Your one stop for condo insurance.
Stop calling agent after agent for one quote each. One call, and a licensed agent shops your HO-6 with several insurance companies, A-rated options included, then lays the offers side by side. You pick.
You are in the right place. Keep reading for the answer, or call and let the shopping start now.
Condo owners and the association's policy
Condo Master Insurance Policy
The licensed agent behind this site reads the association's master policy before quoting, because it decides what your HO-6 must pick up. The master policy usually insures the building, common elements and association liability; its type (bare walls or all-in) sets how far inside your unit it reaches, and you get a copy by asking the manager in writing.
Below: why the type labels confuse people, the deductible, your right to records, lender rules and how to set your own policy from it.
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Chicago lakefront skyline of residential and mixed-use high-rises seen across Lake Michigan from North Avenue Beach. Photo: Chris Rycroft, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Condo master insurance policy: the cover your dues buy
The association buys it, your dues pay for it, and your own policy is sized around what it leaves out.
- Bought in the association's name
- Premiums come out of the shared budget
- Your HO-6 fills the rest
A condo building runs on two layers of insurance, even if owners only ever see one bill. The association insures the shared property under one master policy; each owner insures the rest of the picture under a unit-owner policy.
Washington's insurance regulator describes it the same way: owners usually live with two policies, the HO-6 they buy themselves and a community master policy funded through owner dues1.
You never sign the master policy and cannot change it alone. You can read it, and it pays to, because its limits and deductible flow straight into your own coverage and your assessment risk. A house owner, by contrast, carries one policy for all of it; see condo insurance versus homeowners insurance.
Go deeper: who pays the premium, and whether you count as an insured
The premium is usually a common expense, built into the budget your dues fund. New Jersey's condo act, for one, has the association insure all common elements and every structural portion of the property and treats that cost as a common expense2.
Maryland's insurance regulator says an association there must buy the master policy, charges its cost as a common expense, and expects it to cover the structures and common areas3. Maryland's regulator also treats every unit owner as an insured under the master policy who may claim for a covered loss, and says a management company cannot refuse to pass an owner's claim along4 (Maryland Insurance Administration Bulletin 9-224).
Some states leave the decision to the documents. New York's statute has the board of managers insure the building if its declaration or bylaws call for it, or if most owners vote for it, and building premiums are charged as common expenses5. Whether you can claim under the master policy yourself depends on your state and the policy wording, so check the policy.
Master insurance condo types: one label, opposite meanings
The type tells you how far into your unit the association's cover reaches, and people use the names loosely.
- Bare walls: the structure, little else
- All-in: original finishes, maybe upgrades too
- Walls-in can point at either policy
Ask the manager which type the building carries, then confirm it in the policy wording. A label in a listing or a board email is shorthand; the master policy and the declaration decide.
Watch the phrase walls-in. Some associations use it for a master policy that reaches inside the units. Lenders use it for the owner's own HO-6. Same words, two different policies.
FHA's handbook uses walls-in for the owner's side: insurance on the unit interior and the belongings in it, which the lender must confirm the borrower carries when the master or blanket policy stops short of the interior6.
Go deeper: one regulator's definitions of the three types
- Bare walls, or walls out. In Washington's consumer guidance this type reaches only to the unfinished sheetrock and subfloor, plus the roof, the common areas and possibly the windows, leaving owners the community deductible and every interior finish7.
- All-in, excluding improvements or betterments. This type rebuilds the unit to its original interior and exterior finishes but not an owner's upgrades, such as granite that replaced the builder's laminate counters8.
- All-in. This type takes in the exterior and every interior finish, from cabinets, trim and paint to light fixtures and floor coverings, while owners still answer for the master deductible on their own policy9.
You may hear other names as well. Whatever the label, ask two questions in writing: does the policy rebuild the original interior finishes, and does it rebuild upgrades owners added?
Florida skips the labels and writes the line into statute: the association policy covers the property as originally installed, or its like kind and quality, plus alterations or additions the association approves to the condominium or association property, and leaves out unit-only items such as floor, wall and ceiling coverings, appliances, water heaters, built-in cabinets and countertops10 (s. 718.111(11)(f), Fla. Stat. (2026)10). Turning the type into a Coverage A number is covered in how much condo insurance you need.
