Building vs. contents coverage comes down to one test: if you turned the unit upside down and shook it, whatever stays put is building and whatever falls out is contents. Building coverage pays to repair the structure and the things permanently attached to it. Contents coverage, called personal property or Coverage C on your policy, pays for the belongings inside. Condo owners in Maryland need both on an HO-6, with the building limit set by what the association's master policy leaves to you. Renters on an HO-4 need contents only, plus liability and loss of use.
What Counts as Building Coverage
On a house, building coverage is Coverage A, the dwelling, and it includes everything attached to the structure: framing, roof, siding, drywall, flooring, cabinets, countertops, plumbing, wiring and built-in appliances. Detached structures like a garage or shed sit under Coverage B.
On a condo, there is no house to insure, so Coverage A on an HO-6 is narrower. Agents call it building property, unit coverage or walls-in coverage. It pays for the parts of the unit you are responsible for under the condo documents: interior walls and partitions, flooring, cabinets, fixtures, built-in appliances, and any improvements you or a previous owner installed. How much of that falls on you depends on the master policy, which we cover below.
What Counts as Contents Coverage
Contents coverage is Coverage C, personal property, on every homeowners, condo and renters form. It covers the things you own that aren't part of the structure: furniture, clothing, electronics, kitchenware, books, rugs, bikes, tools, sporting goods and free-standing appliances. It follows you off premises too, so a laptop stolen from your car or a suitcase lost on a trip is a contents claim, usually subject to a lower off-premises limit.
Two things trip people up. First, certain categories carry theft sublimits on the base form, commonly jewelry, watches, firearms, silverware, cash and business property. If you own a ring worth more than a few thousand dollars, schedule it separately. Second, the base form pays actual cash value on contents, meaning replacement cost minus depreciation, unless you add the replacement cost endorsement. We add it on nearly every policy we write.
Building vs. Contents Coverage: A Sorter for Common Items
Here is where the items people ask about most often land. The attachment test does most of the work.
Building (Coverage A)
- Kitchen cabinets and countertops
- Flooring: hardwood, tile, carpet that is tacked or glued down
- Interior walls, drywall, trim and paint
- Built-in appliances: dishwasher, range, wall oven, built-in microwave
- Light fixtures, ceiling fans and recessed lighting
- Bathroom vanities, tubs, showers and toilets
- Water heater, HVAC equipment that serves only your unit
- Built-in shelving and closet systems
Contents (Coverage C)
- Furniture, mattresses and lamps
- Clothing, shoes and accessories
- Electronics: TVs, computers, game consoles, speakers
- Area rugs that are not attached
- Free-standing appliances: refrigerator, microwave on the counter
- Bikes, strollers, exercise equipment and tools
- Kitchenware, linens, books and decor
Gray areas
- Window treatments. Curtains and drapes are contents. Blinds and shades screwed into the frame are usually building.
- Wall-mounted TV. The TV is contents. The mount bolted to the studs is building.
- Washer and dryer. Usually contents, because they plug in and roll out. Some condo master policies treat them as part of the unit, so check the documents.
The gray areas rarely change a claim outcome on a house, because the same policy pays either way. On a condo, building vs. contents coverage matters more, because the association's policy and yours may each point at the other.
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Building vs. Contents Calculator
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Run the calculator →Condo Master Policy Types: Bare Walls, Single Entity and All-In
The question we get most from condo buyers in Bethesda, downtown Silver Spring, Rockville Town Center and the Pike District is how much HO-6 building coverage to carry. The answer is in the master policy. Condo insurance in Montgomery County follows the same three structures you will see anywhere, and the master policy type sets where the association's coverage stops and yours starts.
| Master policy type | What the association insures | What your HO-6 building coverage must pick up |
|---|---|---|
| Bare walls | Structure and common elements only, out to the bare studs or unfinished drywall of your unit | Everything inside the unit: drywall finish, flooring, cabinets, countertops, fixtures, built-in appliances, plus improvements |
| Single entity (original specifications) | Structure plus the unit's interior as originally built by the developer | Upgrades and improvements made after the original build, by you or a prior owner |
| All-in (all inclusive) | Structure plus the unit's interior including fixtures and improvements | Little or nothing for the unit itself; carry enough for the master policy deductible and loss assessment |
Ask the management company for the master policy declarations and the insurance section of the bylaws, then read both. The bylaws often add a pass-through: many Maryland condo documents make the owner of the unit where a loss started responsible for some or all of the master policy deductible. Master deductibles have climbed in recent years, so that pass-through alone can justify a higher HO-6 building limit than the master policy type suggests.
Walls-in coverage for a condo is the phrase you will hear from lenders. It is not a separate product. It is the HO-6 building limit set high enough to put the inside of your unit back if the association's policy stops at the studs.
