Vacant Home Insurance in Florida: Seasonal, Inherited and For-Sale Homes
60 consecutive days. On the standard national homeowners form, that's how long a house can sit vacant before coverage for vandalism and broken glass drops away. Florida has a lot of houses that sit empty: the Census Bureau's 2025 survey counted 649,648 homes held for seasonal, recreational or occasional use, about 44% of the state's 1,461,913 vacant housing units and the largest single group.
A homeowners policy is written for a house somebody lives in. Leave it empty for a season, between tenants, after a parent dies or while it's listed for sale, and the policy you have may not fit the house you have anymore. Sometimes the gap is one clause. Sometimes the whole policy form is wrong.
Below: what "vacant" and "unoccupied" usually mean, the clauses that change after a stretch without anyone living there, what Citizens Property Insurance Corporation publicly says about who qualifies for its homeowners form, why dwelling fire policies are the usual fallback, and how to set up an empty house before hurricane season.
Vacant vs. unoccupied: the difference that changes your claim
Insurance people use these two words differently, and the difference matters more than most owners expect.
In everyday insurance usage, an unoccupied home still has the owner's furniture, clothes and household goods in it, but nobody is living there right now. A snowbird's condo in Naples over the summer is the textbook case. A vacant home is empty: the contents are gone, or nearly gone, and nobody lives there. Think of a house cleared out after an estate sale, or a rental between tenants with bare rooms.
That's the common shorthand, not a Florida statute. Your own policy decides. Some forms define "vacant" in detail, some don't define it at all, and some add separate conditions for "unoccupied" homes. So the first job is to find every place your policy uses either word and read what it says around it.
| Situation | Usually described as | What to check first |
|---|---|---|
| Seasonal home, furnished, owner away for the summer | Unoccupied | Whether the form requires it to be your residence, and any unoccupancy wording |
| Rental between tenants, rooms empty | Vacant | Vacancy clauses on the landlord (dwelling fire) policy |
| Inherited home, contents still inside, estate not settled | Unoccupied | Death clause, who is insured, and when the estate must tell the insurer |
| Inherited home after the estate sale | Vacant | Vacancy clauses; whether the policy form still fits |
| House listed for sale after the owners moved | Often vacant | Whether it's still your residence premises; vacancy clauses |
| House under renovation, owner living elsewhere | Depends on the form | The sample form doesn't treat a dwelling being constructed as vacant; theft-of-materials limits |
Source: general insurance usage; construction wording from the ISO HO 00 03 10 00 sample form (III). Your own policy definitions control.
The clauses that change after 60 days
Florida insurers file their own homeowners forms with the Office of Insurance Regulation, so there's no single state rule on vacancy. The ISO sample HO-3 posted by III (HO 00 03 10 00) is a fair picture of the national template many forms start from, and it ties two coverages to a 60-day vacancy clock.
| Clause in the sample form | What it says | Why it matters for an empty Florida house |
|---|---|---|
| Vandalism and malicious mischief | Not covered if the dwelling has been vacant for more than 60 consecutive days immediately before the loss | Break-ins, graffiti and stripped fixtures are the kind of loss nobody is around to stop |
| Glass or safety glazing | Not covered on the residence premises after more than 60 consecutive days of vacancy, unless caused directly by earth movement | A broken slider or window you don't find for weeks |
| Dwelling under construction | Not considered vacant | A real renovation can keep the clock from running, depending on your form |
| Theft during construction | Theft in or to a dwelling under construction, or of building materials, isn't covered until the home is finished and occupied | Copper, appliances and materials left on site |
| Freezing | Not covered unless you used reasonable care to maintain heat or shut off the water and drain the system | Worth checking if the house is somewhere that sees a hard freeze |
| Residence premises | The dwelling “where you reside” and shown in the Declarations | If you've moved out for good, ask whether the house still fits a homeowners form at all |
Source: ISO HO 00 03 10 00 sample homeowners form (posted by III). Florida forms vary; your policy controls.
Here's what that means in practice. Hypothetical: you inherit your mother's house in Port Charlotte, hold an estate sale in April and list the house. The rooms are bare. If your form uses the sample's 60-day wording and someone breaks the sliding glass door in July, the glass and the vandalism damage may both fall outside the policy, even though fire and windstorm would still be covered under the same form.
