{"id":905047,"date":"2025-11-25T15:02:09","date_gmt":"2025-11-25T22:02:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/?p=905047"},"modified":"2025-11-25T15:02:11","modified_gmt":"2025-11-25T22:02:11","slug":"resident-premises","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/resident-premises\/","title":{"rendered":"Florida Appellate Court Confirms Insurer Cannot Waive Residency Requirement in Homeowners Policy"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Stephanie Roman | Property Insurance Law Observer<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Florida\u2019s Fourth District Court of Appeal recently clarified the enforceability of the \u201cresidence-premises<\/a>\u201d requirement in homeowners\u2019 insurance policies. In\u00a0Universal Property & Casualty Insurance Company v. Boniface Jean<\/em>, the appellate court reversed a jury verdict in favor of the homeowner, holding that coverage cannot be created by waiver when the insured does not reside at the covered property.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Background<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The dispute arose when the homeowner sought coverage for a property loss under a homeowners\u2019 insurance policy. The policy expressly limited coverage to the property where the named insured resided\u2014a common \u201cresidence-premises\u201d requirement. During the claim investigation and at trial, the homeowner admitted he had never lived at the subject property, including on the date of the loss. Despite this undisputed fact, the trial court denied the insurer\u2019s motion for directed verdict, allowing the case to proceed to a jury on the theory that the insurer had waived the residency requirement by accepting premiums after learning of the homeowner\u2019s non-residency.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The jury ultimately found that while the homeowner did not reside at the property, the insurer had waived the residency requirement. The insurer appealed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Appellate Analysis<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Fourth District Court of Appeal reviewed the denial of the directed verdict de novo, emphasizing that coverage provisions define the scope of insurance and cannot be waived. The court cited established Florida precedent: \u201cWaiver cannot create coverage where none exists.\u201d See, e.g., Universal Prop. & Cas. Ins. Co. v. Qureshi<\/em>, 396 So. 3d 564 (Fla. 4th DCA 2024).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The appellate court distinguished coverage provisions from forfeiture conditions or post-loss defenses, such as timely notice requirements, which may be subject to waiver. The \u201cresidence-premises\u201d clause, however, was deemed a coverage provision. The court explained that if coverage does not exist under the policy from the outset, subsequent actions or inactions by the insurer\u2014including the continued acceptance of premiums\u2014cannot create coverage. Because the residency requirement is integral to the existence of coverage, it cannot be waived. In light of the undisputed evidence that the homeowner did not reside at the subject property, the appellate court found that the insurer was entitled to a directed verdict. Accordingly, the judgment was reversed and the case remanded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conclusion<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Fourth DCA\u2019s decision underscores that compliance with the residency requirement is essential for coverage under a homeowners\u2019 insurance policy. Coverage provisions, such as the residence-premises clause, are not subject to waiver regardless of an insurer\u2019s conduct after policy issuance. This ruling provides important guidance for both insurers and policyholders, reinforcing the necessity of adhering to the express terms of insurance contracts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Source:<\/strong>
Universal Property & Casualty Insurance Company v. Boniface Jean<\/em>, \u2014 So.3d \u2014-, 2025 WL 3222483 (Fla. 4th DCA Nov. 19, 2025).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

When one of your cases is in need of a construction expert, estimates, insurance appraisal or umpire services in defect or insurance disputes – please call Advise & Consult, Inc. at 888.684.8305, or email experts@adviseandconsult.net<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Stephanie Roman | Property Insurance Law Observer Florida\u2019s Fourth District Court of Appeal recently clarified the enforceability of the \u201cresidence-premises\u201d requirement in homeowners\u2019 insurance policies. In\u00a0Universal Property & Casualty Insurance Company v. Boniface Jean, the appellate court reversed a jury verdict in favor of the homeowner, holding that coverage cannot be created by waiver when… Continue reading Florida Appellate Court Confirms Insurer Cannot Waive Residency Requirement in Homeowners Policy<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[10721],"tags":[9895,22,12252],"class_list":["post-905047","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-insurance","tag-advise-consult","tag-insurance","tag-residence-premises","entry"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"yoast_head":"\nFlorida Appellate Court Confirms Insurer Cannot Waive Residency Requirement in Homeowners Policy - Advise & Consult, Inc.<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Florida\u2019s Fourth District Court of Appeal clarified enforceability of the \u201cresidence-premises\u201d requirement in homeowners\u2019 insurance policies\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/resident-premises\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Florida Appellate Court Confirms Insurer Cannot Waive Residency Requirement in Homeowners Policy - Advise & Consult, Inc.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Florida\u2019s Fourth District Court of Appeal clarified enforceability of the \u201cresidence-premises\u201d requirement in homeowners\u2019 insurance policies\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/resident-premises\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Advise & Consult, Inc.