What does a condo association insurance policy cover?
Usually three things: the building, the shared spaces and the association's own liability. Your belongings are never on that list.
- Structure and common elements
- Claims made against the association
- Not your contents or your personal liability
Building and common elements
Roof, exterior walls, hallways, lobbies, elevators and shared systems, plus as much of each unit's interior as the policy type reaches.
Association liability coverage
Claims against the association, such as a fall in a common stairwell. It is written to protect the association, not you inside your unit.
What the master policy leaves you
Your belongings, your own liability, living costs while you are displaced, and whatever interior the type leaves out.
Other association policies
Many associations hold separate cover for board decisions, theft of association funds or equipment. Ask for a list of every policy.
Go deeper: what two state condo acts say about the association's cover
Illinois sets a floor for the property side: the association's policy must cover both the common elements and the units themselves, with each unit's bare walls, floors and ceilings in, unless the board opts otherwise11. Virginia's act lets the condominium instruments call for a master liability policy covering the association, the board, the managing agent and all owners and occupants12.
Go deeper: waiver of subrogation in condominium insurance
Subrogation is an insurer's right, after paying a claim, to recover the money from whoever caused the loss. Without a waiver, the association's insurer could fix the building and then pursue the owner whose washing machine hose split.
North Carolina's act has association policies waive subrogation against unit owners and their households, and puts the association's policy first, ahead of an owner's own insurance on the same risk13 (N.C. Gen. Stat. 47C-3-113(d)(2)13). That act governs condominiums created after October 1, 1986; older ones follow a different chapter14.
Pennsylvania's Uniform Condominium Act requires the same waiver for the condominiums it governs and makes the association policy primary, so it does not share a loss with an owner's other insurance on the same property15 (68 Pa.C.S. 3312(c)(2)15). Pennsylvania's rule reaches condominiums created after the act took effect in 198016.
Illinois runs the waiver both ways: the insurer gives up subrogation against owners, their households, the association and board members, and owners give up theirs under the association policy against the association and the board17 (765 ILCS 605/12(e)17).
For loans under Fannie Mae's guide, the master policy needs a condominium association endorsement, or an equivalent, that recognizes an insurance trustee, waives the insurer's right to recover from unit owners and makes the master policy primary18.
A waiver is not a free pass. Damage you cause to a neighbor's belongings or upgrades may sit outside the master policy, which is where your own liability coverage comes in. Check your policy.
Find the master deductible, because it can land on you
The master policy pays nothing until its deductible is met, and that amount can come back to owners.
- Look for a per-unit deductible
- Note any separate peril deductible
- Your documents say who pays it
The deductible is printed on the master policy declarations or certificate. Write down each one: the all-perils amount and any separate deductible for wind, water or another cause.
How it reaches you depends on state law and the declaration. The association may absorb it, spread it over every owner as an assessment, or charge it to the unit where the damage began.
Your HO-6 can answer for part of it, through loss assessment or, for damage inside your unit, Coverage A. Run your share in the loss assessment calculator, and see how a condo special assessment gets billed.
Go deeper: state deductible rules and lender caps
- Illinois. The board has three routes: treat the deductible as a common expense; after notice and a hearing, bill it to the owners responsible for the damage or those whose units the loss came from; or have the owners of the damaged units pay it19.
- Pennsylvania. The executive board charges the uninsured deductible portion, along with any self-insured loss, back to owners through a special allocation of expenses20.
- Virginia. A buyer's resale certificate must say that the governing documents may make an owner answer for all or part of the deductible on a claim21.
Fannie Mae's guide caps the master policy deductible at 5% of the master policy's coverage amount22. Where the master policy uses a per-unit deductible, the guide caps it at $50,000 per unit and requires the borrower to carry a unit owners policy23.
How to get a copy of the HOA master insurance policy
Ask the manager or board in writing, name the document you want, and keep the date you asked.
- Certificate: quick proof the cover exists
- Declarations: type, limits, deductibles
- Full policy: the actual wording
Where to find the HOA master insurance policy: the management company, the board secretary, the owner portal or the association's own insurance agent. Resale packages and lender questionnaires often carry a summary too.
