Buying or Selling a Home During Hurricane Season in Florida

You can buy or sell a home in Florida during hurricane season, which runs from June 1 to November 30, but a storm can freeze new insurance policies, push back your closing and send you back for another inspection. The fix is planning: lock in insurance early, know your contract's storm clauses, and leave some room in your closing date.

Insurance binding suspensions: the biggest risk to a closing

Your lender will not fund the loan without proof of homeowners insurance (a binder). When a storm threatens, insurers stop writing new policies for a while. This is called a binding suspension or moratorium.

• Citizens Property Insurance suspends binding of new coverage and coverage increases statewide whenever the National Weather Service has a tropical storm or hurricane watch or warning for any part of Florida. A storm aimed at the Panhandle can stop a Miami policy.
• Private insurers set their own triggers, often based on watch and warning areas or the forecast cone. Ask your agent what their rule is.
• The suspension usually lifts after the threat passes. Until then, a buyer who has not bound coverage generally cannot close with a loan.

Flood insurance has its own timing. An NFIP policy normally has a 30-day waiting period. That wait does not apply when the policy is bought in connection with a new loan, applied for at or before closing and paid on time. If you buy with Citizens, note its flood rule: homes in high-risk flood zones need a flood policy, homes outside those zones need one if the dwelling coverage is $400,000 or more in 2026, and starting January 1, 2027 almost all Citizens homeowners policies with wind coverage will need flood coverage. Condo unit-owner policies are exempt. See our flood zones guide.

What the FR/BAR contract says about storms

Most Miami-Dade and Broward sales use the Florida Realtors/Florida Bar (FR/BAR) contracts. Three clauses matter in a storm:

Example: on a $600,000 house, 1.5% is $9,000. If storm repairs come to $9,000 or less, the seller must make them. If they cost more, the buyer gets to choose.

After a storm: inspections, appraisals and lenders

Fannie Mae requires lenders to check whether a disaster may have changed a property's condition before the loan is delivered. The lender decides whether to order an inspection, a new appraisal or both. Insured damage that does not affect safety or structure can sometimes close with repair funds set aside. Uninsured damage, or damage that affects safety or structure, must be repaired first. For condos, the lender looks at the building too. After a declared disaster in Miami-Dade or Broward, expect your lender to ask for a post-storm property inspection, which can add days.

As a buyer, use the walk-through to check the roof, ceilings, windows, fences, pool screens and any sign of water inside. If you see damage, put it in writing to the seller right away.

Seller disclosures after a storm

Florida sellers must disclose known facts that materially affect value and are not readily observable (Johnson v. Davis, 1985). After a storm, that includes roof leaks, water intrusion and repairs that were not done properly.

Florida's flood disclosure law (section 689.302, as amended effective October 1, 2025) requires a residential seller to disclose, at or before signing the contract, whether the seller:

• knows of any flooding that damaged the property while the seller owned it;
• has filed a flood insurance claim, including with the NFIP; and
• has received federal assistance for flood damage, including from FEMA.

Keep repair permits, invoices and claim paperwork. Roof and structural repairs in Miami-Dade and Broward need permits, and buyers' insurers will see past claims on claim history reports anyway. More in our seller disclosure guide.

A hurricane-season game plan

1. Buyers: start insurance quotes the day your contract is signed, and bind as soon as inspections are done, with the policy starting on the closing date.
2. Buyers: order your wind mitigation and 4-point reports early, so your agent can bind fast.
3. Both sides: avoid closing dates with no buffer during August through October. A few spare days help if a storm causes a binding freeze.
4. Buyers: apply for flood insurance at or before closing so the 30-day wait does not apply.
5. Sellers: keep your own insurance until the deed records. Take dated photos and video of the house before any storm.
6. Sellers: if a storm damages the home, tell the buyer in writing, call your insurer and get repair estimates right away.
7. Both sides: after any storm, do a follow-up walk-through before closing.

The 2026 season so far

The 2026 Atlantic season officially ends November 30, but storms can form later. In October 2026, Hurricane Isaias made landfall near Destin in the Panhandle as a Category 2 storm. South Florida was not hit directly, but because Citizens and many carriers react to watches and warnings anywhere in the state, any Florida storm can affect a Miami closing.

How we can help

We close deals through hurricane season every year in Miami-Dade, Broward and the Keys, including Key Largo. We push insurance quotes early, set realistic closing dates and handle post-storm walk-throughs and repair negotiations for you. Read our home insurance guide or contact us for a free consult.

Frequently asked questions