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Citizens Insurance Quotes and Takeout Offer Help
Published October 25, 2026
Call or text 813-302-7151
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813-302-7151
813-302-7151
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We serve clients across Florida and work with multiple insurance carriers to help individuals, families, and business owners compare coverage options that fit their state and industry requirements.
We serve clients across Florida and work with multiple insurance carriers to help individuals, families, and business owners compare coverage options that fit their state and industry requirements.
a week ago
Excellent service and very professional staff. They made the process easy, answered all my questions, and helped me find the right coverage. Highly recommended!
4 months ago
Communication is great and process made sinple. Very educated and professional.
a week ago
Great attention to detail with exceptional service, thanks for your help 👍 definitely will recommend your services to friends and family.
a month ago
Ray & His Team have been beyond helpful these past years and continuing! Easy to communicate with, guidance throughout the process big or small company, he’s got you covered!
3 months ago
Reviews reflect individual customer opinions and experiences. They do not guarantee specific coverage, pricing, service timing, or claim outcomes.
Covered by Guzman can run a Citizens insurance quote for your Florida home, rental home or mobile home, along with quotes from the private carriers we work with. If you already have Citizens and got a takeout letter, we help you compare the offer with your Citizens renewal and stay your agent if the policy moves.
Call or text 813-302-7151, or send a request anytime. Most home quotes come back within 24 to 48 hours. The insurance company decides eligibility and price after underwriting.
We write Citizens policies directly
We write Citizens Property Insurance Corporation policies directly, including homeowners policies, landlord policies for long-term rentals on monthly leases, and Citizens mobile home policies. A Citizens policy can fit a home that private carriers won’t take, or one where comparable private quotes come in more than 20% above the Citizens price.
Because we quote Citizens and private carriers on the same request, you see both before you decide. If your private carrier sent you a nonrenewal or cancellation notice, send it with your request and we will check Citizens along with the private market before your coverage ends. We help in English and Spanish, and we have an Arabic-speaking team member.
What a Citizens policy costs
In real quotes our agency has run, Citizens homeowners policies have ranged from $1,400 to $5,800 a year (about $117 to $483 a month).
Your Citizens price depends on where the home is, the roof, the year it was built, its wind mitigation features and the hurricane deductible. Citizens sets the final price after underwriting. We run private home insurance quotes at the same time, and a private carrier’s price for the same home can come in higher or lower. Ask us to use the same hurricane deductible on the Citizens and private quotes so the prices compare fairly. There is no fee to you for a quote either way, because the insurance company pays our commission.
What a Citizens takeout or depopulation letter means
A takeout letter, also called a depopulation letter, tells you that a private insurance company has offered to take over your Citizens policy. The most important line in the letter is the deadline to respond. If you do nothing by that date, you may be moved to the private offer.
You can choose to stay with Citizens only if the takeout offer is more than 20% higher than your Citizens renewal premium. You make that choice by the deadline in the letter, through your agent or online (Citizens Property Insurance Corporation). Send us the letter as soon as it arrives so we can review the offer with you before it takes effect.
How to compare a takeout offer with your Citizens policy
Start with the response deadline. Then put the offer next to your Citizens renewal and check these lines:
- The yearly premium, and whether it is more than 20% above your Citizens renewal
- The hurricane deductible, since a lower premium can come with a higher one
- How the policy covers the roof
- The carrier’s terms, limits and exclusions
Send us the takeout letter and your Citizens declarations page, and we will lay the two side by side for you. We can also quote the other carriers we work with, in case a different private policy fits the home better than either one.
We stay your agent if your policy moves
When a takeout moves your Citizens policy to another carrier, we keep servicing it. You still call or text the same number for policy changes, proof of insurance for your lender and questions at renewal. If you pay through escrow, we send the new declarations page to your lender so the escrow account pays the right carrier.
If the new carrier’s price goes up at a later renewal, we can shop the home again with the carriers available to us, including Citizens if the home qualifies then.
Who is eligible for Citizens
Under Florida law, a primary home is not eligible for Citizens when a private insurer offers comparable coverage at a premium no more than 20% higher than Citizens (s. 627.351, Florida Statutes). Homes that aren’t a primary residence face the same 20% test at renewal, starting with renewals from July 1, 2024.
So a lower Citizens price alone doesn’t decide it. A comparable private offer within that 20% can make the home ineligible, which is why we look at both before you apply. Tell us whether the home is your primary residence, a rental or a second home, because the timing of the test is different. A takeout letter falls under the separate 20% rule above, which compares the offer with your Citizens renewal premium.
Flood insurance for Citizens policyholders
Citizens personal residential policies that include wind coverage must carry flood insurance. The rule started with homes in high-risk flood zones in 2023 and has moved down by home value each year. From January 1, 2027, it reaches all remaining Citizens homeowners and other personal residential policies with wind coverage at new business or renewal (Citizens flood insurance requirement). Condo unit owner policies, renters policies and policies that exclude wind are exempt. Check your Citizens notice for the date that applies to you.