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Advise-Consult-Inc-126949043996790\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-11-25T22:02:09+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-11-25T22:02:11+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@adviseconsult\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@adviseconsult\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/resident-premises\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/resident-premises\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/0a11abe008083d5fb19c2b0feefe7bd7\"},\"headline\":\"Florida Appellate Court Confirms Insurer Cannot Waive Residency Requirement in Homeowners Policy\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-11-25T22:02:09+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-11-25T22:02:11+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/resident-premises\/\"},\"wordCount\":500,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/#organization\"},\"keywords\":[\"Advise & Consult\",\"insurance\",\"Residence Premises\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Insurance\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/resident-premises\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/resident-premises\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/resident-premises\/\",\"name\":\"Florida Appellate Court Confirms Insurer Cannot Waive Residency Requirement in Homeowners Policy - Advise & Consult, Inc.\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2025-11-25T22:02:09+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-11-25T22:02:11+00:00\",\"description\":\"Florida\u2019s Fourth District Court of Appeal clarified enforceability of the \u201cresidence-premises\u201d requirement in homeowners\u2019 insurance policies\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/resident-premises\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/\",\"name\":\"Advise & Consult, Inc.\",\"description\":\"Construction Expert Witnesses\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Advise & Consult\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/AC-Red-Logo.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/AC-Red-Logo.png\",\"width\":162,\"height\":75,\"caption\":\"Advise & Consult\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Advise-Consult-Inc-126949043996790\/\",\"https:\/\/x.com\/adviseconsult\",\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company-beta\/204526\/\",\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/user\/MrConstructionExpert\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/0a11abe008083d5fb19c2b0feefe7bd7\",\"name\":\"admin\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/b01e71b7acadd7657af782b7ad1a30cc?s=96&d=mm&r=pg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/b01e71b7acadd7657af782b7ad1a30cc?s=96&d=mm&r=pg\",\"caption\":\"admin\"},\"sameAs\":[\"http:\/\/www.expertwitnessinconstruction.com\"]}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Florida Appellate Court Confirms Insurer Cannot Waive Residency Requirement in Homeowners Policy - Advise & Consult, Inc.","description":"Florida\u2019s Fourth District Court of Appeal clarified enforceability of the \u201cresidence-premises\u201d requirement in homeowners\u2019 insurance policies","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/resident-premises\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Florida Appellate Court Confirms Insurer Cannot Waive Residency Requirement in Homeowners Policy - Advise & Consult, Inc.","og_description":"Florida\u2019s Fourth District Court of Appeal clarified enforceability of the \u201cresidence-premises\u201d requirement in homeowners\u2019 insurance policies","og_url":"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/resident-premises\/","og_site_name":"Advise & Consult, Inc.","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Advise-Consult-Inc-126949043996790\/","article_published_time":"2025-11-25T22:02:09+00:00","article_modified_time":"2025-11-25T22:02:11+00:00","author":"admin","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@adviseconsult","twitter_site":"@adviseconsult","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"admin","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/resident-premises\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/resident-premises\/"},"author":{"name":"admin","@id":"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/0a11abe008083d5fb19c2b0feefe7bd7"},"headline":"Florida Appellate Court Confirms Insurer Cannot Waive Residency Requirement in Homeowners Policy","datePublished":"2025-11-25T22:02:09+00:00","dateModified":"2025-11-25T22:02:11+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/resident-premises\/"},"wordCount":500,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/#organization"},"keywords":["Advise & Consult","insurance","Residence Premises"],"articleSection":["Insurance"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/resident-premises\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/resident-premises\/","url":"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/resident-premises\/","name":"Florida Appellate Court Confirms Insurer Cannot Waive Residency Requirement in Homeowners Policy - Advise & Consult, Inc.","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/#website"},"datePublished":"2025-11-25T22:02:09+00:00","dateModified":"2025-11-25T22:02:11+00:00","description":"Florida\u2019s Fourth District Court of Appeal clarified enforceability of the \u201cresidence-premises\u201d requirement in homeowners\u2019 insurance policies","inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/resident-premises\/"]}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/","name":"Advise & Consult, Inc.","description":"Construction Expert Witnesses","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/#organization","name":"Advise & Consult","url":"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/AC-Red-Logo.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/AC-Red-Logo.png","width":162,"height":75,"caption":"Advise & Consult"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Advise-Consult-Inc-126949043996790\/","https:\/\/x.com\/adviseconsult","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company-beta\/204526\/","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/user\/MrConstructionExpert"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/0a11abe008083d5fb19c2b0feefe7bd7","name":"admin","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/b01e71b7acadd7657af782b7ad1a30cc?s=96&d=mm&r=pg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/b01e71b7acadd7657af782b7ad1a30cc?s=96&d=mm&r=pg","caption":"admin"},"sameAs":["http:\/\/www.expertwitnessinconstruction.com"]}]}},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p2ztG6-3Nrx","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/905047","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=905047"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/905047\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":905048,"href":"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/905047\/revisions\/905048"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=905047"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=905047"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=905047"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}