How long does an insurer have to handle an apartment building claim in Texas and Florida?

Texas: the insurer's clock

The Texas Department of Insurance summarizes the commercial property rules from Insurance Code sections 542.055 to 542.058 on its commercial property rights page. An apartment building is usually insured on a commercial policy, so these are the steps to watch.

The decision clock starts when the insurer has what it asked for, so the fastest way to a check is answering its information request completely and in writing. If an insurer stalls, TDI's help line takes complaints (TDI, claim deadlines).

Florida: your deadline and the insurer's

Florida puts a deadline on you first. Under section 627.70132, a new or reopened property insurance claim is barred unless you gave notice under the policy within 1 year after the date of loss, and a supplemental claim for more damage from the same event within 18 months. That applies to property insurance generally, including commercial policies.

Section 627.70131 then sets the insurer's pace. It applies to residential property insurers, so ask your agent whether your building's policy is written by one.

• Acknowledge your communication about a claim within 7 calendar days.
• Begin investigating within 7 days after receiving your proof-of-loss statements, and do any physical inspection within 30 days of them.
• Send you a copy of any detailed estimate within 7 days after its adjuster makes it.
• Pay or deny all or part of the claim within 60 days after notice of it, with a written explanation.

Your plan from the first hour

1. Stop the damage: shut the water, call your emergency plumber or restoration company, and make the area safe. Most policies expect you to prevent further damage, and the bills for doing so belong in the claim.
2. Photograph and video everything before cleanup, with the date visible, and keep damaged parts that show the cause, such as a split supply line.
3. Report the claim to your agent or insurer the same day. Write down the claim number, the adjuster's name and every call.
4. Tell affected tenants what is happening and what their own renters insurance is for. As the Texas Department of Insurance puts it to renters, "your landlord's insurance won't cover your personal items."
5. Answer every information request in writing and keep a copy. In Texas, that answer starts the 15-business-day decision clock.
6. Get your own repair estimate to compare with the adjuster's.
7. Track lost rent separately, unit by unit and day by day, if your policy has loss of rents coverage.

Example a made-up 16 unit building in Houston has a burst supply line on March 3 that floods two units and a hallway. The owner reports it that afternoon. The insurer acknowledges on March 10, inside 15 days, and asks for invoices and photos, which the owner sends on March 20. The approval or denial must follow within 15 business days of March 20, about three weeks, and the check within 5 days after an approval notice. Repairs cost $38,500 and the policy deductible is $10,000, so the payment is $38,500 minus $10,000, or $28,500. Two units renting at $1,350 a month sit empty for 1.5 months: $2,025 per unit, or $4,050 of lost rent, claimed separately under loss of rents.

Recording the claim in your books

Keep the claim visible in the property's books instead of netting it away. Record the repair bills as you pay them, record the insurance payment as its own line, and record the deductible you absorbed. Ask your tax preparer how to treat the proceeds and the repairs; a large loss can be a casualty with its own rules, and rebuilt parts of the building may need to be capitalized.

How DoorKeeping helps after a loss

Each damaged unit gets a work order, and you can send the job to your restoration vendor by link. Upload the restoration and repair invoices and DoorKeeping reads and codes them into the property's own books, with the bills attached, and the bank feed matches the insurer's payment when it lands. Store the policy, the claim letters and your photos in the property's documents, and use DoorKeeping's email to tenants to update affected households. DoorKeeping does not file or negotiate claims.

Sources

1. Texas Department of Insurance, Consumer rights for commercial property insurance, read Oct 30, 2026
2. Texas Department of Insurance, Insurance companies must meet deadlines to respond to Texas claims, read Oct 30, 2026
3. Texas Department of Insurance, Renters insurance, read Oct 30, 2026
4. Florida Statutes 627.70132, notice of property insurance claim, read Oct 30, 2026
5. Florida Statutes 627.70131, insurer's duty to acknowledge communications regarding claims; investigation, read Oct 30, 2026

Questions

How long does an insurance company have to pay a claim in Texas?

For commercial property, it must approve or deny within 15 business days after it has everything it asked for (45 more days if it says why), and pay within 5 days after approving.

How long do I have to report a property damage claim in Florida?

Notice of a new or reopened claim must be given within 1 year after the date of loss, and a supplemental claim within 18 months, under Florida Statutes 627.70132.

Does the landlord's insurance cover a tenant's belongings after a flood or fire?

Generally no. The Texas Department of Insurance tells renters that a landlord's insurance won't cover their personal items, which is what renters insurance is for.