The flood limit has to be at least your Citizens dwelling limit. If the NFIP can’t offer that much, Citizens accepts the most the home qualifies for, which is $250,000 in the regular NFIP program. NFIP or private flood both count. Proof is the Citizens Policyholder Affirmation Regarding Flood Insurance form plus the flood declarations page, or a pending flood application with proof of payment. Without proof, Citizens may not renew the policy.
Plan ahead on timing. An NFIP policy usually has a 30-day wait before it starts (FloodSmart). Florida law allows private flood policies and doesn’t set a waiting period, so it depends on the carrier, and some are shorter than 30 days. The NFIP runs on short extensions from Congress. If it lapses, new NFIP policies can pause, but existing policies stay in force until they renew. Private flood is not affected.
For our own clients, we fill out the Citizens flood affirmation form. If we aren’t your agent yet, call us about an agent of record change or moving your coverage to our team, and then we handle it. Read more about the Citizens flood requirement, or ask for NFIP and private flood quotes.
If you are replacing an NFIP flood policy with a private flood policy, you could lose a discounted (subsidized) NFIP rate and may pay a higher full-risk rate if you go back to the NFIP later. Before we place a private flood policy, we will ask you to sign a notice that explains this (s. 627.715, Florida Statutes).
Citizens rules for older homes, roofs and plumbing
Citizens requires a 4-point inspection for homeowners, dwelling and mobile home applications on homes more than 20 years old (Citizens inspections). Shingle roofs over 25 years old, and tile, metal, slate or concrete roofs over 50 years old, must show at least 5 years of remaining life, or Citizens requires a full replacement.
Citizens’ rules have said homes over 20 years old with polybutylene plumbing are not eligible for a new Citizens homeowners policy; check current rules with us. Our pages on older homes, an older roof and polybutylene plumbing cover the private carrier side, including Florida’s roof age rule for homeowners policies. Under that rule, a private insurer must allow an inspection before refusing a homeowners policy because the roof is 15 years or older.
What to have ready for a Citizens quote
- The property address and the year the home was built
- Your Citizens declarations page, if you have Citizens now
- The takeout letter, if you got one
- The roof year, or the roof permit
- 4-point, wind mitigation and roof inspection reports, if you have them
- Your flood declarations page, if you carry flood
The declarations page shows your current limits and deductibles, so we can compare the takeout offer or a private quote against the same coverage. Inspection reports matter most on homes over 20 years old, where Citizens asks for a 4-point. We review the reports you bring and can recommend an inspector if you ask. We don’t do inspections ourselves.
How getting a quote works
- Send your details. Call, text or use the form with your address, your declarations page and the takeout letter if you have one. Add the roof year and any inspection reports you already have.
- We compare the carriers available to us. That includes Citizens and the private carriers we work with, or the takeout offer next to your renewal. You see the price and the hurricane deductible for each option.
- You pick, and we set the start date. If you have a mortgage, we send proof of coverage to your lender.
Areas we serve
We write Citizens and private home policies throughout Florida from our office in Zephyrhills. Most of our quotes are in Tampa Bay, across Hillsborough, Pasco, Pinellas and Polk counties. See our service areas, including Tampa, St. Petersburg, New Port Richey and Wesley Chapel.
Related coverage and guides
Can you write a Citizens policy for me?
Yes. We write Citizens homeowners, landlord and mobile home policies directly. The home has to meet Citizens’ eligibility rules, including the 20% rule on comparable private offers, and Citizens decides after underwriting. We quote the private carriers we work with on the same request so you can see both.
What is a Citizens takeout or depopulation letter?
It is a notice that a private insurance company has offered to take over your Citizens policy. The letter gives a deadline to respond. If you do nothing by then, you may be moved to the private offer, so read the dates and send the letter to us early.
Do I have to accept a takeout offer?
It depends on the price. You can choose to stay with Citizens only if the takeout offer is more than 20% higher than your Citizens renewal premium. You make that choice by the deadline in the letter, through your agent or online at Citizens.
Will I keep the same agent if my policy is moved?
Yes, if we are your agent. When a takeout moves your Citizens policy to another carrier, we keep servicing it. Changes, proof of insurance for your lender and renewal questions still come to us, and we can shop the home again later if the price goes up.
Is Citizens cheaper than private insurance?
Sometimes. In our quotes, Citizens homeowners policies have run $1,400 to $5,800 a year. A primary home is not eligible for Citizens when a private carrier offers comparable coverage for no more than 20% above the Citizens premium, so we compare both. See our homeowners insurance quotes page.
Do I need flood insurance with Citizens?
Yes, for Citizens policies with wind coverage, on a phased schedule. From January 1, 2027, the rule reaches all remaining personal residential policies with wind coverage at new business or renewal. Condo unit owner, renters and wind-excluded policies are exempt. See our Citizens flood insurance page.
About the Author
Raymundo Guzman
I’m Raymundo Guzman, an independent insurance agent and the owner of Covered by Guzman. I help Florida homeowners, landlords and property owners compare home, condo, mobile home and flood insurance, along with the business coverage I write every day, using the carriers available to me rather than selling one company’s product.
Independent Insurance Agent · License #W512374 | NPN #18906048 · 813-302-7151
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Have a Citizens renewal or takeout letter?
Send the letter and your current declarations page. We compare your options with you before the deadline in the letter.
