Condos & HOA · Master Policy

HOA Master Policy Insurance for Shared Property and Common Areas

The master policy protects the community assets and association responsibilities that individual owner policies do not. BLIS helps boards compare the governing documents with the coverage boundary, property schedule, building values, liability, lender requirements, and separate flood or earthquake needs.

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Licensed in CA, NV, AZ, TX, and FL.

Submitting this request does not bind coverage or guarantee a quote. BLIS is licensed in California, Nevada, Arizona, Texas, Florida. CA License 0M74955.

Sending this form does not start coverage or guarantee a quote, price, or coverage result. BLIS will review what you send and may ask for a few more details before discussing available options.

What to expect

What to expect after you submit

A BLIS representative reviews what you share, looks at what your business needs, and follows up if an important detail is missing.

  1. We learn how you operate

    A licensed BLIS representative reads what you send and gets familiar with your business.

  2. We look at what needs protection

    We connect your day-to-day work, property, people, and vehicles with the coverage that may matter.

  3. We fill in the blanks

    If something important is missing, we’ll ask a few focused questions instead of sending another long form.

  4. We explain the options

    When options are available, we help you compare price, limits, deductibles, exclusions, and policy terms.

  5. We stay available

    After coverage starts, BLIS can help with certificates, policy changes, audits, renewals, and claim questions.

Prefer to talk it through? Call (818) 306-8333Monday – Friday, 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM PT

Your operation

What matters when protecting a hoa master policy business

The board should know what the master policy covers before a roof, pipe, fire, or common-area claim tests it. The governing documents and policy form determine how far coverage reaches into each unit, while the schedule and values determine which shared property is included. BLIS helps boards review these parts together and communicate the boundary more clearly to owners.

Coverage boundary: the starting point for every HOA account. The CC&Rs define what the association owns and is responsible to insure. Bare-walls-in coverage protects the building structure to the original installation standard. Unit owners carry the interior — flooring, cabinetry, fixtures, improvements. All-in coverage extends inward to original construction elements inside each unit.

A 40-unit condominium and a 200-home planned community HOA have different responsibilities, and the right model for each flows from the governing documents, not the policy form. BLIS reviews coverage structure in that context. If you're not sure which model your CC&Rs require, that question belongs to the association's attorney or management company.

Stale valuations produce co-insurance penalties. Construction costs move — labor, materials, permitting, demolition. A property limit set five or ten years ago may no longer reflect what it actually costs to rebuild a damaged common structure. When a policy's insured value falls meaningfully below actual replacement cost, the co-insurance clause reduces the claim payment proportionally.

Multi-building complexes, clubhouses, and properties with custom finishes are especially exposed to this gap. A current replacement cost appraisal from a qualified appraiser gives the board a defensible limit and reduces the risk of a partial-loss dispute.

Pools, parking lots, fitness centers, rooftop decks — each one is ongoing GL risk. Slips and falls in a parking lot, injuries at a community pool, property damage during maintenance activity: these arise from the spaces the association controls. General Liability responds to third-party bodily injury and property damage claims from those operations.

The limits the board carries should reflect the actual scope of that footprint. A condominium complex with a rooftop deck and an elevator bank carries a different profile than a rural community with common landscaping only.

Mortgage lenders have their own requirements — and they're not negotiable. Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, and FHA each publish guidelines for associations. They require minimum property coverage, General Liability limits, and in some cases fidelity coverage for association funds. When the master policy falls short, unit owners may face difficulty closing sales or refinancing mortgages.

That's an obligation the board carries. BLIS can review the current policy against commonly applied lender standards. Confirming specific requirements for a given transaction should be done directly with the lender.

Flood and earthquake don't appear on a standard commercial property form — they're excluded. Both require separate coverage decisions. BLIS is licensed in California, Florida, Texas, Arizona, and Nevada, where coastal flooding, inland flooding, or earthquakes may be a serious concern depending on the property. Private commercial flood policies may offer limits above available NFIP limits.

Earthquake deductibles are typically expressed as a percentage of insured value, so the association's out-of-pocket cost after a major event can be substantial.

Reserve fund levels shape how insurers evaluate the account. Insurers review association financials — including reserve balances — as part of the coverage review. Underfunded reserves signal deferred maintenance and increase the probability that a loss creates a coverage gap the association can't close.

