Florida Condo Association Insurance Requirements

Florida law is specific about condo insurance. Most of the confusion we hear comes from mixing up three things: what the law requires, what the law allows, and what your lender or your building's documents require.

Here is the short version.

The association must insure the building. Every Florida condominium association must carry adequate property insurance. The amount is usually based on what it would cost to rebuild, set by an independent appraisal at least once every three years.

You insure what is inside your unit. The law lists the items that are yours: your belongings, floors, wall and ceiling finishes, fixtures, appliances, water heater, cabinets, countertops and window treatments. You cover them with a condo unit-owner policy, called an HO-6.

Flood and D&O are not required by state law. The law allows the association to buy them. A lender, the federal flood rules or your declaration may still require them.

The deductible is usually shared by all owners. After a covered loss, the association's deductible is a common expense.

Here is a simple example. The numbers are only an illustration, not a quote:

• Building insured for $50,000,000
• Hurricane deductible of 5%
• The association pays the first $2,500,000 of hurricane damage before the policy pays anything

If the reserves can't cover it, owners may get a special assessment. In a 100-unit building that splits costs equally, that is $25,000 per unit. Florida's required minimum of loss assessment coverage on an HO-6 is only $2,000.

Before the next renewal, ask:

1. When was the building last appraised, and is the insured value current?
2. What is the hurricane deductible in dollars, and how would we pay it?
3. Does the association carry flood insurance, and for which buildings?
4. Do we have D&O, general liability and crime or fidelity coverage?
5. Does my HO-6 match what the master policy leaves out, and is my loss assessment limit high enough?

If you want the details (the exact rules, the 2025 changes, the deductible math and checklists for boards and owners), keep reading.

What Florida law requires a condo association to insure

The rules are in section 718.111(11) of the Florida Statutes. They apply to every condominium association, whatever the declaration says. This table separates what is required from what is optional.

Coverage	Required by Florida law?	Where it comes from
Property insurance on the building	Yes. "Adequate" coverage, based on replacement cost	718.111(11)(a)
Insurance appraisal	Yes. Independent appraisal or update, at least every 3 years	718.111(11)(a)2
Insurance or fidelity bond for people who handle the money	Yes. Sized to the most money held at one time	718.111(11)(h)
Flood insurance	No. The association "may" buy it	718.111(11)(e); lender, federal rules or declaration can require it
Directors and officers (D&O)	No. Allowed, and a common expense	718.111(11)(e); 718.115(1)(a)
General liability	No. Chapter 718 has no requirement	Lenders, contracts and good practice
Workers' compensation	Depends	Required for private employers with 4 or more employees
Unit owner's HO-6	Not required by chapter 718	The declaration or the owner's lender may require it

Two things stand out. The law requires property insurance and protection of the association's money; most other coverages are a decision for the board. And "not required" doesn't mean "not needed". A building with no general liability or D&O is exposed every day.

For how we put these programs together for boards, see our page on condo association insurance in Florida.

What the master policy must cover

The association's property policy, usually called the master policy, must cover the condominium property as originally installed, or replaced with like kind and quality, in line with the original plans. It must also cover alterations or additions the association is responsible for.

In practice, that is:

• The structure, the roof, the exterior walls and windows that are common elements
• Hallways, the lobby, elevators, the garage and the pool deck
• Building systems, such as the electrical and plumbing that are part of the building as built
• Association property, such as the clubhouse or the management office

The association decides the amount, the insurance company and the deductibles. Under 718.111(11)(c), the board sets the deductibles at a board meeting, consistent with industry standards for similar buildings in the area, based on available funds or assessment authority already in place.

Florida law also says what the insurance company has to offer an association. Under section 627.701, for commercial residential policies like a condo association's:

• The insurer must offer a choice between a hurricane deductible that applies once per calendar year and one that applies per hurricane.
• It may offer a hurricane deductible of up to 10% of the insured value when it also offers a 3% option, among other conditions.

What unit owners have to insure

Florida draws the line in section 718.111(11)(f)3. The master policy must exclude these items when they are inside the unit and serve only that unit:

• Personal property
• Floor, wall and ceiling coverings
• Electrical fixtures
• Appliances
• Water heaters and water filters
• Built-in cabinets and countertops
• Window treatments, such as curtains, drapes, blinds and hardware

Those are the owner's to insure. Your condo (HO-6) policy covers them, together with your personal liability, extra living costs after a covered loss, and loss assessment.

