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As insurance Agents, we can dazzle you all day long with the various types of policies "specifically tailored to your association", but here are some of the main lines you should have included in your overall portfolio:
Property
Equipment Breakdown
General Liability
Crime
Directors & Officers
Umbrella
Workers Comp
Flood
Although rare, there are still some Basic Form Property policies floating around the marketplace.
A Basic Form Property policy provides coverage for damage to Association property from:
However, there are some crucial perils excluded from Basic Form policies such as:
In order to guarantee that you have these other important perils, you need to have either a Special Form Property policy, which includes all Basic Perils plus the 3 above <OR> you can purchase a Basic Form policy and a Difference in Conditions policy which together give you Special Form coverage.
Before the wind starts blowing, it’s important to check your Association’s policy to see what type(s) of deductible you may incur should your structure sustain wind damage.
Hurricane
Named Storm
Wind/Hail
All Other Wind
Your Property policy likely includes a variety of deductibles. These deductibles may also reference a “calendar year” or “occurrence” basis.
Calendar Year
Aggregate
Occurrence
Not too long ago, most Associations were all insured by Citizens. So we never heard the words “Ordinance or Law” unless it was part of a claim denial letter. Reason being: Citizens did not offer Ordinance or Law coverage. This endorsement to the Property policy didn’t become popular until the private carriers began competing for Association business.
So what is Ordinance or Law Coverage? This endorsement covers the additional expenses from enforcement of ordinances or laws regulating construction and repair of damaged buildings.
It is broken down into 3 parts:
A) Undamaged Portion – Typically, insurance policies only cover the damaged portion of your property. However, sometimes building code requires that you repair/replace the undamaged portion as well. Example: 50% of a roof is damaged but code requires full reroof.
B) Demolition – Demolition/removal of that undamaged portion.
C) Increased Cost of Construction – Increased cost of bringing up to code following a loss. Example: Hurricane Impact Glass
Ordinance or Law Coverage can be purchased in several ways, each of which can make a difference in your overall policy premium.
Examples:
Oh no… You’ve just received a call from a Unit Owner. There’s just been a heavy rainstorm and they’ve got that tell-tale water spot on their ceiling. It doesn’t take a detective to figure out that you probably have a roof leak. Your next call is probably going to be to…well…me. And you’re not going to like my response.
“Are roof leaks covered?” you ask. My response, “Generally…no.”
As I’ve told the majority of my clients when they ask “what’s covered” by the policy, let’s just jump to the section on “what’s not covered”. Whereas something may seem to be covered, exclusions often rip that rug right out from under us.
The 2 exclusions that trip us up here are:
Wear/Tear/Deterioration
Construction Defect
“But, Michelle! My unit owner is furious! They want us to pay for their damages.” Okay. I get it.
However, if the roof was damaged by a covered peril (wind, lightning, etc.) that thereby caused the leak, then you could claim the roof damage under the policy and the damage to the drywall, subject to your deductible.
You’ve noticed some new and significant cracks on the side of your building and are concerned that you may have a sinkhole.
Some policies and carriers provide sinkhole coverage whereas others only provide Catastrophic Ground Cover Collapse. It’s important to know the difference so you know what to expect should you have a sinkhole concern.
First, all Catastrophic Ground Cover Collapses are Sinkhole, but not all Sinkholes are Catastrophic Ground Cover Collapse. Still with me?
If you have sinkhole coverage, the policy will pay for the necessary testing to determine if you have a sinkhole and will pay for repairs. There must be structural damage to the building, including the foundation.
For catastrophic ground cover collapse coverage to be triggered, you must have ALL of the following:
So sinkhole coverage is more comprehensive in that it only requires 1 of the 4 conditions that CGCC requires.
Availability, annual cost, and proximity to other known sinkholes in your area should be carefully considered and discussed with your Agent.
As a general guide, you should have:
HO-6 Unit Owners Policy (including Wind)
This policy will provide several forms of coverage:
Flood
If your Association does NOT carry a flood policy, then you're likely located outside of the "flood zone" or Special Flood Hazard Area. This does not mean that you won't be flooded, just that you have a lessor chance. I recommend purchasing a Preferred Risk policy for a couple hundred bucks a year. This will provide assessment coverage should you be assessed for flood damage to the building, and contents coverage if you have damage to your personal belongings from rising water.
If your Association DOES carry a flood policy, you may want to consider a Contents Only flood policy if you believe that flood waters may actually rise to your floor. Keep in mind that contents is only insurable based on actual cash value (depreciated value) not replacement cost. Contents must also sustain "direct physical loss by or from flood. There must be evidence of physical changes to the property."
I encourage you to visit my Assn vs. Unit Owner page for further details on who pays for what.
Thanks for the suggestion!