Citizens Property Insurance Corp. Explained for Florida Homeowners
Citizens Property Insurance Corporation is Florida’s state-created insurer of last resort. It isn’t meant to be your permanent home: Florida’s rules push homeowners back to private insurers when comparable coverage is available.
How eligibility works
For personal residential policies, Citizens says agents must check eligibility through its Clearinghouse (for HO-3, HO-6, DP-1 and DP-3 policies) or through its PolicyCenter for other policy types, and must document declinations from private carriers or comparative quotes. Under its clearinghouse page, you may be eligible if either “no private-market companies are willing to offer coverage at their approved rates,” or the private-market premium “is more than 20% higher than the premium for comparable coverage from Citizens.”
The 20% rule and depopulation
Florida’s depopulation program lets private insurers take policies out of Citizens. In a December 2023 announcement, Citizens explained that policyholders who receive a private offer no more than 20% above their Citizens renewal premium become ineligible to remain with Citizens unless they take action; offers more than 20% higher allow them to stay if they act. Rules and thresholds change by legislation, so confirm the current version with Citizens or your agent.
Flood requirement
Citizens announced that beginning in 2024, additional personal-lines residential policyholders with wind coverage must carry flood insurance (NFIP or private) to keep their Citizens eligibility. Check whether this applies to you.
2026 law changes
Florida’s 2026 law SB 1028 (Ch. 2026-150), effective June 16, 2026, restructured the Citizens clearinghouse into three clearinghouses: personal lines, commercial admitted lines and commercial surplus lines. According to a summary of the law, the new commercial routing and a 15% surplus-lines test apply to commercial applications starting January 1, 2027 — they do not change the personal-lines rule above.
What to do each renewal
Treat a Citizens policy as temporary: ask your agent to check the private market at every renewal, watch for depopulation offers in the mail, and don’t ignore them. If you’ve received a non-renewal from a private insurer, see our Florida non-renewal guide (Florida’s notice requirement is longer than most states’) and our Citizens quote guide.
Frequently asked questions
- Who is eligible for Citizens?
- Under its clearinghouse rules for personal residential policies: if no private insurer will offer coverage at its approved rates, or the private premium is more than 20% higher than Citizens’ comparable premium.
- What happens if I get a private offer?
- If the offer is no more than 20% above your Citizens renewal premium, you may become ineligible to stay, and Citizens’ announcement says you should respond; higher offers allow you to stay if you act. Confirm the current rules.
- Does the 2026 law change my homeowners eligibility?
- According to a summary of SB 1028, its new routing and 15% surplus-lines test apply to commercial applications starting January 1, 2027. Check with Citizens for the latest on personal lines.
Next steps
Use our state guides and calculators to turn this into a plan.