Notice what the sample doesn't do. It doesn't cancel the policy at day 61 or exclude wind. The vacancy limits are narrow. The bigger risk is the one underneath: whether a homeowners form, written for "the one family dwelling where you reside," is still the right policy for a house nobody lives in. That's a question for your insurer or agent in writing, not a guess.
How many Florida homes sit empty
Florida had 10,788,709 housing units in the Census Bureau's 2025 American Community Survey, and 1,461,913 of them (13.6%) were vacant when surveyed. Seasonal homes were the largest group by far: 649,648 units, or 44.4% of all vacant homes and 6.0% of every housing unit in the state.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2025 ACS 1-year, table B25004 (Florida).
Show the numbers
| Vacancy type | Units |
|---|---|
| Seasonal, recreational or occasional use | 649,648 |
| For rent | 327,834 |
| Other vacant | 280,674 |
| For sale only | 117,282 |
| Sold, not occupied | 52,567 |
| Rented, not occupied | 30,998 |
| For migrant workers | 2,910 |
Two things to know about these numbers. First, the survey's definition isn't an insurance definition. Census treats a home as occupied when the people there are staying at least two months, so a furnished snowbird home empty during the interview shows up as "vacant, seasonal" even though your insurer might call it unoccupied. Second, "other vacant" (280,674 units) is a catch-all that covers homes held empty for reasons outside the main categories; this table doesn't break out inherited homes on their own.
Seasonal homes concentrate in a handful of counties, mostly coastal. Lee County alone had about 78,646, roughly 16% of its housing. In Collier, seasonal units made up about 23% of all housing.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2025 ACS 1-year, table B25004, Florida counties.
Show the numbers
| County | Seasonal units |
|---|---|
| Lee | 78,646 |
| Collier | 58,595 |
| Palm Beach | 58,524 |
| Broward | 50,902 |
| Miami-Dade | 41,991 |
| Pinellas | 34,923 |
| Sarasota | 33,854 |
| Manatee | 23,300 |
| Charlotte | 18,296 |
| Polk | 18,033 |
| Volusia | 16,532 |
| Brevard | 16,240 |
What Citizens says about occupancy
Citizens Property Insurance Corporation is the state-created insurer of last resort, and its public descriptions are the clearest Florida example of how occupancy drives the policy form. Its personal policies page says the Citizens homeowners policy (HO-3, HW-2) is for single-family homes and duplexes where at least one unit is owner-occupied, and "the owner must live in the home as their primary residence." The dwelling fire policy (DP-3, DW-2) is for tenant-occupied homes "and properties that otherwise may not qualify for an HO-3 or HO-8 policy."
A March 2026 agent bulletin quotes Citizens' underwriting guidelines the same way: the HO-3 applies to "the owner-occupant" of a dwelling, while the DP-1 and DP-3 apply to "the owner" of a dwelling used for private residential purposes. The full underwriting manual sits on Citizens' password-protected agent site, so I'm not going to quote a Citizens vacancy day count I can't show you. Ask your agent to check the current manual for your exact situation.
| Rule | What it says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Homeowners form (HO-3) | Owner must live in the home as their primary residence | Citizens personal policies page |
| Dwelling fire (DP-3, DP-1) | For tenant-occupied homes and homes that don't qualify for HO-3 or HO-8 | Citizens personal policies page |
| “Primary residence” | Your primary home (or your tenant's) occupied more than 9 months of each year | s. 627.351(6)(n)9 |
| Rates on non-primary homes | Not under the primary-home rate glide path; capped at 50% above the prior year's rate | s. 627.351(6)(n)8 |
| Eligibility for non-primary homes | Not eligible if a private offer is within 20% of Citizens' premium for comparable coverage | s. 627.351(6)(c)5.b |
| Proof of primary residence | Homestead exemption, voter card, Florida license or ID, vehicle registration, a 9-month-plus lease and others; utility bills no longer accepted | Citizens bulletin, Feb. 6, 2024 |
| Occupancy change | “Coverage may need to be rewritten” on the correct policy form | Citizens bulletin, Feb. 6, 2024 |
| Unsafe homes | Ineligible when inspections find a property unsafe for occupancy or with substantial structural deficiencies (Rule 208) | Citizens bulletin, Oct. 15, 2021 |
Source: Citizens Property Insurance Corporation personal policies, Feb. 2024 primary residency bulletin and Oct. 2021 eligibility bulletin; Florida Statutes s. 627.351 (2026).