Loss assessment coverage
When a covered loss to common property exceeds what the master policy pays, or the master deductible is split among owners, the association can assess every unit. Loss assessment coverage on your HO-6 pays your share. The base form includes a modest limit, and raising it is inexpensive. Buildings with aging roofs, parking garages or large master deductibles are the ones where we push it.
Renters: Contents Only, Plus Liability and Loss of Use
If you rent an apartment near the Red Line or a house in Gaithersburg, the building is your landlord's problem and the landlord's policy covers it. Your HO-4 renters policy has three jobs:
- Contents. Renters insurance contents coverage replaces your belongings after fire, theft, a burst pipe in the unit above you and the other covered perils. Your landlord's policy pays nothing toward your things.
- Liability. If a guest is hurt in your unit, or your overflowing tub damages the apartment below, personal liability responds. Many Montgomery County landlords now require it.
- Loss of use. If a fire makes the apartment uninhabitable, loss of use pays for a hotel or a short-term rental while repairs happen.
Renters who added anything permanent, such as closet systems or a backsplash, can usually cover them under a small improvements allowance on the HO-4. Everything else is contents, so the real work is picking the right contents number.
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How Much Personal Property Coverage Do You Need?
Most people guess low. A one-bedroom with ordinary furniture, a closet of clothes, a laptop, a TV and a kitchen's worth of gear adds up faster than it feels. Here is the method we walk clients through.
- Go room by room. Write down the big items first: sofa, bed, dresser, dining set, TV, computer, bike. Then the categories you would have to rebuy wholesale after a fire: clothing, shoes, kitchenware, linens, books, toys.
- Price it new. Use what it would cost to replace each item today, since that is what a replacement cost policy pays. Don't use what you paid five years ago or what it would sell for used.
- Take a phone video. Walk every room, open every closet and drawer, and narrate. Store it in the cloud. After a loss, an adjuster will ask for a list, and the video is the fastest way to build one.
- Flag the scheduled items. Engagement ring, watches, camera gear, instruments and collectibles get listed separately with appraisals or receipts.
- Round up. The difference in premium between a thin contents limit and a comfortable one is small on most policies.
On an HO-3 or HO-5, contents coverage defaults to a percentage of the dwelling limit, which is plenty for most houses. On an HO-6 or HO-4 you pick the number yourself, which is where the inventory matters.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between building and contents coverage on a condo policy?
Building coverage on an HO-6 pays for the parts of the unit you are responsible for under the condo documents, such as flooring, cabinets, fixtures and improvements. Contents coverage pays for your belongings, like furniture, clothing and electronics. The building limit depends on your association's master policy type. The contents limit depends on what you own.
How much HO-6 building coverage should I carry?
Enough to rebuild the inside of your unit from wherever the master policy stops. Under a bare walls master policy, that means the full cost of drywall finish, flooring, kitchen, bathrooms and built-ins. Under an all-in policy, it may be mostly the master deductible pass-through. Get the master policy declarations and bylaws from management and read the insurance section before you pick a number.
Does renters insurance cover the building?
No. The landlord's policy covers the structure. A renters policy covers your personal property, your liability to others and your additional living expenses if the unit becomes uninhabitable. If you installed something permanent, like a closet system, a small improvements allowance on the HO-4 can cover it.
Is a washer and dryer building or contents?
Usually contents, because they plug in and can be moved, the same as a refrigerator. Built-in appliances like a dishwasher or wall oven are building. Some condo master policies define appliances as part of the unit, so if you own a condo, check the master policy and bylaws rather than assuming.
Should contents be insured at replacement cost or actual cash value?
Replacement cost. The base form pays actual cash value, which deducts depreciation, so a seven-year-old sofa or a four-year-old laptop pays out a fraction of what it costs to replace. The replacement cost endorsement for contents is inexpensive and we add it to nearly every policy we write for condo owners and renters.
Next Steps
Pull your declarations page and find the Coverage A and Coverage C lines. If you own a condo, request the master policy declarations and the insurance section of the bylaws from your management company. Then run the Building vs. Contents Calculator to sort your items and get a suggested split. For a house, read how much it costs to rebuild a house in Maryland to set the building side correctly, and if your unit or basement sits below grade, see which basement water losses a policy pays for. When you are ready, request a free quote and we will match the limits to your building and your belongings.
Quick Summary
Building vs. contents coverage: building pays for the structure and anything permanently attached to it, contents pays for the belongings inside. On an HO-6, the building limit depends on whether the association's master policy is bare walls, single entity or all-in, and on any deductible pass-through in the bylaws. Renters need contents, liability and loss of use only. Estimate contents with a room-by-room inventory and a phone video, insure them at replacement cost, and schedule jewelry and other high-value items.
This article is general information from a licensed insurance agency, not legal or tax advice. Policy terms and your carrier's decisions control; consult an attorney about your specific situation. Tool results are estimates, not a quote or a coverage determination.