What Coverage C covers
Most Florida HO-3 policies provide personal property coverage at 50–75% of the dwelling coverage amount. For a home insured at $400,000 dwelling, that's $200,000–$300,000 in contents coverage. Typical items:
- Furniture
- Electronics (TVs, computers, audio)
- Appliances (non-built-in)
- Clothing and textiles
- Kitchen contents (dishes, cookware, small appliances)
- Books, art, media
- Outdoor equipment (grills, patio furniture, lawn tools)
- Tools and sporting equipment
Sublimited categories
Most policies cap recovery on certain high-value categories unless specifically scheduled:
- Jewelry: typically $1,500–$2,500 aggregate
- Firearms: typically $2,000–$2,500
- Cash: typically $200
- Business property in home: typically $2,500
- Silverware / goldware: typically $2,500
- Electronic data: often excluded or sublimited
High-value items should be scheduled (listed individually) on a personal articles floater to avoid the sublimit.
Why contents claims are commonly underpaid
- No inventory submitted. A handwritten list of "furniture, TV, clothes, kitchen stuff" will be depreciated heavily. An itemized, photographed, documented inventory with replacement-cost quotes typically doubles or triples the recovery.
- Aggressive depreciation. Carriers apply generic depreciation tables that often overdeplete. Specific item age, condition, and use matter.
- RCV holdback not released. Policies typically pay ACV initially and release the RCV holdback when items are actually replaced. The holdback is frequently forgotten.
- Scheduled items missed. If you have a personal articles floater, high-value items sit on a separate schedule that doesn't show up on the carrier's first offer.
- Mold / smoke-contaminated contents. Soft goods exposed to smoke or mold often cannot be cleaned economically: they must be replaced.
How Ocean Point prepares a contents claim
- Room-by-room inventory with photos, measurements, and identifying details.
- Replacement-cost research for every non-trivial item (manufacturer, model, current retail).
- Depreciation schedule matched to age, condition, and typical useful life.
- Schedule cross-reference against any personal articles floater.
- RCV-holdback tracking with receipt submission as items are replaced.
Who leads contents claims
Eli Goins (FL DFS #P159790) leads high-value and complex contents claims. Administrative support from our Hobe Sound office handles inventory coordination.