Building property
The interior your master policy excludes — cabinetry, flooring, fixtures and any improvements you have made.
Personal Insurance
Condo insurance where the master policy stops.
The association insures the building. An HO-6 policy insures everything from the drywall inwards, plus the assessments the association can pass on to you.
Condo insurance exists to fill a gap created by a document most owners have never read: the association's master policy. That policy draws a line somewhere through the building, covering everything on one side of it and nothing on the other. Where exactly it draws that line varies from association to association — and your HO-6 needs to start precisely where it ends.
Bare walls, single entity, all-in
Master policies come in three broad forms. Bare walls covers the structure only, leaving you responsible for fixtures, cabinetry, flooring and built-ins. Single entity adds the original fixtures as first installed but not your upgrades. All-in covers the unit interior including improvements.
The difference between them is tens of thousands of dollars at claim time. Send us your association's declarations page and we will read it, then size the dwelling portion of your HO-6 to match. Guessing at this is how owners discover a shortfall in the middle of a repair.
Loss assessment is the cover people forget
When a loss exceeds the association's policy limits, or falls inside its deductible, the association can assess owners for the shortfall. Those assessments can be substantial, and they arrive whether or not your own unit was affected.
Loss assessment cover pays your share. It is inexpensive, and the standard limit included by default is often far lower than a realistic assessment — worth raising deliberately rather than accepting whatever the form defaults to.
What it covers
The parts of a condo insurance policy
Personal property
Contents, on the same replacement cost basis worth asking for on any personal policy.
Loss assessment
Your share when the association assesses owners for a loss above its limits or inside its deductible.
Personal liability
Injury or damage you are responsible for, inside the unit or elsewhere.
Loss of use
Living costs while the unit is uninhabitable during covered repairs.
Water backup
Damage from drains and sump overflow, which standard forms exclude and multi-storey buildings see regularly.
Working with us
What we do differently
We are an independent agency, so we place your condo insurance across several carriers rather than fitting you to one company's product. That means a genuine comparison, and someone to call who is not a call centre.
- Read the master policy first, then size the HO-6 to match its cut-off
- Raise loss assessment cover above the default limit
- Add water backup — it is a common multi-unit claim and excluded as standard
- Insure improvements you have made, not the unit as originally built
Common questions
Condo Insurance, answered
What is an HO-6 policy?
HO-6 is the standard form for a condominium or co-op unit owner. It covers the interior of the unit, personal property, liability and loss assessment, and is designed to sit alongside the association's master policy rather than duplicate it.
How much building cover do I need on a condo?
It depends entirely on where the master policy stops. Under a bare walls master policy you may need substantial cover for cabinetry, flooring and fixtures; under an all-in policy far less. Send us the association declarations and we will size it properly.
Does my HO-6 cover damage I cause to a neighbouring unit?
Your liability section responds if you are legally responsible — an overflowing bath reaching the unit below is the classic example. Water backup from drains is a separate cover worth adding.
Is my mortgage lender going to require this?
Almost always. Lenders typically require an HO-6 on a condominium purchase and will want to see the policy before closing. We can turn documentation around quickly when a closing date is fixed.
What is loss assessment cover?
When the association suffers a loss above its policy limits, it can bill owners for the shortfall. Loss assessment cover pays your share. Default limits are often low relative to a realistic assessment, so it is worth increasing.
Related cover
Often arranged alongside this
Renters Insurance
Your landlord insures the building. Nothing in that policy covers your belongings, or what you owe if a fire in your unit spreads.
Read moreHomeowners Insurance
Hail is the peril that defines property insurance in DFW. How your policy settles a roof claim matters more here than almost anywhere else in the country.
Read moreUmbrella Insurance
An umbrella policy sits on top of your auto and home liability. When a judgment exceeds those limits, it is what stands between the claim and your assets.
Read moreReady for a condo insurance quote?
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