Universal Risk Advisors
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
Verified official guidance is available on Universal Property’s Florida binding guidelines and agent resources pages. Current published personal lines footprint shown on the agent site includes homeowners, condominiums, renters, and landlords, with the carrier stating it operates in 19 states and growing. For Home business, the clearest verified underwriting guidance located is Florida-focused. Preferred/target risks include owner-occupied HO3, HO6, HO4, and dwelling fire risks that fit stated age, protection class, and construction parameters, with 100% replacement cost valuation required for HO3/HO6/DP1/DP2/DP3 and HO8 allowed on ACV in certain cases. Florida limits published include HO3 up to $1M in all-wind/non-wind and up to $800k x-wind in tri-county, HO6 up to $500k Cov A, HO4 up to $300k Cov C, DP1 up to $400k, and DP2/DP3 up to $500k. High-value Florida guidance is also published separately for homes generally $1M-$5M Coverage A statewide, and $2M-$5M in tri-county for 1995+ construction. Geographic notes: Florida is explicitly written statewide, but binding is subject to closed territories/counties/ZIPs in Atlas Bridge; Universal Risk Advisors as MGA may restrict binding by concentration and require unbound submission in affected areas. Tri-county Broward/Miami-Dade/Palm Beach has tighter HO3 age/value rules. Submission/documentation requirements include completed and signed UPCIC application, required premium at bind, and immediate submission of bound applications; acceptable payment options are full pay, 55/45 two-pay, or four-pay. Wind mitigation credits require the Florida OIR-B1-1802 form, except limited photo-based hip-roof support for certain newer homes; 4-point inspection is required for properties older than 40 years except HO4/HO6/HO8. Replacement cost estimators are required, and 360 valuations are only accepted if completed through Atlas Processing; new business HO6 with Coverage A below $50k requires an RCE. Additional proof requirements include deed/HUD statement or proof of prior insurance within 45 days to avoid surcharge, and current interior color photos for new-purchase foreclosure or short-sale properties. Property restrictions/declines published include no vacant or unoccupied properties, no condo hotels, nursing/assisted living facilities, student housing, subletting, builder’s risk, commercial property/business exposure except licensed home day care, historic homes, farming/agricultural risks, properties over water, many open-foundation risks, mobile/manufactured/modular/trailer homes, dome/unusual construction, EIFS, Chinese drywall, pre-existing damage, and DIY construction. Mechanical/condition restrictions include shingle roofs generally 20 years or newer, wood roofs 15 years or newer, no polybutylene, limited/no PEX except newer/updated homes, minimum 100-amp service, no fuses, no certain hazardous electrical panels, no branch aluminum/cloth/knob-and-tube/double-tap wiring except stated remediations, operable A/C statewide, and vented heating in most counties. Eligibility/background restrictions in the high-value guide include disqualification for prior arson/fraud/misrepresentation, recent bankruptcies/foreclosures, recent felonies, prior first-party home/auto insurance lawsuits, prior sinkhole losses, and adverse recent loss history beyond narrow exceptions. Liability/safety notes include pool fencing/enclosure expectations, handrails on 3+ steps, and exclusions tied to unfenced pools, trampolines/diving boards/pool slides on certain forms, and home day care. Broker/producer instructions: business must originate from persons licensed for the agency by the company; brokered business is not acceptable unless placed under a written brokerage agreement. If a risk does not meet binding guidelines, it may still be submitted unbound if it meets the manual/applicable program criteria. Prior UPCIC cancellations or non-renewals other than non-pay disallow bound submission. Agents access business through Atlas Bridge, and Universal emphasizes onboarding/training and agent support resources on its official agent page.