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HO-6 condo insurance across Montgomery County and DC

Assurant-appointed for fast, fully-coordinated condo coverage

Rockville, MD • Serving MoCo & DC condo owners since 2011

If you own a condo in Bethesda, Rockville, Silver Spring, Friendship Heights, North Bethesda, or anywhere along the DC line, your HOA master policy is not enough. The master policy covers the building shell and common areas; it does not cover the inside of your unit, your belongings, your liability, your living expenses if your unit becomes uninhabitable, or — critically — your share of a building loss that exceeds the master policy's limits. That last one is loss assessment, and it's the coverage most Bethesda and Rockville condo owners forget until they receive a five-figure assessment letter from the association.

At Terrapin we route most Maryland condo (HO-6) business through our Assurant appointment. Assurant is one of the largest condo and renters specialists in the country, their quote-and-bind workflow is fast enough that we can issue a policy in a single sitting, and their HO-6 product coordinates cleanly with most Montgomery County master policies. For the small percentage of units where Assurant isn't the best fit — older buildings, larger loss assessment exposures, or owners who want the unit on the same Chubb or Erie account as the rest of their household coverage — we shop alternatives. But for the typical MoCo condo owner, Assurant is the default first quote.

Why a condo owner needs more than the HOA master policy

Master policies fall into two broad shapes: "bare walls" master policies that cover the building structure and common areas but stop at the studs of each unit, and "all-in" master policies that include original fixtures and finishes inside each unit. Maryland condo declarations vary widely, and most owners we talk to have never read theirs. The practical implication is that an HO-6 has to fill different gaps depending on which side of the bare-walls vs. all-in line your association sits on.

Either way, an HO-6 is doing five jobs the master policy doesn't: covering your interior improvements and contents, covering your personal liability for incidents inside your unit, covering loss of use if the unit becomes uninhabitable, covering your share of any loss assessment, and absorbing your portion of the master policy's deductible (which can be passed through to unit owners). We review the master policy on every HO-6 we write so the HO-6 limits are sized to the actual gaps your association leaves, not to defaults that may over- or under-insure you.

Coverages every Maryland condo owner should carry

Building / walls-in coverage (Coverage A on HO-6)

The interior improvements, fixtures, cabinets, flooring, countertops, and built-ins inside your unit. Even with an all-in master policy, any upgrades you've made since purchase (new kitchen, finished basement, custom built-ins) sit on your HO-6, not on the master. Most Bethesda and Rockville condo owners carry $20K-$80K of walls-in coverage; high-end Friendship Heights and Lionsgate units often run $100K+.

Personal property (Coverage C)

Your belongings — furniture, clothes, electronics, art, jewelry. Standard sub-limits apply to high-value categories; for fine jewelry, art, watches, or collectibles, we recommend a scheduled personal articles endorsement that broadens coverage (including mysterious disappearance) and removes most sub-limits.

Loss of use

If a fire, water loss, or other covered peril makes your unit uninhabitable, loss of use pays additional living expenses — hotel, short-term rental, restaurant costs above your normal grocery bill — until you can return. Typical coverage is set as a percentage of your Coverage A limit; we recommend confirming the actual dollar amount on the declarations page so you know what you have.

Personal liability

Defends and pays judgments when a guest is injured in your unit, when your pet bites someone, or when you accidentally damage property elsewhere. Most HO-6 policies start at $100K-$300K of personal liability; we typically recommend $300K-$500K on the underlying, with a personal umbrella stacked on top for owners with meaningful net worth or higher exposure profiles (large dogs, frequent entertaining, teen drivers).

Loss assessment

The single most-overlooked HO-6 coverage in Maryland. When a building loss exceeds the master policy's limits, the association assesses every unit owner for their share. Loss assessment coverage on your HO-6 pays that assessment up to the limit you select. We recommend at least $50,000, and routinely write $100,000+ on units in larger or older Bethesda, Silver Spring, and Friendship Heights buildings.

Ordinance / law upgrades

Older Maryland condo buildings (1960s-1980s construction is common in Bethesda, Silver Spring, and Friendship Heights) often require significant code upgrades when interior portions are rebuilt after a loss. Ordinance or law coverage pays the additional cost of bringing the rebuild up to current Montgomery County code. Small premium add, real value on a serious claim.

Loss assessment — the coverage most Bethesda & Rockville condo owners forget

Loss assessment deserves its own section because it's the coverage we see most often missing or under-purchased on existing condo policies. Here's how it actually plays out in MoCo:

A burst pipe on the 12th floor of a Bethesda high-rise floods three floors below. The total damage is $1.8M. The HOA master policy covers $1.2M of building damage before its deductible and aggregate limits are exhausted. The association passes the remaining $600K shortfall to its 240 unit owners as a $2,500-per-unit special assessment. If your HO-6 has $50,000 of loss assessment coverage, your $2,500 share is paid by your policy (subject to a small deductible). If your HO-6 has only $1,000 of loss assessment coverage — which is the default on many older HO-6 policies — you're paying $1,500 out of pocket. If the assessment had been larger (and they often are — recent examples in Friendship Heights and downtown Bethesda have run $15K-$40K per unit), the math gets meaningful very quickly.

Increasing loss assessment from $1K to $50K or $100K typically adds $30-$80 to your annual premium. That's a deeply asymmetric trade: tiny premium increase, huge protection against a real and recurring exposure. We adjust it on every HO-6 we write or re-quote.

