Southern Oak Insurance
Carrier website links, underwriting access points, mapped product lines, and appetite notes in one place.
This appetite summary is only a guide. Confirm eligibility, submission requirements, restrictions, and binding authority directly with the carrier or underwriter before relying on it.
Carrier appetite summary
Southern Oak currently presents itself as a Florida-focused personal residential property carrier writing through independent agents statewide. Public-facing product pages show personal residential offerings for homeowners, renters, condo unit owners, and rental dwelling property, with agent access and submissions handled through the Southern Oak agency portal. The verified public underwriting document remains the Golden Leaf Protection Homeowners Program manual on the carrier site; although dated effective 1/1/2017, it is still the identifiable official underwriting manual publicly available on the website. Preferred business appears to be Florida owner-occupied personal residential property, with cleaner standard risks, conventional construction, acceptable protection, and stable applicants. The manual allows limited exceptions for seasonal/secondary residences, tenant policies, condo unit rentals to others, and new homes completed and occupied within 30 days. Restricted or declined classes in the published manual include non-owner-occupied homes outside stated exceptions; business-on-premises risks except incidental occupancy or eligible family day care; occupancy by 3 or more unrelated individuals; properties rented more than once per policy period, including weekly vacation-style condo rentals; vacant or unoccupied homes; prior sinkhole/earth movement locations unless repaired and, for partial losses, accompanied by a geotechnical engineer inspection/certification acceptable to Southern Oak; protection class 10 except approved subdivision exceptions; properties on landfills, over water, or without reliable year-round fire access/water supply; unacceptable adjacent commercial exposure within 300 feet; non-conventional or self-built homes; any mobile/manufactured/trailer home structure on premises; properties in disrepair or with hazards; older homes over 20 years that do not meet roof, electrical, plumbing, and HVAC standards; foundations other than continuous masonry; wood-burning stoves or portable space heaters; retrofitted solar on existing residences; HO-3 EIFS/synthetic stucco; applicants with felony history without restoration of civil rights; weak life/job/address stability; 3 or more mortgagees; prior first-party personal lines lawsuits; material misrepresentation concerns; and certain liability hazards including vicious/exotic animals and listed dog breeds, plus livestock/saddle animal exposure beyond personal use. Older-home standards specifically require shingle roofs no older than 20 years, tile/metal roofs no older than 30 years, no asbestos tile, minimum 150-amp breaker service, no fuses/knob-and-tube/cloth wiring/Federal Pacific/Zinsco/Stab-Lok, no galvanized or polybutylene plumbing, and functioning HVAC without leaks or deterioration. Geographic notes: Southern Oak identifies itself as Florida-based and serving Florida residents through a statewide independent-agent network. The manual includes Florida-specific treatment for sinkhole exposure, Citizens depopulation assumptions, and Florida licensing references for family day care in the home. Submission requirements and producer notes: risks outside guidelines may be sent as non-binding submissions for prior underwriting approval only; the carrier requires the submitting agent to identify the unmet guideline/circumstance, provide two properly angled photos with front and rear views plus photos of outbuildings/pool, and complete a replacement cost estimator. The agency portal tutorial indicates agents use the portal for quote/app activity and uploading required documents. Public producer messaging emphasizes independent-agent appointments and stability, but no newer public appetite bulletin or updated online underwriting guide was verified on the official site.