Frontline Insurance

Carrier appetite summary

Carrier focuses on Florida coastal property with tight eligibility and inspection-driven underwriting. Key points from the Florida Underwriting Quick Reference Guide (Home/HO lines): Preferred / Target business - Well-maintained, owner-occupied primary or seasonal single-family, townhouse, and eligible condo/tenant risks. - Newer construction and updated systems strongly preferred, particularly in higher-risk coastal counties. - Risks with clean 5-year loss history (no more than one non-act-of-God claim) and continuous prior coverage (no more than 45‑day lapse; force‑placed coverage does not count as prior coverage). - Properties insured to 100% replacement cost using an approved replacement cost estimator or recent appraisal; homes ≤3 years old may use documented cost to construct. - Standard roof types within age thresholds and at least 5 years remaining life; homes showing pride of ownership and in good repair. Geographic & territorial notes - Florida-specific guide; used for HO3, HO4, HO6, and DP3. - Maximum Coverage A/limit varies by year built and county; Palm Beach, Miami‑Dade, and Broward have tighter max-dwelling limits and often require newer construction for higher limits. - Only agents domiciled in or adjacent to Palm Beach, Miami‑Dade, and Broward can write those counties; only agents domiciled in Lee, Collier, Sarasota, or Charlotte can write Lee and Collier business. - Protection Class 10 risks are ineligible. - Properties located in flood zones A or V must carry NFIP flood with building and contents limits equal to NFIP maximum or matching building/contents limits, unless a signed flood rejection is obtained or the HO4/HO6 unit is above the first floor. - Homes built over water, or on islands accessible only by boat or ferry, are ineligible. Homes on more than 5 acres or within 300 feet of a commercial exposure require underwriting approval or are ineligible depending on hazard severity. Property eligibility, construction, and systems - Age of structure: risks over 50 years are subject to underwriting review if a $500 or $1,000 AOP deductible is selected; older dwellings generally require at least a $2,500 AOP deductible. - Opening protection: hurricane opening protection required if within 1,000 feet of the Atlantic or Gulf (Panhandle: homes 2006 and older; all other counties: 2001 and older). Superior‑construction condos are exempt from opening protection requirements. - Water heaters 15+ years old are ineligible; all water heaters must be in good condition. - Roof age limits: architectural shingle ≤15 years; standard composition shingle ≤10 years; metal ≤30 years; tile ≤25 years; all roofs must have ≥5 years remaining life. - Ineligible roof features: multiple layers; liquid‑applied coatings; asbestos shingles; unrepaired damage/known deficiencies; flat roofs unless reinforced concrete; wood shakes without recent documented fire‑retardant treatment (exception for roofs installed 2005 or newer with acceptable characteristics). - Ineligible construction/property characteristics include: EIFS/Dryvit/synthetic stucco exteriors; log, earth, inflatable, or otherwise unusual construction; solid‑fuel heating devices that are not factory or professionally installed; electrical panels by Zinsco, Federal Pacific, Sylvania, Challenger, or service <60 amps; knob‑and‑tube, fuses, cloth wiring, double‑tapped breakers, or single‑strand aluminum branch wiring; polybutylene, galvanized, or cast‑iron plumbing or other deficient piping; asbestos siding or materials; properties with excessive or unusual physical hazards; homes with unrepaired damage; mobile, motor, prefabricated, modular homes or houseboats; town/row houses with more than 4 units in a fire division; homes on the National Register of Historic Places or otherwise legally designated “historic”; homes under construction; or homes not readily accessible for inspection. Occupancy, ownership, and usage - Owner-occupied: to rate as owner primary (HO3/HO6) the home must be occupied at least 9 months per year and homesteaded. All properties must be used solely as private residences except for incidental permitted occupancies. - Vacant/unoccupied properties and homes currently for sale are ineligible (unless owner‑occupied primary residence with prior underwriting approval). Farms and ranches of any income level are ineligible. - Ownership: multiple individual owners >2 (excluding spouses) require underwriting pre‑approval. Personal trust risks must list trustee/grantor/beneficiary appropriately, and occupant must generally be the trustee/grantor/beneficiary (unless tenant-occupied). Corporate, business, or charitable trusts are ineligible. - LLC ownership: eligible for property if no more than 2 owners (spouses count as one), LLC engaged only in real‑estate activities, and managing member is named insured with LLC as additional insured. For liability, LLC membership generally limited to ≤4 related members or ≤2 unrelated members; no commercial property or non–real-estate business in