Florida Condo and Renters Insurance: What HO-6 and HO-4 Cover (and What the Association Doesn't)

Updated October 25, 2026 · By the Arte Insurance team · 7-minute read

In a Florida condo, the association’s policy insures the building, but not everything inside your unit. Florida law leaves the floor, wall and ceiling coverings, electrical fixtures, appliances, water heater, built-in cabinets and countertops, window treatments and all your belongings to you. An HO-6 (condo unit-owner) policy covers those items, your liability and your share of certain assessments: the law requires at least $2,000 of loss assessment coverage. Renters need an HO-4 policy, because the landlord’s insurance covers the building, not your belongings or your liability. Neither policy covers flood.

Updated: October 25, 2026 · Sources: Florida Statutes, s. 718.111 (condominium association insurance) · Florida Statutes, s. 627.714 (unit-owner loss assessment coverage)

Many condo owners in Miami-Dade and Broward learn what their association doesn’t insure only after a hurricane or a water leak. This guide explains who insures what in a Florida condo, what an HO-6 and an HO-4 cover, how the two hurricane deductibles work, what loss assessment coverage pays (and what it doesn’t), and what to check before you buy or renew.

Who insures what in a Florida condo

Section 718.111(11) of the Florida Statutes requires the association to insure the condominium property at replacement cost, as originally installed. The same law lists what the association’s policy does not cover. Those items are the unit owner’s responsibility:

Item	Who insures it
Roof, exterior walls, structure, hallways, elevators, pool and other common areas	The association (master policy)
Floor, wall and ceiling coverings (tile, wood, carpet, paint)	You (HO-6)
Electrical fixtures, appliances, water heater and water filters	You (HO-6)
Built-in cabinets and countertops	You (HO-6)
Window treatments (curtains, blinds, hardware)	You (HO-6)
Your furniture, clothes, electronics and other belongings	You (HO-6)
Your liability if someone is hurt in your unit or you damage a neighbor’s unit	You (HO-6)

Replacements of these items that serve only your unit are also yours. If you remodeled the kitchen or bathrooms, your HO-6 must be high enough to rebuild them.

What an HO-6 policy covers

A condo unit-owner policy has several parts. The names below are the standard ones you’ll see on the declarations page:

• Coverage A, unit improvements and “walls-in” items: the items in the table above. Some policies start at a very low limit (Citizens’ HO-6 includes $1,000 and lets you raise it), so check that it covers what it would cost to redo your floors, kitchen and bathrooms.
• Coverage C, personal property: your belongings. Ask for replacement cost instead of actual cash value, so depreciation isn’t taken off your claim.
• Coverage D, loss of use: extra living costs (a hotel or a rental) if a covered loss leaves your unit uninhabitable. At Citizens, it’s 20% of Coverage C.
• Coverage E and F, liability and medical payments: if a guest is injured or water from your unit damages a neighbor’s.
• Loss assessment: your share of an assessment the association charges after a covered loss. Florida law (s. 627.714) requires at least $2,000, with a deductible of no more than $250. You can usually buy a higher limit.

The two hurricane deductibles

A condo owner deals with two hurricane deductibles:

1. The association’s. The board sets the master policy’s deductibles. Under section 718.111(11)(j), the deductible and any damage above the coverage are a common expense, which owners pay through assessments. On a large building, a percentage deductible can mean a significant assessment per unit.
2. Yours. Insurers must offer hurricane deductibles of $500, 2%, 5% or 10%. On an HO-6, the percentage is often based on your personal property limit: at Citizens, the HO-6 hurricane deductible is calculated on Coverage C. It applies once per calendar year for all hurricanes with the same insurer group, according to the Florida Department of Financial Services.

Tip: ask your association for the master policy’s hurricane deductible and compare it with your loss assessment limit. The $2,000 minimum may fall short.

Assessments: what loss assessment coverage pays and what it doesn’t

Loss assessment coverage pays your share when the assessment comes from a type of loss your own policy covers, such as wind damage to the common areas. It doesn’t pay for:

• Structural repairs and reserves required by Florida’s condo-safety laws. Buildings three stories or taller must pass a milestone inspection when they reach 30 years and keep a structural integrity reserve study. Special assessments for those planned repairs are not an insured loss.
• Damage you caused. Section 718.111(11)(j) makes the owner responsible for uninsured repair costs when the damage comes from that owner’s negligence or failure to follow the association’s rules, including damage to other owners’ property.
• Flood, unless you have a flood policy.