Some lender guidelines require minimum reserve funding as a condition of approving mortgages on units in the community. If your reserves are thin, that conversation should happen before renewal — not after a major loss leaves the board without the funds to cover the deductible.

D&O and fidelity are not optional add-ons. Directors & Officers Liability addresses claims from unit owners, management companies, and vendors alleging mismanagement, breach of fiduciary duty, or discriminatory rule enforcement. Fidelity coverage protects association funds against theft by employees or management company personnel. Neither line is part of a standard property and GL policy.

Most well-structured programs include all three: master policy, D&O, and fidelity. Confirming all three are in place — and how they interact — is part of how BLIS reviews an HOA account.

Start the renewal early. Multi-building association renewals are document-intensive. Insurers ask for current property schedules, updated appraisals, loss runs from the past three to five years, association financials, and often the governing documents themselves. Gathering those materials takes coordination. Submitting late limits how many insurers can evaluate the account before expiration.

Changes during the policy year — a new pool, a clubhouse renovation, a management company change — should go to the insurer when they occur, not only at renewal.

Certificate requests arrive year-round, on no predictable schedule. Unit owners refinancing their mortgages need evidence the master policy meets lender requirements. Contractors hired by the association need proof of GL coverage. Property management companies may need additional insured status in certain coverage contexts. These requests don't stop once the policy is placed.

Managing them accurately — with documentation that reflects what the policy actually provides — is an ongoing service obligation.

Coverage

Coverages commonly considered for hoa master policy operations

These are common coverages to consider, not a preset package. The right mix depends on how your business works, your contracts, state requirements, and the policy options available.

  • Commercial Property

    Shared Structures and Common Areas — Property coverage is the core of an HOA master policy. Building shells, roofs, common-area walls, parking structures, clubhouses, pools, and other shared amenities: if the association owns or is responsible to insure it, it belongs in the schedule. How a claim settles depends on the coverage form, the property limit relative to current construction costs, and whether the co-insurance clause applies. Replacement cost coverage with a current appraisal behind it is the target. Whether the policy covers original construction elements inside units (all-in) or stops at the structural shell (bare-walls-in) follows from the governing documents. Confirm the model before a loss forces the question.

  • General Liability

    Common Areas and Association Operations — General Liability covers third-party bodily injury and property damage claims arising from common areas and association activities. A slip in the parking lot, a guest injured at the pool, property damage from a maintenance crew: all GL risk. Per-occurrence and aggregate limits should match the real scope of the common-area footprint. Associations with active pools, fitness centers, and landscaping crews carry more risk than those with minimal shared amenities. Lender guidelines often set minimum GL limits — the board's own business profile may warrant more.

  • Directors & Officers Liability

    Board Member Protection — D&O covers the board's governance decisions against claims from unit owners, vendors, or management companies. Allegations of mismanagement, breach of fiduciary duty, selective rule enforcement, or procedural error: all D&O territory. Budget allocations, special assessments, vendor contracts, rules enforcement — every discretionary call the board makes can give rise to a legal claim regardless of good faith. D&O is separate from the master property and GL policy. Without it, board members' personal assets are in the line of fire.

  • Fidelity / Crime

    Association Funds — Fidelity coverage protects the association's accounts against theft. Employees, board members, management company personnel, anyone with authorized access: all covered. Reserve funds accumulate over years toward capital repairs and can represent significant balances. Standard property and GL coverage doesn't address that risk. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac guidelines set minimum fidelity coverage levels for associations managing significant assessment revenue. That makes fidelity a lender compliance question, not just a risk management preference.

  • Umbrella / Excess Liability

    An umbrella or excess liability policy sits above the primary GL and D&O limits. When a single claim exhausts the underlying per-occurrence limit, the umbrella responds to the excess. Associations with multiple buildings, rooftop amenities, pools, or a history of member disputes have a real reason to ask whether primary limits are adequate for a severe event. Some lenders specify minimum umbrella limits as a condition of financing within the community.

  • Commercial Flood

    Separate Policy — Flood is excluded from standard commercial property forms. Associations in flood-prone areas carry risk the master policy won't respond to. Flood coverage is available through NFIP for qualifying structures or through private-market programs that may offer higher limits. It is a separate decision — the coverage form, limit structure, and deductible options differ meaningfully between NFIP and private flood insurers.