"Walls-in" and "bare walls": what the terms mean in Florida

You will see these labels in insurance ads and in older documents. They are industry shorthand, not legal terms:

• Bare walls: the master policy stops at the unfinished structure, and the owner insures everything inside.
• Walls-in (also "all-in"): the master policy also covers finishes and fixtures inside the unit.

Florida's statute settled most of this: the items on the list above are on the owner's side. Your declaration can still move some responsibilities, so read it together with the statute, and give your agent both.

Who is responsible for pipes inside the walls?

Pipes are not on the statute's list of owner items. So the pipes that are part of the building as originally installed are generally within the master policy's property coverage.

Two other questions decide who actually pays:

• Maintenance. The declaration says who must maintain and repair pipes that serve only one unit. That can be the owner even when the insurance sits with the association.
• Cause. If an owner's negligence or failure to follow the rules caused the leak, the cost of the damage can fall on that owner under 718.111(11)(j).

Who pays the deductible after a hurricane

Under 718.111(11)(j), property insurance deductibles, and damage above the policy limits, are a common expense of the condominium. All owners share them according to the declaration.

The exception: when the damage was caused by the intentional conduct, negligence or rule violations of an owner, or of the owner's family, tenants, guests or invitees, that owner can be charged. An association can also vote to opt out of these default rules, so check your declaration.

The math every owner should do

Take the illustration from the start of this article:

	Amount
Building value	$50,000,000
Hurricane deductible (5%)	$2,500,000
Units	100
Share per unit if split equally	$25,000
Florida minimum loss assessment on an HO-6	$2,000
Gap the owner pays	$23,000

Real buildings split common expenses by the percentages in the declaration, so larger units may pay more. The point is the same: the deductible, not the premium, is the number that creates special assessments.

Two ways to plan for it:

• For the board: know the deductible in dollars, and decide in advance whether it comes from reserves, a line of credit or an assessment.
• For owners: check the loss assessment limit on your HO-6. Florida requires at least $2,000 under section 627.714; higher limits are often available. Ask your agent whether your policy pays assessments that come from the association's deductible.

Our hurricane deductible calculator shows the same math for a home.

Are Florida condo associations required to have flood insurance?

Not by state law. Section 718.111(11)(e) says an association may obtain flood insurance for common elements, association property and units. You may read elsewhere that state law requires it. It doesn't.

It can still be required by others:

• Lenders. Federal rules require flood insurance for buildings in high-risk flood zones that secure loans from regulated lenders.
• The declaration. Some documents require it.
• Good sense. Standard property policies exclude flood, including storm surge. A building on the water with no flood policy is betting the reserves.

The National Flood Insurance Program sells a policy built for condo buildings, and private flood insurance is another option. Owners still need their own flood coverage for their belongings, because the association's flood policy insures the building.

About Citizens, Florida's state-created insurer:

• Its flood requirement, which reaches every policy on January 1, 2027, applies to personal residential policies. Florida law and Citizens' own page exempt condo unit-owner policies, and the rule does not mention association policies.
• For the building itself, Citizens no longer offers new multiperil policies to condo associations. It continues to offer wind-only coverage, and it renews multiperil policies only on buildings it already insured that way on June 30, 2014, under section 627.351(6).
• Short-term rentals matter. A condo building is not eligible for Citizens wind-only coverage if 50% or more of its units are rented more than eight times a year for less than 30 days each time.

Our Florida flood guide covers the flood dates and the options.

D&O, general liability and crime coverage

Required: insurance or a fidelity bond for everyone who controls or disburses association money, under 718.111(11)(h). It must cover the most money the association or its management company holds at any one time. It must include at least the people who sign checks, the president, the secretary and the treasurer. The association pays for it.

Optional, but carried by most boards:

• General liability, for injuries and damage from common areas such as the lobby, the pool and the garage.
• D&O, for claims over board decisions: assessments, repairs, elections, records requests and rule enforcement. Florida law limits the personal liability of directors and unpaid officers in many situations, but a lawsuit still has to be defended.
• Umbrella or excess liability, for higher limits.

More on how these policies work, and what to ask, is on our page on D&O and crime insurance for boards.

