What it is
Fla. Stat. 627.7142 is the Homeowner Claims Bill of Rights: a standardized, one-page summary of a residential policyholder's rights that a Florida property insurer must deliver after a claim is filed. It does not create new rights or change your policy; it puts the rights that already exist under Florida law in front of you, in plain language, when you need them.
When the insurer must give it to you
The insurer must provide the Homeowner Claims Bill of Rights within 14 days of receiving an initial communication about a claim, unless an exception applies. If you never received it, note that in your claim file.
What it contains
The Homeowner Claims Bill of Rights summarizes key policyholder rights, including:
- The carrier's acknowledgment, inspection, and pay-or-deny deadlines (see Fla. Stat. 627.70131)
- The right to hire a public adjuster
- The right to free, state-sponsored mediation (Fla. Stat. 627.7015)
- The right to be represented by an attorney
- The right to file a complaint with the Department of Financial Services
- Interest accrual on payments the carrier makes late
What it does not do
- It does not expand or restrict your actual policy coverage.
- It does not replace the statutes it summarizes; the underlying deadlines and rights live in those statutes.
- It is not a substitute for reading your policy or getting representation on a disputed claim.
Why it matters
The statute exists because most homeowners don't know their rights at claim time, and carriers historically relied on that gap. Requiring the bill of rights with every claim closes it, and a carrier that ignores the rights it summarizes hands you evidence.
What to do when you receive it
- Read it, and keep it with your claim file.
- Mark the key deadlines on your calendar.
- If the carrier misses a deadline the document promises, document it: it supports a DFS complaint or a Civil Remedy Notice.