The 9-month line is the one snowbirds trip over. A Sarasota condo you live in from December through April is, under Florida's definition, not your primary residence. That affects Citizens' rate rules and which policy form fits. The bulletin says it plainly: if occupancy and usage change, the policy may need to be rewritten on a different form. More on how Citizens works overall is in my Citizens 2026 guide.
Dwelling fire policies: the usual fallback
When a house no longer fits a homeowners form, the usual replacement is a dwelling policy. The Florida Department of Financial Services explains that dwelling forms are for "risks that may not qualify for a Homeowners' policy," and lists a home rented to others or "other underwriting reasons" as examples.
Dwelling policies come in basic named-peril versions (DP-1) and broader special forms (DP-3). Citizens describes its DP-1 as similar to the DP-3 but covering only certain named perils. A dwelling policy isn't a homeowners policy with a new name, though. Liability coverage may be optional on a dwelling form (Citizens lists tenant contents and liability as available on its DP-3), and dwelling forms can carry their own vacancy wording. Read the form before you assume anything carried over.
| Your situation | Questions to ask the insurer or agent, in writing |
|---|---|
| Snowbird or second home | Does my form require this to be my primary residence? Is there unoccupancy wording? Do I need a dwelling or seasonal form instead? |
| Rental between tenants | Does my landlord policy have a vacancy clause, and how many days? Is vandalism included, and does it stop during vacancy? |
| Inherited home | Who is insured now that the named insured has died? Does coverage continue for the estate, and until when? What changes when the house is emptied? |
| Listed for sale, owners moved | Is this still my residence premises? Does the policy stay valid through closing? What's needed if it sits empty past 60 days? |
| Renovation, nobody living there | Is the house treated as under construction? Are tools, materials and new appliances covered before move-in? |
Source: ISO HO 00 03 10 00 sample form (vacancy, construction, death and theft clauses); Florida DFS homeowners insurance overview; Citizens personal policies page.
One point on inherited homes. The ISO sample's death condition keeps covering the deceased's legal representative, but only for the premises and property covered at the time of death, and it treats the person with proper temporary custody of the property as insured until a representative is appointed. That's a bridge, not a long-term plan. Call the insurer early, tell it the named insured died, and ask what it needs from the estate. If you're the one picking up the policy, the Florida home insurance page covers the basic coverages, and condo owners can start with the Florida condo insurance page.
Tell your insurer when occupancy changes
This is where empty-house claims fall apart. Florida's s. 627.409 says a misrepresentation, omission or concealment can prevent recovery if it's fraudulent or material to the risk, or if the insurer, knowing the truth, wouldn't have issued the policy, wouldn't have issued it at the same premium, or wouldn't have covered the hazard that caused the loss.
The Department of Financial Services lists "whether your home is occupied or vacant" among the common things insurers look at when they underwrite a home. Its application guide also warns what happens if the insurer later finds the application was wrong, even years later: it may decide the policy shouldn't have been issued, cancel it back to the start date, refund the premium "thus leaving you without insurance coverage," and deny claims you've filed.
The sample HO-3 adds two more pieces. Its concealment or fraud condition voids coverage for any insured who intentionally concealed or misrepresented a material fact, before or after a loss. And its mortgage clause protects the lender's claim only if, among other conditions, the lender tells the insurer about any change in ownership, occupancy or substantial change in risk it knows about. Your lender cares about occupancy, too.
What I'd do: when a house is going to be empty for more than a couple of months, or a homestead becomes a second home, call or email the insurer or your agent, describe the situation plainly and keep the written reply. It may cost more. A policy that matches the house is the one that pays.
