HO-6 condo insurance Florida policies cover everything from the unfinished drywall inward — your interior finishes, flooring, cabinets, built-in appliances, window treatments, personal belongings, liability, and loss assessments — while your association’s master policy insures the building structure itself. Florida is unusual because the split isn’t left to guesswork: Florida Statute 718.111(11) spells out exactly which items the association must insure and which fall to you. So even if your association already carries a master policy, you still need an HO-6 to cover the items the statute carves out — and the right amount depends on which type of master policy your building carries.
HO-6 in one paragraph: what it is and who needs it
An HO-6 is the standard insurance form built for condominium and co-op unit owners. It fills the gap between what your association’s master policy covers and what you own personally. Anyone who holds title to a Florida condo unit needs one — and if you finance the purchase, your lender will require it as a closing condition. Even cash buyers are wise to carry one, because the master policy stops at your drywall and leaves tens of thousands of dollars of finishes, fixtures, and assessment exposure squarely on your shoulders.
Florida’s condo statute: what the association’s master policy must insure
Under Fla. Stat. 718.111(11), the association must insure all portions of the condominium property “as originally installed,” including the building structure, the roof, common elements, and replacements of like kind and quality matching the original plans. Critically, the statute requires the master policy to exclude a defined list of items inside your unit. That list includes all personal property, plus floor, wall, and ceiling coverings, electrical fixtures, appliances, water heaters, water filters, built-in cabinets and countertops, and window treatments — when those items are located within the unit boundaries and serve only your unit.
The insurance world shorthand for this is “drywall out” versus “drywall in.” The association owns the structure out to the drywall; you own everything from the drywall finishes inward. That single statutory list is what makes Florida HO-6 coverage more predictable than generic national advice suggests — but you still need to read your specific master policy, because associations buy in three different flavors.
What’s on you: the drywall-in items the master policy excludes
Your HO-6 Coverage A (often called “dwelling” or “building property”) insures the finished items the statute hands back to you. In practice that means:
- Paint, texture, wallpaper, and other wall and ceiling finishes
- Flooring — tile, hardwood, laminate, carpet
- Built-in cabinets, countertops, and vanities
- Appliances, water heaters, and water filters serving only your unit
- Light fixtures, ceiling fans, and electrical fixtures inside the unit
- Window treatments and any upgrades or renovations you made after purchase
Florida master policies generally come in three types, and the type determines how much of this you must insure yourself. A “bare walls” policy covers only the structure and nothing inside the drywall. A “single entity” policy covers the original builder-grade fixtures but not your upgrades. An “all-in” policy covers original and improved fixtures — the most generous, but the least common in Florida because of cost. Before you set your limits, find out which one your building carries.
How much Coverage A do you actually need?
This is the question buyers ask at closing, and the honest answer is: enough to rebuild every finished item inside your unit at today’s prices, not what you paid for them years ago. Because a mid-range kitchen and bathroom alone can run into the tens of thousands, lowball limits leave you exposed after a fire or water loss. Walk your unit and tally the replacement cost of cabinets, counters, flooring, appliances, and fixtures — then add a cushion for the upgrades you’ve made. If your association carries a bare-walls master policy, you need substantially more Coverage A than a unit in an all-in building, because more of the structure’s interior falls to you. We help clients size this against their actual master policy rather than a rule of thumb, so the number reflects your real rebuild cost.
Loss assessment coverage — why HO-6 condo insurance Florida buyers can’t skip it after the reforms
Loss assessment coverage pays your share when the association levies a special assessment for a covered loss — for example, when hurricane damage to common areas exceeds the master policy’s limit or falls below its deductible, and the association bills every owner to make up the difference. Fla. Stat. 627.714 requires every residential condo unit-owner policy issued or renewed in Florida to include at least $2,000 in loss assessment coverage. That $2,000 is a statutory floor, not a realistic ceiling.
This matters far more after Florida’s post-Surfside condo-safety reforms. Senate Bill 4-D now requires buildings three or more habitable stories tall to complete milestone structural inspections at 25 or 30 years of age, and to perform a structural integrity reserve study every 10 years — with reserves that associations can no longer waive or underfund. Older buildings faced a milestone-inspection deadline of December 31, 2024, and a reserve-study deadline of December 31, 2025. The practical result has been larger special assessments across Florida as associations fund repairs and reserves. Many owners now carry far more than the $2,000 minimum to cover their exposure when assessments hit. We routinely recommend reviewing this limit before you close, because it’s cheap to raise and painful to be short on.
Hurricane deductibles on condo policies
Like every Florida property policy, your HO-6 carries a separate hurricane deductible governed by Fla. Stat. 627.701, distinct from your all-other-perils deductible. It’s typically expressed as a percentage — commonly 2%, 5%, or 10% — applied to your improvements and contents limits rather than a flat dollar amount. Only one hurricane deductible applies per calendar year; if a later storm strikes the same year, the policy applies the greater of your remaining hurricane deductible or your all-other-perils deductible. A higher percentage lowers your premium but raises your out-of-pocket cost after a storm, so the choice is a real trade-off. Our guide to Florida hurricane deductibles walks through how to pick the right one.
Flood: what the master policy and your HO-6 both leave out
Neither your association’s master policy nor your standard HO-6 covers flood. The association may carry a separate master flood policy on the building, but that rarely extends to the contents and interior items inside your unit — and many associations carry none. Even units well away from the coast flood: Helene and Milton brought record inland flooding to Tampa Bay in 2024. Being in a low-risk Zone X doesn’t make you flood-proof, as we explain in our Flood Zone X breakdown. A contents-only flood policy for your unit is usually inexpensive and worth pricing, especially on a ground-floor or first-floor unit.
Lender and association requirements at closing
If you’re financing, your lender will require proof of an HO-6 with adequate Coverage A before funding. Your association’s governing documents may also impose minimum HO-6 requirements — including a minimum loss assessment limit — and the closing agent will often ask for evidence the master policy is in force. Request the master policy declarations page early; it tells you whether you have bare-walls, single-entity, or all-in coverage, which drives every other number on your HO-6. If a claim is ever denied because limits were set wrong, the steps are the same as any Florida property dispute — see our guide on what to do if your home insurance claim is denied in Florida.
What moves the price of an HO-6 in Florida
HO-6 premiums in Florida respond to the same forces as any property policy plus a few condo-specific ones: your building’s age, construction, roof, and location relative to the coast; your Coverage A, personal property, liability, and loss assessment limits; your hurricane deductible percentage; your claims history; and the strength of your association’s master policy and reserves. Wind-mitigation features on the building can help. If you rent your unit out, you’ll generally need a landlord form rather than an owner-occupied HO-6 — see our DP-3 landlord insurance guide. Because rates vary widely by carrier in today’s Florida market, comparing several quotes is the single most reliable way to control cost.
Talk to a Florida-licensed advisor
Setting your HO-6 limits correctly comes down to reading your specific master policy and your association’s documents — not applying a national rule of thumb. Cornerstone Insurance is an independent, Florida-licensed agency that compares 15 to 20+ A-rated carriers to match your unit, your building, and your association’s reforms-driven assessment risk. If you’re buying a condo or reviewing your current policy, request a quote and we’ll size it against your actual master policy. For the bigger picture on coverage statewide, start with our Florida homeowners insurance guide.
