Send me the address and the master policy
If you do not have the master policy, I request the certificate and the bylaws from the managing agent or the board. The unit number and whether you own or are in contract is all I need to start.
Condo and co-op insurance
The master policy covers the building. The HO-6 covers you.
Your association insures the structure. Everything from the drywall in, your belongings, your liability, and your share of a building-wide assessment is on you. I read your master policy and bylaws first, then shop every company I work with for the HO-6 that fits them.
- Walls-in coverage matched to your master policy
- Loss assessment set higher than the default
- Co-ops in Queens and Nassau written correctly
- Certificate sent to your board or lender
What I'll ask you
- Send me the address and the master policy
- I set the limits
- We review it
- Proof to everyone
Who this is for
Who this is for
Unit owners and co-op shareholders across Suffolk, Nassau and Queens.
Buying a condo or co-op
The lender wants an HO-6 and the board wants a certificate. I get the master policy from the managing agent, write your policy to fill the gap, and send proof to everyone before closing.
Co-op shareholders
You own shares and a proprietary lease, not real estate, but the apartment's interior and your liability are still yours. Co-ops in Forest Hills, Rego Park, Jackson Heights, Flushing, Great Neck and Rockville Centre all come through my office, and most boards now require the policy.
You renovated
New kitchen, new bathrooms, new floors. Under most master policies, upgrades beyond the original builder finish are yours to insure. If your HO-6 still has the default dwelling limit, it was not written for the unit you live in now.
The association raised its deductible
Master policy deductibles have climbed. When there is a building claim, your share of that deductible can be assessed to you. Your loss assessment coverage is what responds, and the default limit is rarely enough.
You rent your unit out
An HO-6 is for an owner who lives there. If a tenant lives in your unit, you need a different form, and the tenant needs renters insurance. I write both.
Waterfront and South Shore buildings
Condos on the water in Bay Shore, Freeport, Long Beach and along the Great South Bay need a flood conversation separate from the HO-6, because the association's flood policy, if it has one, does not cover your contents or your interior.
Coverage I shop
What I shop for you
An HO-6 has fewer moving parts than a house policy, but each one has to be set on purpose.
Dwelling, or walls-in, coverage
This covers the parts of the unit you are responsible for under the bylaws: drywall, flooring, cabinets, counters, fixtures, and any upgrades. The right number depends entirely on the type of master policy your association carries. I read it and set the limit to match.
Loss assessment
If the building has a covered loss or a liability claim bigger than the master policy pays, the association can divide the shortfall among the owners. Loss assessment coverage pays your share. The built-in limit on most policies is small, and I raise it on nearly every quote.
Personal property at replacement cost
Your furniture, electronics, clothes, kitchen, everything you would carry out. I quote replacement cost so you get what a new one costs, not what a used one is worth.
Personal liability
Someone slips in your unit, your bathtub overflows into the apartment below, your dog bites a neighbor in the hallway. This is the coverage that answers. I quote higher limits than the minimum your board requires.
Loss of use
If a fire or a burst pipe forces you out while the unit is repaired, this pays the difference in living costs. On Long Island a temporary rental is not cheap, and I set the limit accordingly.
Water backup
Sewer and drain backup is excluded from a standard HO-6. For ground-floor and garden units, and for anyone with a finished lower level, this endorsement matters.
Building ordinance or law
If the building has to be brought up to current code after a loss, your share of the interior work may cost more than the original. This covers the difference.
Scheduled valuables
Jewelry, watches and similar items have a low theft limit on a standard policy. Anything with an appraisal gets scheduled separately so it is covered for its full value.
What I check
Where condo policies go wrong
Most HO-6 problems come from nobody reading the master policy. That is the part I do first.
Guessing at the master policy type
Bare walls means the association covers the structure to the studs and you own everything inside: drywall, floors, cabinets, fixtures. Single entity, sometimes called walls-in, means the association covers the original finishes and you cover upgrades and contents. All-in means the association covers finishes and upgrades too. Your dwelling limit should be set differently under each, and I will not quote until I know which one you have.
Loss assessment at the default limit
This is the gap I see most. The policy came with a minimal loss assessment limit, the roof failed, the master policy fell short, and every owner got a bill. Raising this limit is the single most useful change on most condo policies.
The master deductible lands on you
Many associations have raised their master policy deductible, and the bylaws can pass your share of that deductible to you when a claim starts in or near your unit. Some HO-6 policies cover an assessment for a master deductible and some limit it. I check the language.
Thinking the association insures your contents
It does not. Nothing you own is covered by the master policy. Not your furniture, not your clothes, not the TV, not the improvements you paid for.
Renting it out on an owner-occupied policy
An HO-6 assumes you live there. Once a tenant moves in, the policy may not respond the way you expect. The correct form exists; it just has to be written that way from the start.
Flood
The association's flood policy, if there is one, covers the building. Your contents and often your interior finishes are not included. In Long Beach, Freeport, Bay Shore and anywhere near the bay, a separate unit flood policy is worth the quote.
Water damage from the unit above
Who pays when the neighbor's washing machine floods your ceiling depends on the bylaws and the two policies. Your HO-6 pays for your damage first and the companies sort it out between them. Without an HO-6, you are the one chasing the neighbor.
How it works
How it works
I set the limits
I match the walls-in limit to the master policy type, raise loss assessment, add water backup where it fits, and quote every company I work with on the same coverage.
We review it
A short call. I explain what the association covers, what you cover, and what happens to you when the building has a claim.
Proof to everyone
Certificate to the board or managing agent, evidence of insurance to the lender with the correct mortgagee clause, and a reminder from me before renewal.
Long Island
Condo and co-op insurance on Long Island and in Queens
Around my office in Ronkonkoma, the condo stock is townhouse complexes in Holbrook, Islandia and Ronkonkoma itself, close to the LIE and Veterans Memorial Highway and popular with commuters who use the LIRR hub. Most are bare walls or single entity associations with their own HOA requirements for owner policies.
Bay Shore's waterfront condos near Main Street and the Fire Island ferries, and the buildings along the Great South Bay in Islip and Babylon, bring wind and flood into the conversation. The HO-6 handles the interior; a unit flood policy handles the water.
In Nassau, co-ops in Rockville Centre, Garden City and Great Neck and the condos in Long Beach each have boards with their own proof-of-insurance rules, and Long Beach adds a flood map to the file.
In Queens, the co-ops along Queens Boulevard in Forest Hills and Rego Park, the prewar buildings in Jackson Heights off Roosevelt Avenue, and the towers in Flushing are where most of my co-op policies live. The proprietary lease decides what is yours to insure, and I read it with you.
- Office
- 1951 Ocean Ave, Suite 4, Ronkonkoma, NY 11779
- Where I work
- Suffolk County · Nassau County · Queens · Brooklyn
Related lines
Where to read next
Questions
Questions people text me
Your interior finishes and improvements, your personal property, your personal liability, loss of use if the unit is uninhabitable, and your share of certain association assessments. The building structure, the roof, the hallways and the common areas belong to the master policy.
Google reviews
This space is reserved for real reviews.
No reviews yet
Reviews here will come straight from Google, written by real clients, once they exist. Nothing on this site is invented, and that includes praise.
If I have helped you, a review helps the next family find me.
Next step
Send me your address and your master policy.
I read the bylaws, match the HO-6 to them, and shop every company I work with. English or Spanish, by text, WhatsApp or in the office in Ronkonkoma.
or text a photo of your current policy to (631) 823-7630
Quotes depend on your details and each company's underwriting. No obligation.
Hours: Mon to Fri 9am to 7pm · Saturday 10am to 2pm