Homeowners Insurance in Fort Lauderdale (2024)

Fort Lauderdale is well known for its world-class beaches, nightlife along Las Olas Boulevard and millions of tourists who visit the city each year. But for those lucky enough to own homes in one of the most beautiful parts of Florida — and one of the epicenters of tourism in the United States — many things can damage a home.

Hurricanes and flooding in Fort Lauderdale are huge concerns, as are unexpected house fires, tornadoes, torrential rains and, unfortunately, burglary are real concerns for nearly every homeowner who lives in Florida’s 10th most-populated city.

Due to these perils, which may or not be covered by homeowners insurance in certain circumstances, the average cost of homeowners insurance in Florida is among the highest in the nation — and Fort Lauderdale’s prices only add fuel to that flame.

The average cost of homeowners insurance in Fort Lauderdale is $7,276 for $150,000 in coverage, $13,168 for $300,000 in coverage, and $18,914 for $450,000 in coverage.

Those numbers are well above the state’s average for similarly priced homes, and they’re among the highest costs in the nation. But many factors, including your home’s value and which neighborhood of the city you live in, can affect your yearly cost.

Many factors affect premiums, such as your home’s construction and wind mitigation features. Wind mitigation includes various house characteristics that help your dwelling withstand strong winds, like those from hurricanes and tropical storms, which are a major concern to insurers in South Florida. Certain roof types, roof attachments, storm windows, and other protections are all wind mitigation features.

The premiums displayed in this article were obtained by the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation. They represent the most recent rate filings from the state’s largest insurers and can be utilized as an average of what Floridians can expect to pay for homeowners insurance each year. The example premiums are based on a policy for a Florida masonry home with a $500 non-hurricane deductible, a 2% hurricane deductible and no claims in the past three years.

Since many of the less expensive homes in Fort Lauderdale were built before 2001, which is when the state put building code legislation in place to help prevent extensive damage from hurricanes and heavy winds, getting a wind mitigation can decrease your premium prices significantly.

As the numbers above reflect, homeowners in Fort Lauderdale with homes built before 2001 can get pretty close to the premiums of homeowners who own homes built after 2001 if they just get a wind mitigation.

To get the proper wind mitigation discounts on your Fort Lauderdale homeowners insurance, you must prove that your home has hurricane shutters, wind-resistant windows and doors and a hip roof that helps drive winds away from your home. While getting a new roof is the most expensive addition on the list, it will also save you the most money.

But finding a house in Fort Lauderdale for $150,000 is going to be a tall task, especially since more and more people are moving into the city and nearly all the land is already spoken for. Let’s take a look at the average cost of homeowners insurance in Fort Lauderdale for $300,000 houses.

Homes worth $450,000 have an overall average of $18,914, but that number is quite inflated due to pre-2001 constructed homes without wind mitigations. Those homeowners can reach premiums of over $20,000 yearly. Wind mitigation can decrease that number by half, though. Let’s take a look.

The best homeowners insurance companies in Fort Lauderdale by cost are State Farm, Citizens, and Tower Hill. Tower Hill and Citizens are based in Florida, while State Farm is one of the country’s largest national insurers.

Each company has its pros and cons. Citizens, though, is a special case, as it’s run by the Florida state government. It was designed to be a last resort provider for citizens unable to find coverage in the standard market.

Unfortunately, Florida’s current home insurance landscape is out of sorts, forcing many more people to turn to Citizens than ever expected. The company is attempting to offload policyholders back to various private carriers.

Headquartered in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, Universal Property & Casualty Insurance Company is one of the city’s most popular insurers due to its excellent customer service and great rates. The company has been servicing the Fort Lauderdale area for more than 20 years and has more than 800,000 policyholders.

Aside from uncontrollable weather-related events, like its location on the Atlantic Ocean in one of the most hurricane-prone parts of Florida, several other factors contribute to homeowners insurance rates in Fort Lauderdale. Let’s take a look at the most impactful factors you may be able to control:

Home insurance in Fort Lauderdale covers a multitude of factors that extend well beyond the structure of your home. While things like your roof, floors, kitchen and bathrooms are most commonly thought of when people think about homeowners insurance, let’s dive into the other facets of your policy you’ll want to know about.

Since Fort Lauderdale is only a few feet above sea level and it’s surrounded by water, from the Atlantic Ocean to the Intracoastal waterways and the New River that cuts directly through downtown off Las Olas, flooding is a major concern for the city’s residents.

Unfortunately, flood damage isn’t covered by homeowners insurance. You’ll need to purchase a separate flood insurance policy, which we can help you with as well!

Flood insurance protects your house and your personal belongings against many instances of flooding, including overflowing rivers, storm surge and heavy rains that overwhelm the city’s sewage system and find their way into your home.

At Clovered, we’ve partnered with Fort Lauderdale’s top homeowners insurance providers so we can provide you with the coverage you need at the best price. Simply answer a few questions about your home in our online quoting tool and we’ll customize a policy that meets your needs — and your budget.

If you’d just like to chat with a real person, you can also reach one of our licensed agents by phone Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. at 833-255-4117 or email us anytime at [email protected].