What Repairs Are HOA Responsible For?
Usually shared structures, common areas, and roofs or exteriors, per the HOA's governing documents and master policy, not what's inside your unit.
Free to compare
What the HOA covers is set in the bylaws, not in your head. That document splits repairs into shared structures, like the roof, siding, and common hallways, versus the inside of your unit. If a pipe inside your walls bursts, that's yours. If the roof leaks because of storm damage, that's the HOA's master policy. The gray area is things like the drywall and flooring the master policy stops at, which is exactly what your HO-6 walls-in coverage is built to pick up. Your bylaws tell you where that line sits.
A loss assessment can still land on you even with the bylaws spelled out, sometimes for thousands of dollars if the building's deductible is high or damage is widespread. An HO-6 with enough walls-in and loss assessment coverage is what closes that gap. Checking policies now, before anything happens, shows what a unit like yours actually needs and what it costs to carry it.
What does the HOA's master policy actually leave out
Most master policies come in one of two forms, and the difference changes how much HO-6 coverage a unit needs. A bare walls policy covers only the structure as it was originally built, studs, pipes, and the roof, with nothing added since. An all-in or single-entity policy goes further, covering fixtures like cabinets, countertops, and flooring that came with the unit when it was built. Two owners in the same building can need very different amounts of walls-in coverage depending on which version their HOA carries, so the bylaws or a call to the HOA's property manager is the only way to know for sure which one applies.
Water from a neighbor's unit is one of the most common disputes in a condo building, and fault matters less than people expect. If the pipe that burst belongs to the building's shared plumbing, the master policy likely handles it. If it's a supply line inside the neighbor's own unit, that neighbor's HO-6 liability coverage is usually what responds, not the HOA's policy and not automatically the building's insurer. Meanwhile the unit that got damaged files its own claim for its own walls-in coverage and the contents that got ruined, then that insurer may seek reimbursement from whoever was at fault. Three policies can be in play for one leak, which is part of why unit owners carry their own HO-6 rather than relying on the building alone.
Loss assessment coverage is worth a closer look than most people give it. It pays for a unit owner's share of a bill the HOA passes down after a shared loss, say the master policy's deductible on a roof claim, or damage that goes beyond what the master policy's limits cover. HO-6 policies often include a modest amount of this coverage by default, but buildings with high deductibles or aging roofs can generate assessments well past that default, so it's worth checking the declarations page for the actual number rather than assuming it's enough.
Townhome insurance sits a little differently depending on what the HOA actually owns. Some townhome associations only maintain shared land and amenities, leaving the whole structure, including the roof and exterior walls, to the owner, which calls for a standard HO-3 policy instead of an HO-6. Others function more like a condo building with a master policy covering the structure. The bylaws settle which situation applies, and that answer decides whether the right policy looks like a condo owner's or a single-family homeowner's.
How much walls-in coverage does a unit actually need
There's no flat number that works for every unit, because it depends on what the master policy already covers and the finish level of the unit itself. A unit with original builder-grade cabinets and flooring needs less walls-in coverage than one with upgraded hardwood, custom cabinetry, or a renovated bathroom. Insurers sometimes suggest a starting figure, but that figure assumes a standard finish. Anyone who has remodeled since buying the unit should raise their coverage to match, since the master policy was never going to cover those upgrades in the first place.
A good way to check the number is to ask what it would cost to rebuild the inside of the unit from the studs out, not what the unit would sell for on the market. Sale price includes the land and the building as a whole, and neither of those is what an HO-6 is insuring. Rebuilding cost covers drywall, cabinets, flooring, fixtures, and everything else that would need replacing if the unit were gutted by fire or water damage. A contractor estimate or even a detailed look at renovation receipts gives a far more accurate figure than guessing.
Personal property coverage is a separate number from walls-in coverage, and it's easy to confuse the two. Walls-in coverage rebuilds the unit itself. Personal property coverage replaces furniture, electronics, clothing, and everything else that would need replacing after a total loss. Someone with a lot of higher-value belongings, like jewelry or electronics, may need to add a rider or raise this limit separately, since standard policies often cap certain categories of property at a modest amount.
Liability coverage rounds out the policy and matters more in a shared building than it does in a single-family home. If a guest is injured inside the unit, or if the unit owner is found responsible for damage to a neighboring unit, liability coverage is what responds. Given how often disputes between neighboring units involve water or fire spreading from one unit to another, carrying a liability limit higher than the policy's default is worth considering, especially in buildings with many units stacked close together.
Before the next renewal
Pull up your HOA's bylaws and your HO-6 declarations page side by side. Check which version of the master policy your building carries, and whether your loss assessment and walls-in limits still match your unit.
