Does My HOA's Insurance Cover My Condo in California?

Only part of it. The HOA has a master policy for the building and the shared areas. It doesn't replace a policy of your own.

A lot of condo owners think the HOA's insurance covers them, so they don't need a policy. It doesn't work that way. Condo insurance in California is your own policy, and it covers what the master policy leaves to you.

Darlene Baxter is a licensed California insurance agent and owner of Darlene Baxter Insurance Agency in Pleasant Hill, CA, helping homeowners, families and business owners get covered with real choices: their main company first, and other companies through the brokerage when it isn't the right fit. She and Michelle Henning handle the agency's condo policies themselves.

A condo policy is typically walls-in coverage. That means:

• Your unit, from the walls in.
• Your personal belongings.
• Your liability, if someone gets hurt in your home and blames you.
• A place to stay, if your unit can't be lived in after a covered loss.

The policy wording always decides what's covered. We go through the coverages with you before you sign anything, not after. Our condo insurance page has the full picture.

HOA master policies are covering less and less for the unit owner, and their deductibles have gotten very high. What the master policy doesn't pay comes back to the owners.

HOA master policies change, so it's worth another look at your own policy when yours does.

When the HOA has a big claim and bills every owner for a share, loss assessment coverage on your condo policy helps pay your share.

It's one of the most important parts of a condo policy, and we always recommend the highest amount available.

We recommend it. A condo policy by itself doesn't cover earthquake.

Earthquake insurance for a condo is usually inexpensive, and it matters most for loss of use: the cost of living somewhere else if the building can't be lived in after an earthquake. Our post on earthquake coverage goes deeper.

One thing: the insurance disclosures from the master policy. They show what the HOA covers, what it leaves to you, and how high its deductibles are.

Your HOA or its management company can send them to you. We read them so your policy picks up where the master policy stops.

Right now, our main company asks condo owners to have them. Water is the most common claim our office sees, and in a condo a leak can reach your neighbors too.

We'll tell you what's needed when we go through your options. Our post on water damage explains what is and isn't covered.

Darlene Baxter is a licensed California insurance agent and owner of Darlene Baxter Insurance Agency in Pleasant Hill, CA, helping homeowners, families and business owners get covered with real choices: their main company first, and other companies through the brokerage when it isn't the right fit.

The office is in Pleasant Hill, and we insure condos all over California. If you rent your condo out, that's a different policy, and our landlord insurance page covers it.

Buying a condo, a notice from your HOA, or a policy you haven't looked at in years? Call the office at (925) 940-6970 or send us a message. We can't promise approval or a price. Those decisions belong to the insurance companies. You'll always know where things stand. Here are the steps we follow.