fair rental value / loss of rents, and landlord liability when added or bundled.
“She said something quickly about how the quotes she gave me were bp3 or dp3 I couldn't tell the letter (internet search only came up with stuff for dp3).”
A Florida landlord, on getting quotes without an explanationThat confusion is understandable. The forms look similar on paper. What they do at claim time is very different. If you’re not certain which form you’re quoted on, or what it pays, call us before you bind anything.
The structure itself — walls, roof, framing, systems. Open-peril on a DP-3: if the cause of loss isn’t in the exclusion list, it’s covered.
Fences, detached garages, storage sheds, a cottage if there is one. A Florida landlord learned this the hard way: “Last year, I received a non-renewal notice for 2 reasons: 1. Age and condition of roof 2. Additional structure… The company rescinded the non-renewal, reinstated the policy and increased the premium by 83% (presumably to cover the cottage).” Other structures can trigger underwriting scrutiny. Know what’s on your property.
The landlord’s own appliances, tools, and property kept at the rental. Not the tenant’s belongings — those are the tenant’s responsibility, under their own renters insurance.
If a covered peril makes the unit uninhabitable — a fire, a major storm, a water loss — and your tenant can’t live there while repairs happen, this coverage pays the rental income you lose during that period. This is the coverage most landlords don’t think about until they need it.
“Has anyone claimed lost of rent from their insurance company? I have one tenant that haven't paid for months... can I claim lost of rent from my insurance company?”
A landlord, voicing the #1 loss-of-rents misconceptionA covered peril — fire, storm, major water loss — makes the unit uninhabitable and your tenant can't live there during repairs.
A tenant who stops paying, walks out early, or leaves voluntarily. Non-payment is a lease and security-deposit issue, not an insurance claim.
Here’s what many landlords don’t know: base dwelling-fire forms are property-only. Liability coverage is typically added by endorsement or bundled in a carrier’s landlord package. If you have a DP-1 or DP-2 and nobody confirmed liability was added to it, there may be no liability coverage on your policy at all.
On a DP-3 with liability, Coverage L pays your legal defense and any judgment if a tenant or guest is injured on your property and you’re found liable. Coverage M handles minor guest injuries on a no-fault basis — a small amount, no lawsuit required.
Florida premises liability runs on modified comparative negligence — a party more than 50% responsible for their own injury recovers nothing (F.S. 768.81). The negligence statute of limitations is two years (F.S. 95.11). The two-year window closes fast.
Florida landlords carry a specific statutory duty to maintain habitable premises: roofs, windows, doors, floors, steps, porches, exterior walls, foundations, plumbing, and working smoke detectors — plus heat, running water, and hot water for multi-unit properties (F.S. 83.51, am. ch. 2025-16). If something in that list fails and a tenant is injured, that duty is the hook.
A tenant's dog is the tenant's liability — Florida is strict-liability for dog bites, regardless of the dog's history (F.S. 767.04). But a landlord who knew about a dangerous dog and allowed the tenancy can face premises exposure of their own. Liability coverage on your landlord policy is where that exposure sits.
A rental with a pool is a classic attractive nuisance and a premises liability fact of life. Florida requires at least one of five safety features on residential pools — a barrier, safety cover, alarms, self-latching doors — under the Residential Swimming Pool Safety Act (F.S. 515.27). An unprotected pool at a rental is both a code issue and an insurance concern.
Insurers regularly scrutinize roofs older than 15 years on rental properties. Florida law (F.S. 627.7011(5), last amended ch. 2024-182) limits an insurer’s ability to refuse a homeowners policy solely because of roof age:
⚠️ That statute is written for homeowners policies. Whether it governs a dwelling-fire (DP) landlord policy the same way is not spelled out in the statute — it's policy- and carrier-dependent. The practical reality is that older roofs trigger underwriting reviews on rentals, and the response varies by carrier.
“I just did 4 point inspections and shopped all of mine with a different broker, and literally cut my rates in half. I hadn't bothered in a long time and this was time well spent.”
A Florida landlord, on what documentation + shopping can doThe right move: know your roof age, have inspection documentation ready, and shop carriers with an agent who works with multiple markets.
A Florida-specific cost lever. A wind mitigation inspection documents hurricane-resistance features — hurricane straps, a hip roof, impact shutters, opening protection. Carriers use this to calculate your wind premium, and the documentation can meaningfully reduce it. This is a real, standard FL property tool — not a gimmick.
Florida policies carry a separate hurricane deductible — $500, 2%, 5%, or 10% of the dwelling limit — applied on a calendar-year basis (F.S. 627.701). On a coastal property or a higher-value rental, a 5% or 10% hurricane deductible is a significant out-of-pocket number before the policy pays. Know what yours is before a storm season starts, not after one ends.
If you rent your property on Airbnb, Vrbo, or any platform more than three times a year for periods under 30 days, Florida law treats that as a vacation rental — a transient lodging use (F.S. 509.013). A standard DP-3 written for long-term residential rental excludes that exposure. STR coverage is a different product, typically priced higher to reflect the added liability exposure.
