A condo master policy, purchased by the association, covers the building structure and common areas. Unit owner insurance, often called an HO-6 policy, covers the interior of your unit: flooring, cabinets, fixtures, and personal property. In Florida, the line between the two is set by the association's governing documents, and getting it wrong is one of the most common ways condo claims stall out.
If you sit on a condo or HOA board in Sanford, Lake Mary, or anywhere else in Seminole County, you have probably run into this exact confusion after a storm or a pipe break: the association's carrier says it is the owner's problem, the owner's carrier says it is the association's problem, and the ceiling is still wet while everyone points fingers. Here is how the coverage actually splits, and what to do when it does not split cleanly.
What the Condo Association's Master Policy Covers
Florida law requires condo associations to insure the building itself. That generally means the roof, exterior walls, structural elements, and the fixtures that were part of the unit as originally built, things like the drywall, plumbing behind the walls, and built-in cabinets in many (not all) declarations. Common areas, hallways, elevators, and the pool are covered under the master policy too.
The exact boundary depends on whether the association's documents follow an "original specifications" approach or a narrower structure. Every declaration is written differently, so the board's insurance agent and the association's attorney should confirm which version applies before a loss happens, not after.
What Unit Owner (HO-6) Insurance Covers
An HO-6 policy fills in what the master policy does not touch: flooring, paint, upgraded cabinets or countertops, personal property, additional living expenses if the unit is uninhabitable, and often a "loss assessment" coverage that reimburses the owner if the association levies a special assessment after a large loss. Florida law requires owners to carry some level of interior coverage in most associations, and lenders usually require it as well.
Owners who assume the master policy "handles everything" are the ones who get hurt worst after a fire or hurricane. The master policy was never designed to replace their flooring or their furniture.
Where the Gap Actually Hurts After a Large Loss
The real trouble shows up after a significant event: a hurricane, a burst supply line on an upper floor, a fire that starts in one unit and spreads. Water or fire damage rarely respects the line between "association property" and "owner property." A single loss can trigger a claim on the master policy, a claim on the HO-6 policy, and disputes about which carrier pays for what in between.
This is where large-loss commercial and condo claims in Central Florida go sideways. Two adjusters, representing two different carriers with two different interests, are looking at the same wet ceiling and reaching different conclusions about scope and cause of loss. Neither one works for the association or the owner. Both work for the companies paying their salary.
Cause of loss matters here too. If a burst pipe inside a wall caused the damage, that is usually a master policy issue. If the damage traces back to something inside the unit, like a failed appliance connection, the answer can shift toward the owner's policy. Getting the cause of loss right, in writing, early, is often the difference between a claim that moves and one that sits for months while two carriers wait each other out.
Why This Matters for Boards and Property Managers
A board that gets this wrong exposes the association to owner disputes, special assessment fights, and sometimes litigation between owners and the association over who should have paid for what. A board that gets it right documents the loss correctly from day one, loops in the right coverage for the right scope of damage, and keeps the building's claim moving instead of stuck in a coverage argument. See our page on working with condo and HOA boards for how we support associations through this process, and our commercial claims page for how we handle large-loss property claims generally.
Property managers in Seminole County and across Central Florida deal with this same gap constantly, whether the building is in Sanford, Lake Mary, Oviedo, Winter Springs, or Altamonte Springs. The coverage split does not change by city. What changes is how fast the local carrier response tends to move, and how much documentation a board needs on hand before the adjuster shows up.
Older buildings add another wrinkle. A lot of condo stock in Seminole County was built decades ago, and many declarations were written before today's construction methods and material costs existed. That gap between what the document assumes and what a modern rebuild actually costs is exactly the kind of detail that gets missed when a claim is scoped quickly instead of carefully.
How a Public Adjuster Helps Both Sides Get It Right
A public adjuster works for the policyholder, not the insurance company. For an association, that means building the master policy claim correctly from the first inspection: documenting the full scope of structural and common-area damage, not just what is visible on the surface. For an individual owner, it means making sure their HO-6 claim accounts for everything the master policy will not touch.
James Coyne built Coyne Commercial Group after years of carrier-side experience, seeing firsthand how claims get scoped, and how often that scope comes in short on large and complex losses. That background is why CCG focuses on commercial and association claims where the coverage lines are genuinely complicated, not simple, single-family losses. Learn more about how we represent policyholders on our claims representation page.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a condo association master policy?
It is the insurance policy the association itself purchases to cover the building structure, common areas, and (depending on the declaration) certain fixtures inside individual units. Florida law requires associations to carry this coverage.
Does the master policy cover damage inside my unit?
Sometimes, partially. It typically covers structural elements and original fixtures like drywall and built-in cabinets, but not flooring, paint, personal belongings, or upgrades the owner installed. Check the association's declaration to see exactly where the line falls.
What does an HO-6 policy cover that the master policy does not?
Flooring, cabinetry upgrades, personal property, additional living expenses, and typically loss assessment coverage. It is the owner's own policy and fills the gap the master policy leaves open.
Who pays after a hurricane damages both common areas and my unit's interior?
Both policies are likely involved. The master policy generally responds to structural and common-area damage, while the HO-6 policy responds to interior finishes and personal property. Large losses often require coordinating both claims at once, which is where disputes tend to start.
Can a public adjuster work with both the association and individual owners?
Yes, though a public adjuster represents one policyholder's interest on a given contract, whether that is the association's master policy or an individual owner's HO-6 policy. Coyne Commercial Group works with boards, property managers, and owners across Seminole County and Central Florida to make sure each claim is documented and pursued fully.
If your association or your unit has open damage and the coverage picture is not clear, we offer a free claim review. There is no obligation, and it costs nothing to have someone who understands both sides of a condo claim take a look before you sign off on anything. Public adjusting is not legal representation. If your situation involves a legal dispute with the association or another party, a qualified Florida attorney should be part of that conversation. Fees for public adjusting services are set by Florida law and are discussed openly before any agreement is signed; see our FAQ page for more on how that works.
Written by James Coyne, Florida Licensed Public Adjuster (License W482618), founder of Coyne Commercial Group (Firm License G350978).