Florida property claim representation
A fee multiplier is different from a contingency percentage.
A contingency agreement describes how a client compensates an attorney. A court-awarded fee multiplier concerns the calculation of an attorney-fee award when the law permits one. Neither should be assumed from the size of a property claim.
Reviewed November 2, 2026. Coverage and available remedies depend on your policy, loss facts and applicable law.
Start with the fee award’s legal basis
Before discussing a multiplier, an attorney must determine whether a statute, contract or another legal basis permits a fee award in the case. A fee-calculation method does not itself establish the right to make an insurer pay the fees.
What “lodestar” means
The lodestar method generally starts with reasonable hours multiplied by a reasonable hourly rate. A multiplier increases that figure when the applicable law and evidence support an enhancement. It is not a multiple of the homeowner’s repair estimate or an automatic increase in the insurance payment.
For example, doubling a hypothetical $20,000 lodestar produces a $40,000 fee figure. That arithmetic does not predict whether fees are recoverable, whether a multiplier is allowed or what a client owes under a separate agreement.
Florida law changed in 2023
Section 57.104(2) contains a strong presumption that a lodestar fee is sufficient and reasonable, with a narrow evidence-based exception. The HB 837 legislative record explains the 2023 change.
Property-insurance attorney-fee entitlement also changed through the December 2022 reforms. Older articles about favorable multiplier cases should therefore be read with the policy dates and current legal framework in mind. Our 2018 case update provides an example.
What a homeowner should ask
- What fees and costs will I owe under the agreement?
- Is there a legal basis to recover fees from the insurer in this case?
- What law applies to my policy and the proposed action?
- What could the net recovery be after fees and costs?
- Could an offer of judgment or another rule create additional exposure?
See the current Florida attorney-fee guide. An attorney should answer legal questions about a specific case. A public adjuster’s fee is a separate issue addressed in our public adjuster compensation guide.
Concerned about a claim payment?
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