Cancellation and nonrenewal notice in Florida
An occupancy change can also lead the insurer to cancel or decline to renew. Florida's s. 627.4133 covers homeowner and other residential property policies, and after a policy has been in force 60 days, the insurer can cancel only for a material misstatement, nonpayment, failure to meet underwriting requirements within 60 days of the start date, or "a substantial change in the risk covered by the policy," or when it cancels a whole class of insureds.
| Situation | Minimum notice | Rule |
|---|---|---|
| Renewal premium | 45 days before renewal | s. 627.4133(2)(a) |
| Cancellation or nonrenewal, general rule | 120 days, with the reason | s. 627.4133(2)(b) |
| Cancellation for nonpayment | 10 days, with the reason | s. 627.4133(2)(b)1 |
| Cancellation in the first 60 days (not nonpayment) | 20 days, unless misrepresentation or failure to meet underwriting requirements | s. 627.4133(2)(b)2 |
| After 60 days | Only for listed reasons, including a substantial change in the risk | s. 627.4133(2)(b)3 |
| Insurer skips required notice | Coverage continues until replacement coverage or the notice period runs, whichever is first | s. 627.4133(2)(d) |
| Effective date falls during a hurricane | Pushed back to the end of the hurricane's duration | s. 627.4133(2)(f) |
Source: Florida Statutes s. 627.4133 and s. 627.4025 (2026, flsenate.gov).
For a hurricane, "duration" starts when the National Hurricane Center issues a hurricane warning for any part of Florida and ends 72 hours after the last watch or warning ends (s. 627.4025(2)(c)). The Florida cancellation law guide goes through the post-claim limits and your options if a notice arrives.
Hurricane prep for a house nobody is in
The Atlantic hurricane season runs June 1 to November 30, which lines up almost exactly with the months many seasonal owners are gone. An empty house can't put up its own shutters. And timing matters for coverage, too: Citizens says that when any part of Florida is under an official tropical storm or hurricane watch or warning, you cannot apply for or increase coverage. Fix the policy in the spring, not when a storm is on the map.
| Before you leave | Why |
|---|---|
| Tell your insurer or agent how long the house will be empty, and get the answer in writing | Occupancy is an underwriting fact; the form may need to change |
| Read your declarations page: hurricane deductible, flood statement, policy form type | An empty house still carries the full hurricane deductible |
| Arrange shutters or panels, or someone who will install them before a storm | Citizens' storm list starts with protecting windows |
| Trim dead or weak branches; secure loose items, siding and the roof | Also on Citizens' storm checklist |
| Have someone check the house on a regular schedule and after every storm | Damage found weeks later is harder to document, and water keeps spreading |
| Shut off the water main if your form or insurer allows it | An unattended leak in an empty house can run for weeks |
| Make a video or photo inventory and store it outside the house | Citizens recommends an inventory stored in the cloud or a safe deposit box |
| Check flood coverage separately | Most homeowners and dwelling policies, including Citizens', don't cover rising water |
| Update your contact email, phone and mortgage company with the insurer | You need to get notices wherever you are |
Source: Citizens Property Insurance Corporation Strengthen Your Home, Disaster Planning and Home Inventory pages; ISO HO 00 03 10 00 sample form; NOAA National Hurricane Center.
On flood: Citizens' own planning page says rising-water damage isn't covered by its policies or most regular property policies. If the house is in a flood-prone area, the Florida flood insurance page explains how a separate flood policy works.
Water from inside the house is a separate problem. A supply line that bursts in an occupied house gets shut off in minutes. In an empty one, it can run until the next visit. How Florida policies treat sudden versus long-term leaks is in my water damage claim guide.
Claim deadlines if the empty house is damaged
Owners who live out of state often find storm damage late. Florida's claim-notice clock doesn't wait for you to visit. Under s. 627.70132, a new or reopened claim is barred unless you give notice under the policy terms within 1 year after the date of loss, and a supplemental claim within 18 months. For hurricanes and other weather events, the date of loss is the landfall date or the date NOAA verifies the event.
A current example: Hurricane Isaias made landfall near Destin on the evening of October 9, 2026. For damage from that storm, the 1-year notice window runs from that date, whether or not the owner was in Florida to see it. As of November 6, 2026, the Office of Insurance Regulation's Isaias claims data showed 55,471 residential property claims, including 6,221 on dwelling policies.
| Deadline | Who | Rule |
|---|---|---|
| 7 calendar days | Insurer | Acknowledge your claim communication (s. 627.70131(1)(a)) |
| 7 days | Insurer | Begin investigating after receiving proof-of-loss statements (s. 627.70131(3)(a)) |
| 30 days | Insurer | Any physical inspection, after receiving proof-of-loss statements (s. 627.70131(3)(b)) |
| 60 days | Insurer | Pay or deny all or part of the claim, with a written explanation (s. 627.70131(7)(a)) |
| 1 year | You | Notice of a new or reopened claim, from the date of loss (s. 627.70132(2)) |
| 18 months | You | Notice of a supplemental claim, from the date of loss (s. 627.70132(2)) |
Source: Florida Statutes s. 627.70131 and s. 627.70132 (2026, flsenate.gov).
