Sell your house with sinkhole damage, repaired or not.
HBS buys houses directly for cash and as is. Florida sinkhole claims have been concentrated in Hernando, Pasco, and Hillsborough counties, so buyers and insurers here look closely at claim history and repairs. Whether the house was stabilized or never repaired, we can make an as-is cash offer once we understand the reports and the claim history.
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We buy houses across Florida, from our home base in Hillsborough, Pinellas, Pasco & Hernando counties. Every purchase depends on property fit, a signed agreement, and title.
What house do you want to sell?
Start with the property address. You do not need photos, repair estimates, or paperwork.
What Florida law says about selling a sinkhole house.
Sinkhole rules are mostly insurance rules, but they shape what buyers ask for and what sellers must disclose.
Collapse coverage vs. sinkhole coverage
Every Florida homeowner policy must cover catastrophic ground cover collapse, which requires an abrupt collapse, a visible depression, structural damage, and an order to vacate. Other structural damage from sinkhole activity is covered only under optional sinkhole loss coverage, which insurers must offer for an added premium and may require an inspection to add.
Claim deadlines and testing
Notice of a sinkhole claim is due within 2 years after you knew or reasonably should have known about the damage. The insurer inspects, hires a professional engineer or geologist to test, and pays to stabilize the land and repair the foundation according to that report.
How repair money is paid
Until a repair contract is signed, the insurer can limit payment to actual cash value, which does not include underpinning or grouting. You have 90 days after coverage is confirmed to sign a repair contract, and the insurer pays as the work is performed.
Reports are recorded
When an insurer pays a sinkhole claim, the engineer's report and certification, including the amount paid, are filed with the county clerk and recorded. Recording is not a lien, encumbrance, or restriction on title, but buyers can find it.
What sellers must disclose
If you made a sinkhole claim and the insurer paid it, Florida requires you to tell the buyer before closing that a claim was paid and whether the full proceeds were used to repair the damage.
Insurance for the next owner
Citizens offers sinkhole loss as an optional endorsement, requires an inspection to add it in Hernando, Hillsborough, Pasco, and Pinellas, and asks for documentation of repairs on any home that has ever had a sinkhole loss.
What can affect your as-is cash offer.
| Input | How it affects the offerPlain English |
|---|---|
| Repair status | Stabilized with documentation, partly repaired, or never repaired: each changes the buyer pool and the price. |
| Engineering reports | The engineer's or geologist's testing, recommendations, and completion certificate are the core documents. |
| Claim history | Paid claims, the amounts, and how the money was used affect disclosure and insurability. |
| Structure and location | Cracks, floors, doors, and the lot and neighborhood still drive the as-is value. |
How the property and local records can change the sale.
Pinellas County
Pinellas is one of the counties where Citizens requires an inspection before adding sinkhole loss coverage, and a 2014 Senate analysis found Citizens' 2009 to 2013 sinkhole claims concentrated in Hernando, Hillsborough, Pasco, and Pinellas.
Hillsborough County
The Hillsborough County Property Appraiser publishes a subsidence map showing remediated and unremediated sites and says it will review subsidence to decide whether an assessment adjustment is warranted.
Pasco County
The Pasco Property Appraiser offers a sinkhole map layer, and its parcel records include a subsidence activity field, so buyers can see recorded history.
Hernando County
Hernando is one of the three counties called sinkhole alley; with Pasco and Hillsborough it accounted for 66 percent of Florida sinkhole claims in a Florida Senate review of 2006 to 2009 claims.
What to gather before selling a sinkhole house.
The reports matter more than the cracks. Share what you have, even if it is incomplete.
Engineer or geologist reports
Testing reports, repair recommendations, and any stabilization or completion certificate.
Claim history
Claim numbers, payments, and whether the money was used for repairs.
Repair records
Contracts, grouting or underpinning invoices, permits, and warranties.
Current condition
Photos of cracks, doors, floors, and the yard, plus anything that has changed since repairs.
How the cash sale moves from first call to closing.
Send the address and what you know
Share the claim history, any engineer or geologist reports, and photos of cracks or repairs. Partial records are fine.
Get an as-is cash offer
We review the reports and repair status and price the house as it is today.
Close on your timeline
You give the required sinkhole disclosure, and the title company handles payoffs and closing on the date you choose.
More help for this Florida home sale.
Check the rules behind this page.
These primary sources explain the rules summarized above. They are not legal, tax, or insurance advice; an attorney, CPA, insurance professional, or building official should confirm how they apply to your property.
Florida Statutes, s. 627.7073 (sinkhole reports and disclosure)
Recorded sinkhole reports and the seller's disclosure of paid claims.
Open official sourceFlorida Statutes, s. 627.706 (sinkhole coverage)
Collapse coverage, optional sinkhole loss coverage, and the 2-year notice.
Open official sourceFlorida Statutes, s. 627.707 (sinkhole claims)
Testing, the 90-day repair contract, and payment as work is done.
Open official sourceFlorida Geological Survey subsidence incident reports
The public incident map and its caveat that reports are unverified.
Open official sourceCitizens Property Insurance: Sinkholes
The optional sinkhole endorsement and inspection requirements.
Open official sourceFlorida Senate Interim Report 2011-104
Sinkhole claim data for Hernando, Pasco, and Hillsborough.
Open official sourceSinkhole Damage cash-sale questions.
Yes. Repaired or unrepaired, a sinkhole house can be sold. If you made a sinkhole claim that was paid, you must disclose it before closing, along with whether the full payout went to repairs.
Likely. When an insurer pays a sinkhole claim, the engineer's report and certification are recorded with the county clerk, though recording is not a lien on title.
Catastrophic ground cover collapse is always covered. Other sinkhole damage, such as structural cracking from sinkhole activity, is covered only if the policy includes optional sinkhole loss coverage.
Notice is due within 2 years after you knew or reasonably should have known about the damage.
Until a repair contract is signed, the insurer can limit payment to actual cash value, which excludes underpinning and grouting. If you sell, you must disclose whether the full payout went to repairs.
The Florida Geological Survey says no agency has responsibility for sinkhole inspections. Report it to your insurer, which arranges testing by an engineer or geologist.
Get a cash offer for your house as is.
727-497-7766Start with the address and what is going on. There is no obligation to accept the offer.
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