Can a condo association self-insure?

Only in two specific ways:

• A self-insurance fund that complies with the Commercial Self-Insurance Fund Act, sections 624.460 to 624.488, under 718.111(11)(a)1.
• A group of at least three communities may insure based on the probable maximum loss of a 250-year windstorm event, under 718.111(11)(a)3, with the conditions the statute sets, including approval by the state Office of Insurance Regulation.

Neither option means "no insurance". Whether either fits your building is a question for your association attorney and your agent.

What changed in 2025 and 2026

"What is the new law for condo associations?" is one of the questions we hear most. Here is what actually changed.

2025: House Bill 913 (chapter 2025-175), in effect since July 1, 2025.

• Insurance: it restated the rule in one sentence: every condominium association shall have adequate property insurance. The appraisal timing stayed the same, with replacement cost set at least once every 3 years. The House staff analysis describes the change as a clarification. Deductibles, the owner's list of items and the fidelity rule did not change.
• Reserves and SIRS: it moved the deadline for the first structural integrity reserve study to December 31, 2025. It lets owners fund reserves with a special assessment, a line of credit or a loan, by a majority of the total voting interests. It allows pooling reserves for several SIRS items, and a pause in reserve contributions for up to two budgets after a milestone inspection, for budgets adopted on or before December 31, 2028.
• Meetings and records: board and owner meetings can be held by video conference, and those meetings must be recorded.

SIRS deadlines. Under section 718.112(2)(g), condo buildings of three habitable stories or more need a structural integrity reserve study at least every 10 years. Existing associations had until December 31, 2025, and the statute sets December 31, 2026 as the outside date. These studies don't change what the law requires you to insure, but carriers often ask for them at renewal.

2026. The main community-association bills of the 2026 session, including House Bill 657, died in March 2026. As of this writing, the insurance rules above are the current law.

For the inspection and reserve deadlines in one place, see our overview of milestone inspections and SIRS.

Condo associations and HOAs follow different rules

Everything above is about condominiums, under chapter 718. Homeowners associations, under chapter 720, have no property insurance requirement like this one; their documents decide. If you live in a single-family or townhome community, our guide what does HOA insurance cover in Florida? is the better read.

How to get a copy of your association's insurance policy

The association's current insurance policies are official records under section 718.111(12)(a)8. Send a written request to the board or its designee; the records must be made available within 10 working days.

When you have it, look for:

• The insured value and the date of the last appraisal
• The hurricane (named storm) deductible, and whether it applies per building
• Flood coverage, and which buildings it covers
• The general liability, D&O and crime or fidelity limits

A renewal checklist for condo boards

Start 90 to 120 days before the renewal date. Carriers respond better to complete, current submissions.

• The latest insurance appraisal, and the date of the next one
• Roof age, wind mitigation features and recent repairs
• The latest milestone inspection and SIRS reports, and the repair plan
• Five years of loss runs for every policy
• Amenities: pool, gym, garage, docks, and any rented spaces
• The management agreement and the manager's insurance certificate
• How money is handled: who signs, who approves transfers, and the most money held at once
• Any demand letters or lawsuits, for the D&O application
• The deductible plan: how the association would pay its hurricane deductible

A checklist for unit owners

• Ask the association for the master policy's deductible and your share of it.
• Read the insurance and maintenance sections of your declaration.
• Make sure your HO-6 covers everything on the owner's list in 718.111(11)(f)3, plus any improvements you made.
• Raise your loss assessment limit if a special assessment would hurt.
• Buy flood insurance for your belongings, even if the building has its own flood policy.
• If you rent your unit out, tell your agent: you may need a different policy.

Our view

Read the declaration, then the master policy, then your own policy, and have someone go through them with you. Most of the surprises after a storm were written down years before.

If you sit on a board, send us your current declarations pages and we will show you, in plain English, what your program covers, what it doesn't, and what we would ask about at renewal. If you own a unit, bring your association's deductible and your HO-6, and we will check that they fit together. We work with many insurance companies and we answer in English, Spanish and Hebrew.

Talk to our condo association team or start a quote.

This article explains how condominium association insurance generally works in Florida. It is not legal advice and it doesn't change any policy. Your declaration and the actual policy wording decide what is covered. For questions about your documents, talk to a Florida community association attorney; for coverage, talk to a licensed agent.