634.312 Forms; required provisions and procedures.
634.312 Forms; required provisions and procedures.
(1) All home warranty contracts are assignable in a consumer transaction and must contain a statement informing the purchaser of the home warranty of her or his right to assign it, at least within 15 days from the date the home is sold or transferred, to a subsequent retail purchaser of the home covered by the home warranty and all conditions on such right of transfer. The home warranty company may charge an assignment fee not to exceed $40. Home warranty assignments include, but are not limited to, the assignment from a home builder who purchased the home warranty to a subsequent home purchaser.
(2) Subject to the insurer’s or home warranty association’s requirement as to payment of premium, every home warranty shall be mailed or delivered to the warranty holder not later than 45 days after the effectuation of coverage, and the application is part of the warranty contract document.
(3) All home warranty contracts must state in conspicuous, boldfaced type that the home warranty may not provide listing period coverage free of charge.
(4) All home warranty contracts must disclose any exclusions, restrictions, or limitations on the benefits offered or the coverage provided by the home warranty contract in boldfaced type, and must contain, in boldfaced type, a statement on the front page of the contract substantially similar to the following: “Certain items and events are not covered by this contract. Please refer to the exclusions listed on page of this document.”
(5) Each home warranty contract shall contain a cancellation provision. Any home warranty agreement may be canceled by the purchaser within 10 days after purchase. The refund must be 100 percent of the gross premium paid, less any claims paid on the agreement. A reasonable administrative fee may be charged, not to exceed 5 percent of the gross premium paid by the warranty agreement holder. After the home warranty agreement has been in effect for 10 days, if the contract is canceled by the warranty holder, a return of premium shall be based upon 90 percent of unearned pro rata premium less any claims that have been paid. If the contract is canceled by the association for any reason other than for fraud or misrepresentation, a return of premium shall be based upon 100 percent of unearned pro rata premium, less any claims paid on the agreement.
(6) By July 1, 2011, each home warranty contract sold in this state must be accompanied by a written disclosure to the consumer that the rate charged for the contract is not subject to regulation by the office. A home warranty association may comply with this requirement by including such disclosure in its home warranty contract form or in a separate written notice provided to the consumer at the time of sale.
History. s. 1, ch. 77-339; ss. 2, 3, ch. 81-148; s. 2, ch. 81-318; s. 3, ch. 83-265; ss. 32, 33, 34, ch. 83-323; s. 1, ch. 84-94; s. 2, ch. 86-75; s. 46, ch. 88-166; s. 19, ch. 90-119; s. 20, ch. 93-195; s. 4, ch. 95-245; s. 4, ch. 97-74; s. 46, ch. 99-7; s. 3, ch. 99-293; s. 17, ch. 2001-281; s. 1464, ch. 2003-261; s. 6, ch. 2006-272; s. 23, ch. 2010-175.