  • Earthquake Coverage

    Separate Policy or Endorsement — Earthquake damage is excluded from standard commercial property forms. In California especially, this is a separate coverage review — insurers evaluate construction type, year built, soil conditions, and building height. Deductibles are expressed as a percentage of insured value, not a flat dollar amount. That means the board's out-of-pocket risk in a significant event can be substantial. Unaddressed earthquake risk is an uninsured gap.

What shapes your quote

Details that can affect your quote

These details can affect which options are available and what they may cost. You don't need all of them to start — send what you have, and we'll follow up on anything important that's missing.

Association type (HOA vs. condominium association) and number of units
Governance structure, scale, and operations all differ. A single-family HOA with 80 homes carries a different property and liability profile than a condominium association with 80 attached units in a multi-story building — even at the same unit count.
Number and description of shared structures and common areas
Insurers need a building schedule: how many structures, construction type, year built, square footage, and occupancy. Pools, clubhouses, fitness centers, and parking structures each add coverage questions that the schedule has to address.
Current replacement cost appraisal (or date of last appraisal)
Insurers compare the requested property limit to their own replacement cost estimate. An appraisal from the last two to three years supports the limit and reduces co-insurance dispute risk at claim time.
Coverage boundary: bare-walls-in, single-entity (all-in), or modified coverage
The boundary determines scope and price. Bare-walls-in stops at the structural shell. All-in extends to original installation elements inside each unit. The governing documents set which model applies.
Loss history
last five years of association claims — Both the number and size of injury, water, vandalism, and D&O claims can affect eligibility and price.
Reserve fund balance and current reserve study
Insurers and lenders both evaluate reserve adequacy. Underfunded reserves signal deferred maintenance. A current reserve study shows the board is tracking long-term capital needs, not discovering them at claim time.
Flood zone designation for each insured structure
Flood risk affects property pricing and determines whether separate flood coverage is lender-required. Insurers ask because the master property policy doesn't cover flood.
Management company name and whether fidelity coverage is in place
Management company access to association funds creates fidelity risk. Insurers ask whether the management company carries its own bond and whether it covers client association funds — the answer is often more limited than assumed.
Property state
Regulations, flood and earthquake concerns, and lender guidelines differ by state. BLIS is licensed in California, Nevada, Arizona, Texas, and Florida. The insurance review should reflect the requirements and conditions where the property is located.
Current master policy declarations pages (upload optional)
Reviewing the existing policy before quoting surfaces coverage gaps, limit adequacy, expiring endorsements, and the coverage boundary currently in place.

Coverage examples

Example claim scenarios

A few situations that show how coverage can respond when something goes wrong. These are examples only — not actual claims, and not a guarantee of any outcome.

  • Example scenario

    Common-area slip-and-fall at a community pool

    A resident's guest slips on wet pavement immediately outside the community pool gate. The guest sustains a significant soft-tissue injury requiring surgery. The guest makes a bodily injury claim against the homeowners association, alleging the pavement drainage had been a known maintenance issue.

    The association's General Liability coverage can respond to bodily injury claims arising from common areas the association controls. That includes the cost of legal defense and any resulting settlement or judgment, subject to the policy's terms, limits, and exclusions. The claim becomes a record in the association's loss history that insurers will review at the next renewal.

  • Example scenario

    Roof hail damage on multiple shared structures

    A hailstorm damages the roofing on three of eight shared residential buildings in a planned community. The association's board files a property claim under the master policy for roof replacement on the affected structures. The adjuster's estimate, however, exceeds the coverage amount.

    The property limit reflects an appraisal done eight years earlier and does not account for current construction labor and materials costs. The policy's co-insurance clause applies, reducing the claim payment proportionally to the degree of underinsurance. The association is left covering a meaningful share of the replacement cost out of reserves.

    Commercial property coverage can respond to hail damage on covered structures. But the settlement amount depends on whether the limit is adequate relative to actual current replacement cost, subject to the policy's terms and exclusions.

  • Example scenario

    Water intrusion claim from a common-area pipe failure

    A shared water supply line running through a common-area wall fails during the night. Water flows into four adjacent condominium units. The association's master policy covers the common-area pipe and the shared structure damage. Who covers the damage inside the units depends on whether the master policy is written bare-walls-in, all-in, or on a modified basis.

    It also depends on what the governing documents define as association responsibility versus unit-owner responsibility. Some unit owners file claims under their own HO-6 policies. Others look to the association's master policy for interior damage coverage.

    The coverage outcome depends on how the master policy aligns with what the CC&Rs require, subject to the policy's terms, deductible, and coverage-boundary definitions.