Certificate of insurance
A short page confirming the policy, its dates and the main limits. Enough to start a quote, rarely enough to size one.
Master policy declarations
The summary pages: named insured, policy period, limits, every deductible, and often the coverage basis that reveals the type.
The full master policy
The form and endorsements behind the declarations. Ask for it when the type or a deductible rule is unclear.
Send the request by email and name the policy year. A dated written request matters, because several states start a response clock from it.
Go deeper: state laws that give owners access to the policy
- Florida. Every current insurance policy of the association belongs in its official records24 (s. 718.111(12)(a)8., Fla. Stat. (2026)24). Owners, or someone they authorize, may inspect and copy those records at reasonable times and expense without stating a reason, and missing the 10 working day mark after a written request is presumed willful25.
- Illinois. The board must keep the association's current insurance policies, and an owner may inspect and copy them through a written request naming the records; no response within 10 business days counts as a denial26 (765 ILCS 605/1926).
- North Carolina. In North Carolina condominiums created after October 1, 1986, the association's insurer must issue a certificate or memorandum of insurance to any unit owner or mortgagee who asks in writing27 (N.C. Gen. Stat. 47C-3-113(g)27).
- Pennsylvania. Under Pennsylvania's Uniform Condominium Act, the insurer must hand a certificate or memorandum of insurance to any unit owner who requests one28 (68 Pa.C.S. 331228).
Elsewhere, read the records section of your bylaws and your state's condo act; many give owners a right to see association records. Once you have the papers, hold them next to your own condo insurance declarations page.
Know your rights when the master policy changes or lapses
Several states make the association, or its insurer, tell owners when cover changes, ends or cannot be bought.
- Notice of new policies and changes
- Advance notice before a cancellation
- A lapse touches your loan and your claims
A lapsed or shrunken master policy hits every owner at once. A covered loss to the building may go unpaid, assessments can follow, and a lender may flag the loan. Your HO-6 is not built to stand in for it.
If a notice arrives, ask the board in writing for its replacement plan and timeline, tell your lender, and review your loss assessment and Coverage A limits.
Go deeper: notice rules owners can lean on
- Virginia. When the association obtains a policy, each owner must promptly get written notice of it and of any later change or termination29 (Va. Code Ann. 55.1-1963(C)29).
- New York. Where the board insures the building, it owes each unit owner written notice of that insurance and of any change or termination5.
- North Carolina. In North Carolina condominiums created after October 1, 1986, if the required property or liability insurance is not reasonably available, the association must promptly tell every owner by hand delivery or prepaid mail30. The insurer cannot cancel or decline to renew until 30 days after notice is mailed to the association, each owner and each mortgagee holding a certificate27.
- Pennsylvania. For condominiums under Pennsylvania's Uniform Condominium Act, the association must promptly notify owners if required insurance is not kept up, and the policy cannot be cancelled until 30 days after notice reaches the association, each owner and each mortgagee holding a certificate28.
Fannie Mae condo master policy requirements, in plain words
On many condo loans the master policy has to pass its own test, separate from the one your HO-6 faces.
- Building insured to replacement cost
- Ceilings on the deductible
- The association as named insured
Lenders that sell loans to Fannie Mae, or insure them through FHA, test the master policy itself: whether one exists, how much it covers, how it settles losses and whose name it carries.
- Whether one is needed. Fannie Mae requires a master policy on the common elements and residential structures for every condo loan it buys, unless the project's documents make each unit carry its own property policy31 (Fannie Mae Selling Guide B7-3-0331).
- How much. The coverage amount must reach at least 100% of the estimated replacement cost of the project improvements, common elements and residential structures included32.
A shortfall on any of these can stall a sale or a refinance even when your own policy is in order. That is why lenders ask for the master policy early.
Go deeper: loss settlement, the named insured, FHA and the owner's side
- How losses are paid. Losses are settled at replacement cost, except roofs, which must be insured but not necessarily on that basis; the Guide also accepts actual cash value terms for personal property and certain property elements33.
