Insights
Field notes from a community-association insurance practice.
Water damage: the most common and most expensive HOA claim
Water and sewer backup drive most HOA property losses. Here is how ISO water-backup limits actually work, why the deductible bites, and what prevention holds a renewal.
Loss assessment coverage: what unit owners need to know
Loss assessment coverage on an HO-6 pays your share of a special assessment when the HOA master policy runs short. Here is how the coverage works and where it stops.
How to read your HOA master insurance policy and declaration page
A practitioner walkthrough of the HOA master policy declaration page, named insured, valuation basis, limits, deductibles, endorsements, and the mortgagee clause.
The HOA master policy renewal checklist for boards
A practitioner's renewal checklist for HOA and condo boards, covering valuation adequacy, deductibles, warrantability, fidelity and D&O sizing, and SIRS documentation.
Why every volunteer HOA board needs directors and officers coverage
A volunteer HOA board decision can turn into a personal lawsuit. Here is what directors and officers liability actually covers, why non-monetary claims matter, and how California ties board protection to the GL limit.
Fannie Mae condo warrantability, explained for boards
What makes a condo Fannie Mae warrantable, focused on the master-policy insurance conditions boards control, and why a non-warrantable project quietly stalls unit sales.
California condo insurance: earthquake, SB326 balconies, and the hard market
How California condo associations navigate separate earthquake policies, SB326 balcony inspections, Davis-Stirling D&O and fidelity floors, and a wildfire-driven hard market.
Bare walls vs all-in: the condo master coverage decision explained
Bare-walls, single-entity, or all-in changes who insures your unit's fixtures and where the HO-6 has to fill the gap. Here is how the valuation basis actually works.
When an HOA policy gets non-renewed, and what to do before it happens
Non-renewal of a community association master policy is rarely random. It follows deferred maintenance, stale valuations, and loss history. Here is how to read the warning signs and what a board should do when a non-renewal notice arrives.
Insurance at developer turnover, what a new HOA board should check
When control of an association passes from the developer to the owners, the insurance program is one of the things most likely to be misaligned. Here is the turnover insurance checklist a new board should run in its first ninety days.
Florida SIRS and milestone inspections, and how they now touch insurance
Florida's Structural Integrity Reserve Study and milestone inspection statutes are structural-safety laws, but they increasingly gate the insurance renewal and lender warrantability. Here is how the calendar works and why it matters to a board's coverage.
The four gaps that fail a condo master policy at lender review
Most condo master policies that stall a unit sale fail on one of four predictable gaps. Here is what a lender insurance reviewer actually checks, and how to clear each item before a sale is under contract.