Renters insurance (HO-4)

If you rent an apartment, condo or house, the owner’s policy covers the building. It doesn’t cover your belongings, your hotel if the home becomes uninhabitable, or your liability. A renters policy (HO-4) covers:

• Your belongings (Coverage C): furniture, clothes, electronics. Ask for replacement cost.
• Loss of use (Coverage D): extra living costs after a covered loss.
• Liability and medical payments (Coverage E and F): if someone is hurt in your home or you accidentally damage someone else’s property.

Insurify reports an average of about $18 a month in Florida for $30,000 of belongings and $100,000 of liability (April 2026); your price depends on the insurer, your ZIP code, the limits and the deductible. Many leases require renters insurance, so check yours. Valuables such as jewelry and electronics often have low special limits: list them separately if they’re worth more.

Flood: not covered by either policy

HO-6 and HO-4 policies don’t cover flood: water rising from the street, a canal or the sea, including storm surge. Citizens’ new flood requirement of January 1, 2027 doesn’t apply to condo unit-owner or renters policies, but the risk remains, especially on ground floors. Renters and condo owners can buy a federal flood policy (NFIP) for their belongings, up to $100,000 of contents, and private flood policies are also available. See our Florida flood insurance guide.

What sets the price

• Location: ZIP code and distance to the coast.
• The building: age, construction, and the association’s roof and hurricane protection.
• Your limits: Coverage A and C, liability and loss assessment.
• Your deductibles: a higher hurricane deductible lowers the premium but raises what you pay after a storm.
• Your claims history and the insurer’s own rates.

Checklist before you buy or renew

1. Ask the association for the master policy’s declarations page and the hurricane deductible.
2. Read the insurance section of your condo declaration: some declarations make owners insure more than the law’s minimum list.
3. Price out your floors, kitchen and bathrooms to set Coverage A.
4. Make a list or video of your belongings to set Coverage C and support a claim.
5. Raise your loss assessment limit if the master deductible is high.
6. Ask about water backup coverage (often an add-on) and a flood policy.

Frequently asked questions

Does Florida law require condo owners to buy an HO-6?
Florida law sets what the association must insure and requires every unit-owner policy to include at least $2,000 of loss assessment coverage. Your lender usually requires an HO-6 if you have a mortgage, and your condo declaration may too.

Water from the unit upstairs damaged my unit. Who pays?
Your HO-6 usually covers the items you insure (floors, cabinets, belongings), subject to your deductible. If the other owner’s negligence caused the leak, they can be responsible for costs not paid by insurance under section 718.111(11)(j).

Does renters insurance cover a hurricane?
Wind damage to your belongings, yes, subject to the policy’s hurricane deductible. Flood, no: that requires a separate flood policy.

Do I need flood insurance if I’m a Citizens condo owner?
Citizens’ flood requirement exempts condo unit-owner (HO-6) and renters (HO-4) policies, but flood is still excluded from both policies, so it’s worth considering.

We quote your condo or rental with several insurers

We are a private insurance agency licensed in Florida (license L116417), based in Hialeah, helping families across the state by phone and online. We review your association’s master policy with you, set the right limits for your unit and belongings, quote condo, renters and flood coverage with several insurers, and explain every coverage in English or Spanish. The insurer sets the premium; you don’t pay more with an agent.

Request a condo or renters insurance quote or call (786) 808-1802. More in Florida home insurance: what it covers and how to pay less.

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Arte Insurance is a private insurance agency licensed in Florida (license L116417). We are not affiliated with Citizens Property Insurance Corporation or any condominium association. This article is general information, not legal advice; coverages, limits, deductibles and requirements depend on the insurer, the policy and your condo documents. Check your contract and talk to a licensed agent about your situation.

Sources: Florida Statutes, s. 718.111 (condominium association insurance) · Florida Statutes, s. 627.714 (loss assessment coverage) · Florida Department of Financial Services: Florida’s hurricane deductible · Citizens Property Insurance: HO-6 coverage comparison worksheet · Florida Legislature: HB 913 (2025) staff analysis, milestone inspections and reserve studies · Insurify: renters insurance in Florida (April 2026) · FEMA FloodSmart: flood insurance for renters (contents up to $100,000)