Condo Insurance in Miami, FL: HO-6 Coverage for Unit Owners

What your HO-6 covers

• Interior of your unit — typically what the master policy stops short of: flooring, cabinets, countertops, fixtures, built-ins, and often interior walls and paint.
• Personal property — furniture, electronics, clothing, jewelry (usually with a sub-limit worth reviewing).
• Personal liability — if a guest is injured in your unit, or your leaking supply line damages the unit below.
• Loss of use — somewhere to live if your unit becomes uninhabitable. In a building with post-storm repairs or a long remediation, this is often the coverage that matters most.
• Loss assessment — your share when the association assesses owners for a covered loss that exceeds the master policy's limits or deductible.

"Bare walls" vs. "all-in" master policies

Read the association's documents before you set your limits. A bare walls master policy insures the structure and common areas and stops at the unfinished interior — everything inside is on you, including flooring and cabinets. An all-in master policy includes original interior fixtures, so your HO-6 mostly covers upgrades, personal property and liability. Buying a bare-walls-sized policy for an all-in building means paying for coverage you already have. Doing the reverse leaves a five-figure hole.

Loss assessment is the coverage Miami owners underestimate

When a South Florida building takes a large hit, the master policy's hurricane deductible is frequently a percentage of the whole building's insured value — a number that can run well into six figures. The association typically passes that cost to owners as a special assessment. Loss assessment coverage on your HO-6 is what responds to your share, and the default limit on many policies is low relative to what a real assessment looks like. It is usually inexpensive to increase, and it is the first thing we review.

Flood is still separate

An HO-6 does not cover rising water. Most Miami associations carry flood on the building, but that master flood policy is not written to rebuild your kitchen or replace your belongings. If your unit is on a lower floor, a contents flood policy is worth pricing. See our flood insurance page.

What we check on every Miami condo policy

• Whether the building is bare walls or all-in — from the actual documents
• Your loss assessment limit against the master policy's hurricane deductible
• Your hurricane deductible and how it applies to interior damage
• Building-ordered items like impact windows, roof age and milestone inspection status, which affect what carriers will write
• Whether jewelry, art, or equipment needs to be scheduled above the standard sub-limit
• Whether you rent the unit out — short-term or annual rental changes the policy you need

Renting your condo out?

If a tenant lives in your unit, an HO-6 written for an owner-occupant is the wrong form and a claim can be denied on that basis alone. Landlord and short-term rental exposures are written differently. Tell us how the unit is actually used and we will write it to match. (If you are the tenant rather than the owner, the policy you want is renters insurance.)

Milestone inspections, reserve studies and special assessments

Since the 2021 Surfside collapse, Florida requires condominium buildings of three stories or more to go through milestone structural inspections as they age (Miami-Dade and Broward already had a 40-year recertification program), and associations must complete structural integrity reserve studies and fund the reserves they call for. For many older Miami buildings that has meant large special assessments and higher monthly dues.

The part that surprises owners: loss assessment coverage on an HO-6 generally does not pay for those assessments. It responds when the association assesses owners for a covered loss — a hurricane, a fire, a liability claim — not for repairs, deferred maintenance or reserve funding. If your building has an inspection or reserve study coming up, budget for it separately, and have us check your loss assessment limit against the master policy's hurricane deductible at the same time.

Frequently asked questions