Most homeowners insurance policies include coverage for “catastrophic” damage, which basically means that if a sinkhole swallows your house, it's uninhabitable, and is condemned by the local government…then you are covered. Anything less and you will wish you bought an additional sinkhole rider.

    Here’s how Citizens Insurance, the second largest insuror in Florida, describes their default sinkhole coverage. 

 
   If you want the additional sinkhole coverage for lesser damage, you cannot do it in the middle of a policy term, so be sure to tell you agent when you renew. If your home is in one of the more sinkhole-prone counties in Florida, you will also have to get a sinkhole inspection and report before insurance can be bound. Those counties are Alachua, Citrus, Hamilton, Hernando, Hillsborough, Lake, Manatee, Marion, Pasco, Pinellas, Polk, Seminole, Sumter, Suwannee, Wakulla, and Washington. 

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Here’s links to a collection of our other blog posts about SINKHOLES:

• Why do so many more sinkholes open up after a hurricane?

• What is a chimney sinkhole?

• What are the warning signs of a sinkhole? 

• What causes sinkholes?

• How can homebuyers protect themselves against buying a house over a sinkhole?  

• What is my chance of buying a Florida home over a sinkhole? 

• How does a repaired sink hole under a house affect its market value?

• Where are sinkholes most likely to occur in Florida? 

• Are sinkholes happening more often?

   Visit our SINKHOLES page for other related blog posts on this subject, or go to the INDEX for a complete listing of all our articles.

Photo - Southwest Florida Water Management District