- Whose name is on it. The association is the named insured, or an authorized representative such as its insurance trustee where the condo's documents allow34 (Fannie Mae Selling Guide B7-3-0834).
On an FHA loan in an approved project, the lender has to confirm the association holds a master or blanket hazard policy for the whole project, written to the full insurable replacement cost of every unit and insurable common element, with the association as named insured35 (HUD Handbook 4000.1 II.A.8.p.ii(F)(2)35).
The owner's policy has its own trigger. The guide also tells the borrower to carry a unit owners policy whenever the master policy leaves out part of the unit interior or its improvements, or carries a per-unit deductible36 (Fannie Mae Selling Guide B7-3-0436).
Other loan programs and individual lenders write their own conditions, so get yours in writing. Agents and loan officers can find a closing checklist on condo insurance for realtors and lenders.
Set your HO-6 from the master policy, then compare quotes
A handful of lines on the master policy decide the matching lines on yours. Bring both to the quote.
- Type sets your Coverage A
- Deductible sets your loss assessment floor
- Several quotes on the same limits
- Type to Coverage A. Bare walls calls for a large walls-in limit; all-in may leave only upgrades. See the HO-6 insurance guide and unit-owners Coverage A special coverage.
- Deductible to loss assessment. Your share of the master deductible is where that limit starts.
- A rented unit. A tenant does not change the master policy, but may change yours; see rental condo insurance.
One company's quote shows one company's answer. The agent behind this site puts your master policy details in front of several companies on the same limits, so differences show line by line. Ask each which discounts or credits apply.
Send the master policy declarations or certificate with a quote request. A quote binds nothing; coverage begins only after you accept an offer and the company issues the policy.
Condo master insurance policy questions
Where do I find the HOA master insurance policy?
Start with the management company or the board secretary, then the owner portal and the association's insurance agent. Ask by email for the current master policy declarations, or at least a certificate, and name the policy year. A resale package or lender questionnaire may carry a summary, but the declarations show the type and every deductible.
Does the condo master policy cover the inside of my unit?
It depends on the type. A bare walls policy stops at the structure, so the interior finishes are yours to insure. An all-in policy usually rebuilds the original interior, and sometimes upgrades. Your belongings and personal liability are never on the master policy, so your HO-6 still matters either way.
The board says there is no master policy and owners would split repairs. Is that allowed?
Possibly. Whether an association must insure the building turns on state law and the declaration, so ask the board which document it relies on. Virginia's act, for instance, leaves the master property policy to the condominium instruments rather than requiring one outright12. Even where it is allowed, a lender may decline the loan. Fannie Mae wants a master policy unless the project's documents make each unit insure itself31.
What should owners do if the association's master policy is dropped?
Ask the board in writing when replacement cover will be in place and how it plans to fund it. Tell your mortgage servicer, which may require proof. Raise your loss assessment limit if your form allows, and keep records of every notice. Your HO-6 does not insure the building's structure, so the gap needs the association to fix it.
The master policy covers only part of the building's replacement cost and my lender wants full cost. What now?
Get the policy's limit and the latest replacement cost estimate from the manager, and pass both to the lender. Fannie Mae's guide expects the master policy to reach at least 100% of estimated replacement cost32. Options usually come down to the board raising the limit or a different loan program.
Should my lender be listed on the condo master policy?
Lenders often ask for evidence of the master policy, usually a certificate from the association's insurer that shows the loan and the unit. The association stays the named insured. Ask the manager to request that certificate from its agent, and ask your lender which document clears its condition.
Can a seller get the master policy from the HOA before listing?
Usually, yes. An owner can ask the manager for the current declarations or a certificate at any time, and having them ready lets a buyer's HO-6 quote start from real numbers. Request the condo questionnaire your buyer's lender will want at the same time, since it often asks about insurance.
What is waiver of subrogation in condominium insurance?
It is a promise in the master policy that, after paying a claim, the association's insurer will not turn around and sue the owner whose unit the loss started in. Several state condo acts and lender guides require it. It does not cover damage to a neighbor's own property, so keep your liability limit.
Before you renew, make one call.
A licensed agent compares several companies on the same limits. Asking changes nothing on your policy, and a quote never binds you.