Home & Money / New homeowners
Closing papers, homestead, tax notices, insurance, storm preparation, association mail, and repair records do not arrive on the same schedule.
Start with the next real date, not with January. Florida supplies a few fixed tax checkpoints. Your policies, mortgage, association papers, warranties, and house records supply the rest.
How to use this page
This is an owner calendar, not a promise that every home uses every date. Start with the closing and county records. Then add only the policies, association papers, systems, contracts, and local rules that belong to this address.
First 30 days
Four short records make later taxes, renewals, repairs, and storm calls much easier.
Keep the recorded deed, final title policy, Closing Disclosure or settlement statement, survey, loan papers, and proof of payment. Match the owner names, parcel ID, legal description, and mailing address.
Save the inspection reports and the known age, model, permit, invoice, and warranty records for the roof, HVAC, electrical, plumbing, water heater, pool, septic system, well, shutters, and other major parts that apply.
Add the mortgage, escrow, home or wind policy, flood policy, association dues, CDD or district charges, utilities, pest contract, and service plans. The seller's old tax bill and monthly payment are history, not your full first-year budget.
Photograph the home and belongings, save policy numbers and deductibles, and locate the water, power, and gas shutoffs. Then record the evacuation zone, county alerts, safe place, supplies, and the people and pets included in the plan.
Typical Florida year
County dates can move around weekends, holidays, certification, or the notice itself. Keep the paper and use the deadline printed on it.
January-March
January 1 is Florida's assessment date and the key residence date for homestead that tax year. First-time homestead and portability filings generally go to the county property appraiser by March 1. If the purchase or move happened after January 1, ask the county which tax year and filing path fit. Do not assume the seller's exemption moved with the deed.
April-May
Atlantic hurricane season starts June 1, but the useful work starts earlier. Review the declarations pages, hurricane deductible, flood policy, inventory, evacuation plan, county alerts, shutters, roof papers, and any repair that could become a larger leak. A season date is not an insurance effective date.
June-July
Property appraisers may mail exemption or portability denials around this part of the year. Florida Revenue says a Value Adjustment Board petition about a denial generally has a 30-day window after the notice was mailed. Read the actual notice and its deadline. An informal call does not replace the petition the notice calls for.
August-October
The August TRIM notice is a proposal, not a bill. Check the owner and mailing address, just value, assessed value, taxable value, exemptions, proposed taxes, non-ad valorem assessments, and hearing dates. A valuation petition is generally due within 25 days after the notice is mailed, so use the printed county deadline instead of waiting for November.
November-December
The tax collector generally sends the bill in November. Florida Revenue lists discounts of 4 percent in November, 3 percent in December, 2 percent in January, and 1 percent in February. The bill becomes delinquent April 1 if unpaid. If a lender pays from escrow, read your copy and compare it with the TRIM notice and escrow analysis.
The house supplies the rest
Use each declarations page for its own expiration date, premium, limits, deductibles, and named insured. Review coverage with the agent at least once a year and before a lapse. An NFIP policy does not renew itself, and a lapse can lead to a new waiting period. Private flood terms may differ.
Use the servicer's statement for the annual escrow analysis, shortage or surplus, and new payment. Compare it with the county tax bill and insurer's renewal. The servicer, property appraiser, tax collector, and insurer answer different parts of the change.
Record assessment dates, the association's fiscal year, annual and budget meetings, insurance notices, reserve or repair papers, and approval windows. An association does not have to use the calendar year. Its documents and current notices supply the dates.
Carry forward the inspection, service, treatment, warranty, and renewal dates that came with the house. Florida does not give every home one statewide maintenance schedule. The equipment maker, warranty, licensed professional, insurer, association, and local office may each set a different check.
For new work, calendar contract payments, notices, inspections, association approval, warranty dates, and the final permit status. An issued permit is not the same as a passed final inspection or closed permit. Keep releases and final payment records with the project.
Year-end file
First-year surprises
A change in ownership can remove the prior owner's exemptions and assessment benefit. Florida Revenue says reassessment generally takes effect January 1 after purchase. Use a buyer-side estimate and the county parcel record.
An escrow estimate can change after the new tax bill or insurance premium reaches the servicer. Keep the county, insurer, and servicer papers separate so a higher payment has a visible cause.
Home, wind, flood, pest, warranty, association, and service records can use different dates. Put each expiration on the calendar from the actual document.
FAQ
No. Start with the first-month file, then move to the next date in front of you. A July buyer should not wait until January to review insurance, county records, storm plans, association papers, or open repairs.
No. It does not become your exemption just because the deed changed hands. The prior owner's exemption and Save Our Homes benefit can still appear on the purchase-year bill. The property appraiser generally removes them and reassesses the home on January 1 after the purchase, then reviews your own residence facts, application, and any portability request.
No. The property appraiser sends the TRIM notice with proposed values, exemptions, taxes, assessments, and hearing information. The tax collector generally sends the bill in November.
Yes. Florida Revenue says the tax collector sends the bill to the mortgagee and a copy to the owner when the mortgagee holds the tax escrow. Read your copy for the parcel, exemptions, tax amounts, non-ad valorem lines, and mailing address.
Put the policy expiration date on the calendar and start before it becomes urgent. Florida DFS recommends checking coverage with the agent once a year. Read home, wind, and flood papers separately because they may not share terms or renewal dates.
No. Start with the age and condition of the house, inspection and repair records, equipment instructions, warranties, service or treatment contracts, insurer requests, association rules, and local requirements. A generic internet schedule does not replace those records.
No. Use the association's fiscal year, governing documents, budget notice, annual meeting notice, and current manager or board records. Keep HOA, condo, co-op, CDD, and tax-bill charges separate.
No. June 1 is the start of Atlantic hurricane season, not a universal insurance deadline. NFIP coverage commonly has a 30-day waiting period for a new policy, with listed exceptions. Renewal and private flood terms can differ, so use the actual policy and current insurer instructions.
Next steps
Use the page that owns the next date, document, or local answer.
Purchase
Follow the address, contract, inspection, insurance, title, closing, and recording work that comes before this calendar.
Open the buying guide ->Tax
Use the January 1 facts, March 1 filing path, county property appraiser, and Save Our Homes basics.
Open homestead basics ->Records
Keep the deed, title, survey, tax, insurance, permit, association, district, and storm records together.
Build the home file ->Local
Open the place and county directory for the property appraiser, tax collector, clerk, emergency office, and school district.
Find the place ->Official checks
Florida Revenue supplies the statewide property-tax calendar and county-office path. DFS, FloodSmart, Florida Disaster, DBPR, FDACS, and the owner's current papers supply the insurance, storm, association, and home-record checks.
Last reviewed: July 14, 2026
Use this carefully: Use the notice, policy, mortgage statement, association record, warranty, permit file, and county instructions for this address. This calendar does not extend a filing deadline, create insurance coverage, settle a tax appeal, or replace a licensed inspection or professional review.
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