If someone checks the house for you, have them photograph and date what they find each visit. Those photos help establish when damage happened. The hurricane claim deadline guide walks through the date-of-loss math in more detail.
FAQ
Does homeowners insurance cover a vacant home in Florida?
It depends on the policy form. Many homeowners forms are written for a home you live in, and the standard national sample stops covering vandalism and glass breakage after the home has been vacant more than 60 consecutive days. A house nobody lives in may need a dwelling policy instead.
What is the difference between a vacant and an unoccupied home?
In common insurance usage, an unoccupied home still has furniture and belongings in it but nobody is living there right now, while a vacant home has been emptied. Your own policy's wording decides how each term applies.
Will Citizens insure a home I don't live in?
Citizens says its homeowners policy requires the owner to live in the home as a primary residence. Its dwelling fire policy is for tenant-occupied homes and homes that otherwise may not qualify for its HO-3 or HO-8.
What counts as a primary residence for Citizens in Florida?
Florida law defines it as the policyholder's primary home, or a tenant's primary home, occupied for more than 9 months of each year (s. 627.351(6)(n)9).
Do I have to tell my insurer my Florida home will be empty?
Occupancy is a fact insurers use to underwrite a home, and under s. 627.409 a material misrepresentation or omission can prevent recovery on a claim. Tell your insurer or agent and keep their reply in writing.
Your own policy wording and Florida law control how any claim or policy change is handled. Confirm your situation with a licensed agent, the Florida Department of Financial Services or Office of Insurance Regulation, or, for legal questions such as estates, an attorney.
Sources
- ISO HO 00 03 10 00 sample homeowners policy (posted by III): vacancy, construction, freezing, death, mortgage and cancellation provisions
- Florida Statutes s. 627.409, representations in applications (2026)
- Florida Statutes s. 627.4133, notice of cancellation, nonrenewal or renewal premium (2026)
- Florida Statutes s. 627.4025, hurricane definitions (2026)
- Florida Statutes s. 627.70131, insurer's duty to acknowledge communications; investigation (2026)
- Florida Statutes s. 627.70132, notice of property insurance claim (2026)
- Florida Statutes s. 627.351, Citizens Property Insurance Corporation (2026)
- Citizens Property Insurance Corporation: personal policies (HO-3, DP-3, DP-1)
- Citizens Property Insurance Corporation: roomers or boarders requirements bulletin (Mar. 26, 2026)
- Citizens Property Insurance Corporation: proof of primary residency updates (Feb. 6, 2024)
- Citizens Property Insurance Corporation: new eligibility rules (Oct. 15, 2021)
- Citizens Property Insurance Corporation: disaster planning
- Citizens Property Insurance Corporation: strengthen your home
- Citizens Property Insurance Corporation: home inventory
- Florida DFS: homeowners insurance overview
- Florida DFS: Applying for Homeowners Insurance, What You Need to Know
- U.S. Census Bureau: 2025 ACS 1-year, B25004 vacancy status, Florida
- U.S. Census Bureau: 2025 ACS 1-year, B25002 occupancy status, Florida
- U.S. Census Bureau: 2025 ACS 1-year, B25004 vacancy status, Florida counties
- U.S. Census Bureau: how the ACS counts vacation homes
- NOAA National Hurricane Center: tropical cyclone climatology
- NOAA National Hurricane Center: Hurricane Isaias discussion 14 (Oct. 9, 2026)
- Florida Office of Insurance Regulation: Hurricane Isaias claims data
This article is for general educational purposes only and is not legal, tax or insurance advice. Coverage depends on the actual policy, its terms, conditions and exclusions, and state law. Maru Insurance · WA License (WAOIC) #1365574 · FL License #G363233 · NPN 22261820.