Who is it for?

A condo policy is for anyone who owns a condo and lives in it. If you rent your condo out, you may or may not need a condo policy depending on what the condo master policy covers.

How does it work?

Insurance for condos works very similarly to other types of property and casualty insurance. Your policy should cover you for things such as fire and weather damage. If one of those covered events occurs, you would call your agent and make a claim. You would then be visited by an insurance adjuster who would make a decision on whether you are covered and how much of a payout you are entitled to.

Different Types of Coverage

There are two main types of condo coverage. There is a building master policy and insurance for the individual units. Either the building owner or the condo co-op association pays for the building master policy, which covers the external structure and common areas. Some policies may cover internal walls and floors, but many don’t. A policy for an individual condo unit covers the internal fixtures and the owner’s possessions.

Major Benefits

The major benefit of condo insurance is that it covers your unit and your stuff from loss from a covered event. If you don’t have the insurance, you likely are not covered in the event that your condo unit is damaged or destroyed in a fire or bad storm. Your policy also likely has loss-of-use coverage, which will pay for you to live somewhere else if your unit is unlivable. And many condo policies also offer personal liability coverage in case someone is injured in your unit. The policy also might cover certain possessions outside of the unit, such as your jewelry.