LLC. If these criteria are not met, policy may only be written without liability, with entity named insured. Rental and short-term rental exposures - Rental exposures are handled primarily under HO6 and DP3. - Condos with any rental exposure must add endorsement HO 17 33 (Unit‑Owners Rental to Others). - Rentals for periods under 1 year must be written as tenant‑occupied seasonal. - Any occupancy by someone other than the titled owner is treated as tenant exposure, whether or not rent is paid; mixed owner/tenant occupancy can be acceptable. - If property is rented in increments of less than 1 month, insured must have a contract with a rental management company (contract not required to be submitted). Daily rentals are ineligible. - A completed, favorable Rental Exposure Questionnaire is required on all risks bound with rental exposure. Applicant and loss history - Prior coverage is required on all forms, with no more than a 45‑day lapse; force‑placed coverage is not considered prior insurance. - Risks previously rejected, cancelled, or non‑renewed for underwriting reasons by any carrier require prior approval. - Ineligible if prior losses exceed one non‑act-of‑God loss or involve severity concerns for any applicant or property in the last 5 years. All prior claims must be detailed on the application with cause, description, location, and amount paid. Liability and general ineligible hazards - Business exposures at the residence, including home day care, are ineligible. - Ineligible liability features include: window bars without quick‑release latches; any bicycle or skateboard ramps; excessive or unusual liability hazards; pools, ponds, or similar water exposures not enclosed by a screened cage or 4+ foot permanently installed, self‑locking fence (retractable child fences are not acceptable); pools/ponds with diving boards or slides. - Animal liability: vicious/dangerous or exotic animals with any prior loss history are not eligible. Excluded dog breeds for Animal Liability coverage include (purebred or mix): Pit Bull, Doberman Pinscher, Rottweiler, German Shepherd, Akita, Chow, Presa Canario, Wolf, American Bulldog, Beauceron, Caucasian Mountain Dog, Great Dane, Keeshond, Stafford Terrier, plus guard dogs and exotic animals (e.g., lions, tigers). Farm animals, livestock, and saddle animals are ineligible liability exposures. - Structures exceeding 1–2 family design are not eligible on standard HO forms (apartment buildings may be written on HO4 for tenants only). - Railings are required on steps or decks of three or more steps if height exceeds 36" or where liability hazard is elevated. Coverage structure, limits, and deductibles (operational highlights) - Forms supported: HO3, HO4, HO6, DP3 with defined maximum dwelling and content limits by construction year and county. Higher limits may be considered subject to underwriting review via quote submission. - Ordinance or Law: standard 25% of Coverage A included; optional buy‑ups to 50% of Coverage A available on eligible forms. - Fungi/wet or dry rot/bacteria: standard $10,000 limit with optional increases (typically $25,000 or $50,000, subject to coverage A/combined dwelling+contents thresholds, especially for HO6). - Deductibles: AOP options generally $1,000, $2,000, $2,500, $5,000 (higher options such as $10,000 and $25,000+ available at higher coverage thresholds). Hurricane deductibles 2%, 5%, 10% with X‑Wind options available by form; AOP/hurricane paired flat deductibles ($500/$500, $1,000/$1,000) not allowed in certain high‑risk coastal counties (Broward, Dade, Monroe, Palm Beach, Lee, Collier). Hurricane deductible may not be lower than AOP. - Trampolines: explicitly eligible on certain forms (e.g., HO3/DP3) subject to overall liability underwriting; not applicable on HO4/HO6. - Discounts: available for central station burglar/fire alarms (must be monitored 24/7), gated/guarded community, sprinkler systems (partial/full), multi‑policy with Frontline or affiliated flood carrier, and approved smart‑home water leak detection/auto‑shutoff systems. Submission and broker/producer notes - Agents must follow county appointment rules (e.g., only agents domiciled in or adjacent to certain high‑risk counties may write there). - Quote submissions are required for any risk requesting limits above the published quick‑reference maximums or falling outside standard criteria; exceptions must be reviewed by the Underwriting Team. - Older homes, non‑standard ownership, prior cancellations, or complex rental exposures should be pre‑referred to underwriting with full details (prior loss runs, photos, occupancy/rental questionnaires, and proof of required flood coverage where applicable). - Homes must be accessible for inspection; failure to allow inspection, or discovery of ineligible conditions, can result in cancellation or non‑renewal. - The guide notes that any exceptions or questions outside the stated rules should be emailed or submitted to the assigned Underwriting Team for review rather than bound without approval.

Referenced source pages