  • Example scenario

    Special assessment dispute and D&O claim

    After a fire damages the association's clubhouse, the board levies a special assessment to cover costs the master policy does not fully pay. Either the property limit was inadequate or the deductible left a gap. Several unit owners challenge the assessment as improperly calculated and procedurally flawed.

    They allege breach of fiduciary duty and failure to maintain adequate reserves, and they bring a claim against individual board members. The master property policy responds to the underlying fire loss. The Directors & Officers Liability coverage responds to the board's defense costs and potential liability from the governance claim. But that applies only if D&O coverage is in place as a separate line.

    Property coverage and board liability coverage address different risks that can arise from the same event, subject to the policy's terms and exclusions.

The claim scenarios above are illustrative examples only. They do not represent actual clients, actual claims, or guaranteed coverage outcomes. Coverage for any specific situation depends on the policy terms, conditions, exclusions, and the facts of the claim.

After coverage starts

Common certificate and service needs

Once coverage is in place, new contracts or business changes can mean new paperwork. A certificate only summarizes policy information; the policy and its endorsements determine the actual coverage.

Contract and certificate requests

  • Evidence of insurance for unit-owner mortgage lenders — lenders require proof the master policy qualifies: minimum property coverage, GL limits, and in some cases fidelity thresholds. Send the lender requirements to BLIS. We review whether the policy meets them and issue evidence accordingly.
  • Certificates naming contractors or vendors working on common areas — a landscaping contractor, a pool service company, or a roofing crew may need proof of GL coverage before starting work. The association may also require vendors to name it as an additional insured on their own policies. BLIS handles both directions.
  • Certificates for property management companies — management companies contracted to the association may need to be named as additional insureds in certain contexts. Certificate requests with specific endorsement wording should include the required language so BLIS can confirm whether the policy supports it before issuing.
  • Flood and earthquake evidence for lenders — federally backed mortgage programs may require associations in high-risk flood zones or seismic zones to carry separate flood or earthquake coverage. Evidence of those policies may be needed as part of an annual lender compliance package.
  • Renewal certificates for ongoing vendor and lender compliance — many lenders conduct annual master policy compliance reviews and request updated evidence when the policy renews. BLIS tracks renewal dates and issues updated certificates when coverage rolls over.

Ongoing service

  • Mid-term property schedule updates — a pool renovation, new roof, or added parking structure changes the insurable value the insurer needs to know about. BLIS handles endorsements and updated documentation when property changes occur during the policy year.
  • Replacement cost appraisal coordination — if the association hasn't had a formal appraisal in several years, the property limit may not reflect current rebuild costs. BLIS can walk through how the insurer approaches replacement cost validation and what documentation supports the requested limit at renewal.
  • Lender compliance review — a unit owner, management company, or lender may need confirmation the master policy meets Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, or FHA guidelines. BLIS reviews the current policy against those standards and identifies any shortfall before it blocks a sale or refinance. Better to find a gap before the unit is in escrow.
  • Renewal strategy and loss run review — advance preparation matters for master policy renewals. BLIS reviews loss runs, identifies claim trends insurers will scrutinize, and helps the board assemble a complete application before the renewal window closes.
  • Claims questions and coordination — a property claim, GL claim, or combined event raises questions about which coverage line responds and how the deductible applies. BLIS helps the board understand the process and keeps communication with the insurer on track.
  • Coverage comparison when the account is marketed — at renewal or when the board wants to evaluate alternatives, BLIS presents options across coverage structure, limits, deductibles, and insurer fit. Not price alone.
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Review Your Master Policy

Coverage availability, pricing, terms, conditions, limits, and eligibility depend on the insurer, state, details of the business, claims history, and policy terms. Nothing on this site guarantees coverage, pricing, approval, or savings.

Examples are hypothetical and illustrative. They show how a coverage can respond, not a promise that any specific claim will be covered. Actual coverage depends on your policy's terms, conditions, and exclusions.

Coverage boundary determinations (bare-walls-in, all-in, or modified) are governed by the association's governing documents — CC&Rs, bylaws, and applicable state law — not by the insurance policy. Questions about what the governing documents require should be reviewed with the association's attorney or management company. Nothing on this site is legal advice.

Blue Lagoon Insurance Services, LLC is a licensed insurance agency. Insurance products are offered through licensed representatives in the states listed. California License 0M74955.