Florida hurricane season runs June 1 through November 30. The preparation work that matters most happens before the season starts -- not when a storm is 72 hours offshore. This insurance checklist is designed to be completed in April or May, giving you time to address gaps, make coverage changes, and confirm critical details before the first named storm of the year.
The Annual Insurance Checklist
1. Review the Policy Declarations Page for Every Property
Pull the current declarations page for every property in your portfolio. Confirm that the named insured is correct, the property address is accurate, and the policy is active. Errors on the declarations page -- wrong address, wrong named insured -- can complicate or void claims. Do not assume this year's declarations match last year's.
2. Confirm Replacement Cost vs. Actual Cash Value
Verify that Coverage A pays replacement cost value, not actual cash value, for the dwelling. Check specifically for roof surface endorsements or ACV endorsements that convert roof coverage to actual cash value -- these are increasingly common in Florida and significantly reduce recovery on roof claims. If you find one, discuss removal or alternatives with your agent.
3. Check Wind Mitigation Report Expiration
Florida wind mitigation inspections are valid for 5 years. If your wind mitigation report is approaching expiration, renew it before the season. An expired report means you lose the wind mitigation discount at renewal -- and the discount can be 5-45% of premium depending on roof and opening protection features. Schedule any needed inspections in April or May.
4. Verify Flood Coverage Is Separate and Current
Standard property insurance does not cover flooding. Confirm that properties in FEMA Special Flood Hazard Areas have current flood insurance, that the flood policy is not close to the 30-day NFIP waiting period trigger, and that coverage limits are adequate relative to property value. For properties with replacement costs above the NFIP $250,000 structure limit, confirm whether private flood excess coverage is in place.
5. Confirm Loss of Rents Coverage Period and Limits
Loss of rents coverage pays rental income when a property is uninhabitable after a covered loss. Confirm the coverage period (typically 12-24 months) and the monthly limit. For properties with significant rental income, verify that the monthly limit reflects actual rent rates -- many policies set loss of rents limits at the time of original underwriting and have not been updated as rents have increased.
6. Check Ordinance and Law Coverage
Confirm that ordinance and law coverage is present and that the sublimit is adequate. The default 10% sublimit is often insufficient for older Florida properties. If any managed property was built before 1994, review whether the sublimit reflects the likely code compliance gap.
7. Update Scheduled Property Values
Florida construction costs have increased significantly over the past several years. Properties insured at values set two or three years ago may be meaningfully underinsured relative to current replacement cost. Review Coverage A for each property against a current replacement cost estimate -- your insurance agent can provide a cost estimator, or you can obtain a contractor estimate. Underinsurance at the time of loss results in proportionally reduced claim payments under co-insurance provisions.
8. Review Liability Limits
Confirm that general liability limits across your portfolio are adequate. The standard $300,000 personal liability limit is insufficient for most professional property management operations. Confirm E&O (errors and omissions) coverage is current, and verify that a commercial umbrella is in place to provide excess coverage over your primary liability limits.
9. Confirm Contractor Contacts Are Current
Call or text each contractor on your emergency vendor list to confirm they are still in business, still licensed, and still available for emergency work. Verify each license through Florida DBPR. Remove stale contacts and fill gaps before storm season.
10. Verify Tenant Renters Insurance Requirement in Leases
If your leases require tenants to carry renters insurance, confirm that you have current certificates of insurance on file for each tenant. Lapsed tenant renters insurance is a common problem -- and a tenant without coverage creates subrogation exposure for the landlord when the tenant is responsible for damage.
11. Photograph All Properties Pre-Season
Take a complete pre-storm photo set for every property. Four corners exterior, every room interior, all roofline detail from the ground, and all appliances with model numbers visible. Upload to cloud storage organized by address. These photos are the foundation of any claim filed after this season.
12. Store Policies in Cloud Backup
Upload a PDF of every policy declarations page and policy form to cloud storage. After a major hurricane, your office may be inaccessible and your paper files damaged. Cloud-stored copies accessible from any device ensure you can access policy numbers and claims contacts from anywhere.
13. Confirm Claims Hotline Number
Confirm the 24-hour claims hotline number for every carrier in your portfolio. Save it in your phone and include it in your emergency contact document. Do not rely on being able to find this number on the insurer website after a storm -- carrier websites are sometimes overwhelmed or inaccessible in the days after a major event.
14. Review Citizens Takeout Status If Applicable
If any properties are insured through Citizens, check for pending takeout offers or notices. Review any assumption offers against the criteria discussed in the Citizens guide -- carrier rating, coverage terms, and price -- before the deadline to respond.
15. Check Demotech Rating of Every Carrier
Look up the current Demotech rating for each insurance carrier across your portfolio at demotech.com. If any carrier has been downgraded or has a rating below A, contact your mortgage servicer and insurance agent immediately -- a downgraded carrier may not satisfy mortgage insurance requirements, triggering force-placed coverage at your expense.
April is the right time for this review. May is too late to make significant changes. Some Florida carriers stop accepting new policies or coverage increases in May and June. Wind mitigation inspections require scheduling. Policy endorsements take time to process. If you wait until the end of May to start the review, you will find that some gaps cannot be addressed before the season starts.
Property owners who understand what the annual insurance review covers are better partners in the process. Share a summary of the checklist with each property owner and flag any items that require owner decision or approval -- such as increasing Coverage A or adding ordinance and law coverage. Owners who are informed before storm season are less likely to dispute coverage decisions after a loss.
Run your annual insurance review in LossHQ
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Start Free -- No Card Required ->The Bottom Line
The annual insurance checklist is the most important preparation activity a Florida property manager completes before hurricane season. Fifteen focused items, completed in April, provide a comprehensive view of coverage adequacy across your portfolio and time to address gaps before the first storm. For related guidance, see the Florida property insurance portfolio audit, the Florida hurricane season month-by-month guide, and the Florida rental property hurricane checklist.