Florida Condo Insurance (HO-6)

Why Florida condo insurance works differently

A single-family home is insured by one policy. A condominium is insured by two, and the second one is not yours to write. Under Florida’s condominium statute, the association carries a master policy on the building and the common elements, and that policy leaves out the things inside your unit that you own: floor, wall, and ceiling coverings, built-in cabinets and countertops, appliances, water heaters, electrical fixtures, and window treatments, along with your personal property. Your HO-6 policy picks up where the master policy stops, and the line between them is set by the statute and your association’s governing documents rather than by any carrier.

That split is why a condo quote starts with the association’s paperwork. Working with your agent, the first step is getting a copy of the association’s insurance certificate or master policy declarations and reading what it covers, what its deductible is, and whether it insures the building on a replacement-cost basis. Florida law no longer requires a unit owner to carry an HO-6, but most lenders do, many associations do, and the interior of a Florida condo costs more to rebuild than most owners guess.

Cornerstone Insurance is a family-owned and operated Trusted Choice® independent personal lines agency writing in every county in Florida. Because we represent many carriers rather than one, your unit is priced across 20+ Florida carriers that write condo policies, and a licensed agent explains where the coverage sits before you choose. Our HO-6 guide goes deeper on what walls-in really covers.

What an HO-6 policy is written to cover

Dwelling coverage on an HO-6, often called Coverage A or building property, covers the unit from the walls in: flooring, cabinets, countertops, fixtures, built-ins, and the improvements a previous owner or you added. The limit should reflect what it would cost to rebuild that interior after a fire or a pipe failure upstairs, which for a renovated Florida unit is often well into six figures. Where the master policy stops at bare walls, this limit carries more; where the master policy covers finishes as well, it can carry less, and your documents settle which case is yours.

Personal property covers what the unit holds: furniture, clothing, electronics, appliances that are yours, and the rest of your belongings. Replacement-cost settlement on contents keeps depreciation from shrinking a payment, and it is one of the endorsements a quote from us shows with and without. Personal liability covers injuries to visitors and damage you, a resident family member, or a pet cause to others, up to its limit; working with your agent, the aim is as much liability protection as you qualify for and can comfortably afford, with an umbrella policy above it for households that want more.

Two coverages are specific to condo living. Loss of use pays for somewhere to stay while the unit is uninhabitable after a covered loss, subject to the policy’s terms. Loss assessment coverage is designed to help with your share when the association assesses unit owners for a covered loss to common property, such as the clubhouse or a shared building, that exceeds the master policy’s limit or falls within its deductible. Master-policy deductibles in Florida have grown, and a large wind deductible on the building can become a five-figure assessment per unit, so the loss assessment limit deserves a deliberate number rather than the form’s minimum. One caution from the fine print: docks and piers often carry special exclusions under loss assessment coverage, so a waterfront association’s documents are worth a close read.

Flood, wind, and the coverage around your unit

Neither the master policy nor a standard HO-6 covers flood, and Florida condos flood from the ground floor up, from the parking garage, and from storm surge along the coast. Flood coverage for a condo owner is bought three ways: an NFIP policy, a private flood policy, or a flood endorsement where the carrier offers one, and the split between the association’s building flood policy and your own contents and interior coverage follows the same documents as everything else. The question is how much coverage fits the unit, never whether, and our condo flood guide walks through where the association’s coverage stops. We price flood alongside the HO-6, and our Florida flood insurance page covers the routes in detail. A fee-simple townhome is a different case: there is no RCBAP, because the building is not a condominium, so the owner’s own flood policy insures the whole structure, and where an HOA carries a flood policy on attached buildings it is a general property form, so ask what it covers before assuming.

Hurricane wind on the building belongs to the master policy, and its deductible belongs to every owner through loss assessment. One catch: on many standard unit-owner forms the part of an assessment that pays the association’s deductible is capped at a small stated sub-limit no matter how large a loss assessment limit you buy, so before sizing the limit to the master deductible, ask how the specific HO-6 form treats deductible assessments and whether a higher sub-limit is offered. Your HO-6 carries its own hurricane deductible for the interior and contents, usually a percentage of the dwelling limit, and a higher percentage lowers the premium if you could pay it the week after a storm. If the association’s wind coverage sits with Citizens, note that Citizens ties flood insurance to wind coverage under a statewide requirement phased in through January 1, 2027, and our Citizens guide explains what that means for a unit owner.

A condo you rent out is written differently from one you live in, with landlord liability and rental-income considerations that a standard owner-occupied HO-6 does not address, and a seasonal unit that sits empty part of the year raises occupancy questions carriers ask about up front. Tell your agent how the unit is used; the right form follows from the answer. Pairing the condo policy with auto through the same carrier often earns multi-policy credits on both, and we show the bundle and the split side by side.

Questions to ask the board before you buy

The association’s answers decide how big your HO-6 needs to be, and most of them are a phone call or an email away. Ask these before you close, and bring the answers to your agent so the two policies are sized together.

1. May I have a copy of the master insurance policy and its declarations page? It shows whether the building is insured on a bare-walls, single-entity or all-in basis, which sets where your Coverage A starts, and it shows the master policy’s hurricane deductible. Request the copy and go through it together with your agent.
2. What is the master policy’s hurricane deductible, and how is it assessed to owners? Under Florida’s condo statute, deductibles and damage above the association’s coverage are a common expense, shared as the declaration sets. That figure is the starting point for your loss assessment limit.
3. Has the building completed its milestone inspection and its structural integrity reserve study, and are the reserves funded? An unfunded reserve is a future assessment, and assessments for reserves or studies are not something loss assessment coverage is designed to pay.
4. Are there current or planned special assessments? Ask for the amount, the reason and the payment schedule. A closing agent will often ask the same question in the estoppel letter.
5. Does the association carry a flood policy on the building, and what does it cover? A building flood policy does not insure the inside of your unit or your belongings. Our condo flood insurance guide explains the split.
6. What has the building claimed in the last few years? Water intrusion and roof claims on the master policy shape the master policy’s renewal, and a rising master premium tends to show up in the dues.