One Florida STR host found this out directly: “Anyone have short term rental insurance in Florida with Frontline and recently got a non-renewal notice… proper insurance which is so expensive if you want to add wind coverage that it makes more sense to close down the short term rental.”
If you’re running a short-term rental, tell your agent that upfront. The wrong policy at claim time — whether it’s an HO-3, a standard DP-3, or a policy written for a different occupancy type — is no policy at all.
Florida insurers must give at least 120 days’ notice before non-renewing a residential property policy, with restrictions during hurricane season (F.S. 627.4133). That’s the floor — not a guarantee of continuity. If you receive a non-renewal, you have time to shop, but only if you start immediately.
A DP-3 excludes flood — rising water, storm surge, overflow. Flood is a separate policy. We place it through Wright Flood.
F.S. 83.512 (ch. 2025-166, effective October 1, 2025) now requires landlords to give prospective tenants a written flood disclosure before any lease of one year or longer. The state's own required language:
“Renters' insurance policies do not include coverage for damage resulting from floods.”Worth knowing: that disclosure duty is on you as the landlord.
A landlord/DP-3 policy insures the structure and your own property, not what your tenant owns. That's the tenant's renters (HO-4) insurance. Many landlords require it as a lease term — and for good reason. See Florida renters insurance →
Requiring renters insurance is a business decision, not just a courtesy. Real examples from Florida landlords:
“I had a former tenant who caused $24k in water damage due to putting tampons, hair pins, qtips and other junk down the toilet and clogged it. It flooded overnight and a major repair was needed. Had tenant had RI, her policy would have paid my $2,500 deductible. So she was out $2,500 because she refused to pay $15-20 a month for RI.”
Florida landlord — the $24k toilet clog“Another was a young woman who covered the overflow drain in the bathtub so the water would be deeper for her bath. She started filling the tub, fell asleep and flooded the apartment below her. She was outraged when she was billed for the damage after the landlord found out she'd let her renter's insurance lapse.”
Florida landlord — the bathtub overflowRequiring renters insurance — and verifying it annually — is one of the simplest things a landlord can do to protect their own deductible.
A policy written for an occupied rental may have limited or no coverage during extended vacant periods. If a tenant moves out and the unit sits empty longer than 30–60 days, ask about a vacancy endorsement.
Insurance covers sudden and accidental loss. Ongoing deterioration, deferred maintenance, and expected system failures are not insurance claims — they're the landlord's statutory maintenance obligation under F.S. 83.51. This is also why “tenant damage” claims are more complicated than they appear.
One of the most common landlord claim frustrations: “I submitted a claim for tenant damage that was worth $22k... Alacrity denied my claim and now I'm stuck. They denied due to 'hard living' and there was no proof of vandalism.” The line between vandalism (covered) and damage that accrues through use (not covered) is where tenant-damage claims get denied. The security deposit (F.S. 83.49) is the first line of recovery for ordinary tenant damage — not the landlord's insurance policy.
If a covered loss triggers a required code upgrade on older stock — electrical, plumbing, framing to current code — the base policy may not cover the upgrade cost. Ordinance-or-law coverage is an endorsement.
The landlord insurance market in Florida is harder than almost anywhere in the country. Roof age, coastal exposure, and the volume of insurer exits in recent years have left a lot of rental-property owners scrambling for coverage — or watching their premiums move in ways that don’t make sense.
“My $11,000 premium 3 years ago is now $70,000.”
“I received my renewal... the premium increased 21% YoY... $816 (2021–22), $911, $1,003, $1,204, $1,460 (2025–26). A 78% increase in 5 years.”
“For the few properties we do not self-insure, we found a local agent who was able to get coverage for us at rates that were better than NREIG.”
A Florida rental investor, on what a local independent agent foundWe’re independent — we work with a wide panel of A-rated carriers, through direct appointments and broker access. We don’t work for one company. We shop your property against the market, explain the trade-offs between forms and carriers, and re-shop automatically every 6–12 months.
Roberto has been placing Florida landlord policies since 2007. He knows the market, knows the underwriting triggers, and knows how to position a property — including how to use a 4-point inspection or wind-mit report to your advantage.
Call (561) 586-4955 and Roberto will walk through your property, your current coverage, and your options from a wide panel of A-rated carriers. If you have a non-renewal notice in hand, call today — the 120-day clock moves fast.
Monday–Friday, 9am–6pm · Saturday, 10am–4pm EST
A & J Insurance Services, Inc.
807 Lucerne Ave. East Unit
Lake Worth Beach, FL 33460
(561) 586-4955 · aj@ajinsuranceservices.com
Mon–Fri 9am–6pm · Sat 10am–4pm EST · English & Spanish
A & J Insurance Services, Inc. · FL License #L051810 · NPN 9894692
Roberto Ramos Jr. · Licensed 2-20 P&C Agent · FL License #P111106 · NPN 9567168
Also covering: Homeowners Insurance · Renters Insurance · Flood Insurance · Auto Insurance
Page reviewed and updated July 2026 · Roberto Ramos Jr., Licensed 2-20 P&C Agent, FL License #P111106
