What is Citizens Home Insurance?
Citizens Home Insurance is one of the options you can elect for when it comes to ensuring your home. We have supported a variety of clients in claims against Citizens, so it’s safe to say we’re not a fan. You may be wondering: if we know Citizens is so bad, why do homeowners choose their coverage?
Citizens is a state-sponsored insurance company
The difference between Citizens and any other homeowner’s insurance company is that Citizens is not a company formed by private investors, but sponsored by the state. Citizens Home Insurance was created by the State of Florida in response to private insurance companies electing not to cover properties located in certain areas.
In areas like the coasts of Florida, homes are at a significantly higher risk of damage. Because of this, private insurance companies did not want to cover areas where the risk of potential damage exceeded the market. However, homes need home insurance. Therefore, Citizens Home Insurance was born. This company is essentially the “last resort” when it comes to covering your home for damage, which is also why you cannot depend on them to protect your home.
Can I sue Citizens for negligence?
Unfortunately, because they are not a private company, they do not have to play by the rules that private companies must play by. This means that it’s much more difficult to get the care you deserve if Citizens is not providing decent coverage; even if you sue them for breach of contract, you cannot seek any kind of punitive damage against them.
Because Citizens is state-sponsored, insureds under their care may be subjected to the legislative whims of the State of Florida. Further, fighting for what you deserve means fighting the State, not a private company, and is therefore that much more difficult. The State is obviously much more protective of their own insurance company, and may not be so quick to bend for customer service.
If your home is covered by Citizen’s Insurance and you are not getting the care you need, please do not hesitate to contact us for a free consultation
