Banker · Baltimore, MD · Member since 2017 · 1 post · 0 votes
Hey BP,
I own a property in SoFlo I use as a short-term rental (Airbnb). The home was built in 1951, and the roof is about 10 years old. It was originally purchased as a primary residence a few years back.
As you can imagine, the homeowners insurance situation in Florida is brutal. I’m looking for recommendations from other investors/hosts:
Which companies or brokers are you using for coverage in South Florida?
Anyone found reasonable options that balance cost and coverage for short-term rentals?
Have you seen meaningful savings from wind mitigation inspections or upgrades (impact windows, shutters, etc.)?
If you’re also in Palm Beach County or nearby and have been through this, I’d love to hear what’s working for you.
Insurance Agent · Orlando, FL · Member since 2015 · 297 posts · 122 votes
1y
Coverage for a South Florida STR home is challenging to say the least! We are however seeing rate stabilization and even some rate decreases announced for Q4'2025. Some of our markets that have historically been closed to the tri-county area are opening up capacity which is encouraging to see.
With that said, most people would not consider insurance costs to be 'reasonable' compared to the rest of the US - your rates are still going to be more than someone with a comparable home in Iowa. But hopefully your rental rate is also not comparable in all the right ways!
If you don't have a recent wind mitigation report, it is always worth getting one to include with your quote request. The inspection is $75-150 but could save you thousands based on the results. As far as upgrades go, it all depends on the cost and potential savings. IMO, no amount of insurance savings will generate a reasonable ROI on replacement windows. If you absolutely have to replace the windows anyways, then maybe its worth it to pay extra for the impact windows.
Retrofitting hurricane straps is a common upgrade we see homeowners complete that can potentially pay for itself within 2-3 years. Worth looking into!