Citizens Insurance
Run by the state, Citizens covers Florida homes when no private company will. It sells home, condo, renters and wind-only plans.
- Paused for storm
- Home · Condo · Renters · Wind-only
- State-created insurer of last resort
Latest rate change
-8.8%
Effective Jul 1, 2026
Roof rule
Citizens pulls your roof age on its own — bring proof if it's wrong
Good to know
You can't just pick Citizens — private offers get checked first
Policies in force
293,772
OIR, as of May 31, 2026
Can I get a policy?
The short version of the rules, in order of how often they trip people up. Tap any one for the detail and the source.
You can't just pick Citizens — private offers get checked first
Citizens is the state's insurer of last resort. To get in, you must be unable to find a fair private offer. Every application is shopped to private companies first. Citizens calls this check the Clearinghouse.
Since June 26, 2026, a private quote only counts against you if it pays your roof at replacement cost and includes at least $10,000 of water coverage. A cheaper quote that pays the roof at its worn value, or strips out water coverage, can't be used to keep you out.
Citizens Personal Lines Bulletin, "Clearinghouse Comparable Coverage," 6/11/2026 · Source
Citizens pulls your roof age on its own — bring proof if it's wrong
For new policies starting August 1, 2026 or later, Citizens pulls roof age from a third-party database. You don't report it yourself. If the data is wrong, your agent can fix it with proof: a permit, an invoice, or an inspection report.
The roof condition rules still apply. Your roof needs at least 5 years of useful life left.
Citizens Personal Lines Bulletin, "Automatic Roof Age Retrieval," 7/1/2026 · Source
Buying a home with a bad roof? Citizens can still take you
Citizens will take your application even if the roof fails its rules, with two catches. You must close within 45 days of the date you want coverage to start. And you need a signed contract with a licensed roofer to replace the roof within 30 days of that start date.
Line up the roofer before you apply, not after.
Citizens Personal Lines Bulletin, "Roof Requirements for New Purchases," 9/11/2025 · Source
Who lives in the home matters to Citizens
For an HO-3 policy, you must own and live in the home. No more than two families can live there. Each family can take in up to two roomers or boarders.
Landlord policies have limits too. Four units at most, and no more than five roomers or boarders.
Citizens Personal Lines Bulletin, "Roomers or Boarders," 3/26/2026 · Source
Rent out your home often? Citizens will call it a business
Under the policy forms that start December 1, 2026, renting to guests more than three times a year for short stays counts as a business. So does advertising the home as a rental. Business use like that is excluded — the policy won't pay for it.
If you rent out rooms or the whole home often, talk this through with an agent first.
Citizens Personal Lines Bulletin, "2026 Form Changes," 10/1/2026 · Source
A lapsed flood policy can cost you a hurricane claim
Some Citizens customers must also carry flood insurance. The December 1, 2026 policy forms add teeth to that rule. If the flood coverage is not in force on the day a windstorm hits your home, Citizens can deny the wind claim.
You may also be asked to sign a flood-document release within 14 days. Keep the flood policy active. A lapse can wipe out the whole claim.
Citizens Personal Lines Bulletin, "2026 Form Changes," 10/1/2026 · Source
What's changed recently
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Storm pause: Citizens stops all new policies on Oct. 7
Citizens stopped taking new policies statewide at 11:05 a.m. ET on Oct. 7, 2026, ahead of Hurricane Isaías.
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New Citizens policy forms arrive December 1, 2026
The Dec. 1, 2026 forms treat frequent short-stay rentals as a business. They also let Citizens deny a wind claim if a required flood policy has lapsed.
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Citizens pulls roof age on its own for new policies
For new business effective Aug. 1, 2026 or later, Citizens pulls roof age from a third-party database. Agents fix bad data with a permit, invoice or inspection.
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Citizens rates drop for policies starting July 2026
Rates fall for policies that start July 1, 2026 or later: 8.8% lower on average for home policies, 5.1% for wind-only. The drop varies by place.
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A cheap private quote can no longer force you out of Citizens
Since June 26, 2026, a private offer only blocks you if it is truly comparable. It must pay the roof at replacement cost and include at least $10,000 of water coverage.
Rate history
How they treat customers
- Complaints
- Not available
- Financial strength
- Not available
- Years in Florida
- Since 2002 — 24 years
- Regulatory actions
- Not available
No star ratings, no user reviews. Public data only, with the source linked.