What we place with Assurant

Assurant is our default carrier for Maryland HO-6 business. The reasons that matter to clients:

Where we write condos in Maryland

Our condo book is concentrated in the dense Montgomery County corridors closest to Metro and along the DC line. A non-exhaustive list of buildings and neighborhoods where we regularly write HO-6 coverage:

If your building isn't listed, that's because no list is complete — we write HO-6 across virtually every Montgomery County and DC condo market. Cross-link to Bethesda, Silver Spring, and Rockville for city-level overviews, or see our full carrier roster to understand how Assurant fits with the other 11 appointments. Ready to get a quote? Request a quote or call 240-243-0042.

Common Maryland condo insurance questions

What's the difference between HO-3 and HO-6?

HO-3 is the standard homeowners policy for single-family detached homes — it covers the entire structure including the exterior walls, roof, and foundation. HO-6 is the unit-owner form for condos and co-ops — it covers everything inside your walls (cabinets, flooring, fixtures, your personal property, your liability, loss assessment), because the building shell is owned and insured by the HOA. If you own a condo at Lionsgate, Adagio, the Pike District, Friendship Heights, or anywhere else in Maryland, you need HO-6, not HO-3.

Why isn't the HOA master policy enough?

The HOA master policy covers the building's exterior and common areas — not the interior of your unit, not your belongings, not your liability, not the cost of staying somewhere else if your unit becomes uninhabitable, and (critically) not your share of a loss that exceeds the master policy's limits. There are also master policies written as 'bare walls' (covering nothing inside your unit at all) versus 'all-in' (covering original fixtures). You need an HO-6 to fill whichever gap your specific master policy leaves.

What's loss assessment?

When the HOA master policy doesn't fully cover a building loss, the association can assess every unit owner for their share of the shortfall. Loss assessment coverage on your HO-6 pays your portion of that assessment, up to the limit you select. A burst pipe in a Bethesda high-rise that floods three floors can easily generate a $20K-$50K assessment per unit if the master policy's limit is exhausted. Loss assessment coverage is one of the most under-purchased and most-misunderstood pieces of an HO-6.

How much loss assessment coverage should I carry?

For most Maryland condo owners we recommend at least $50,000 of loss assessment coverage, and we routinely write $100,000+ on units in larger buildings (Bethesda, Silver Spring, Friendship Heights high-rises) where master policy deductibles and shortfall risk are larger. The cost difference between $25K and $100K of loss assessment is typically $30-$80/year — modest insurance against a real and recurring exposure.

What does walls-in mean?

Walls-in (sometimes called 'studs-in') refers to the interior surfaces and improvements of your condo unit — drywall, paint, flooring, cabinets, countertops, light fixtures, built-ins. Whether walls-in is covered by your HOA master policy or your HO-6 depends on the master policy type (bare walls vs. all-in) and your unit's declaration of covenants. We review the master policy on every HO-6 we write so the building/walls-in coverage on your HO-6 is sized to the actual gap, not over- or under-insured by default.

Does condo insurance cover my balcony?

It depends on how your association defines the unit boundaries. In many Maryland condo declarations, balconies, patios, and parking spaces are limited common elements — owned by the association but assigned for the exclusive use of one unit. That typically means the master policy covers the structure of the balcony but you're responsible for furniture and personal items you keep there. We check the declaration when writing your HO-6 so we know which side of the line your balcony sits on.

Am I covered if the unit above me leaks?

Yes — water damage from a neighbor's leak is covered under your HO-6 personal property and (depending on the master policy structure) walls-in coverage. Your insurer will typically subrogate against the upstairs neighbor's policy to recover what they paid, but you don't have to wait for that process to play out — your HO-6 pays the loss first. This is one of the most common condo claims in dense Bethesda, Silver Spring, and Rockville buildings.

What if my belongings are stolen from my parking garage?

Personal property coverage on an HO-6 typically extends to your belongings anywhere in the world, at reduced limits when off-premises. Items stolen from your assigned garage or storage cage are generally covered subject to your deductible and any sub-limits for specific categories (jewelry, electronics, sports equipment). For high-value items we recommend scheduling them on a personal articles endorsement, which broadens coverage and removes most sub-limits.

How much does condo insurance cost in Bethesda vs Rockville?

Most Maryland HO-6 policies run $300-$700/year, with Bethesda and Friendship Heights typically landing $50-$150 higher than Rockville for comparable coverage because of higher unit values and denser claim history. Coverage limits, deductible, loss assessment limit, and your specific building's master policy structure all move the price. Assurant, our primary condo carrier, runs fast quote-and-bind workflows that let us compare 2-3 carrier options in a single sitting.

Do I need flood insurance for a condo?

It depends on the unit's location and floor. Ground-floor and basement-level units in flood-zone buildings near Rock Creek, Sligo Creek, or the C&O Canal need flood coverage just as much as a single-family home. Higher-floor units in the same building have lower direct flood exposure but can still suffer water damage from foundation flooding affecting building systems. Master policies vary in how they cover flood. We check the flood zone and master policy together when writing your HO-6.

Can I bundle condo with auto?

Yes — most major carriers offer multi-policy discounts of 5-15% when you bundle HO-6 with auto. Erie and AIC both bundle well in Maryland. Assurant, our primary HO-6 specialist, doesn't always bundle with auto directly, but the savings on a competitively priced standalone HO-6 often beat the bundled discount elsewhere. We compare both ways and recommend the best total cost.

Does it cover short-term subletting?

Standard HO-6 policies are written assuming owner-occupancy or long-term tenant occupancy. Short-term subletting (Airbnb, Vrbo) for more than occasional use typically requires either an endorsement or a separate short-term rental policy through a specialty market. If you sublet your condo while traveling for work — even a few weeks per year — disclose it to us so we structure the coverage correctly. Going around the disclosure can void the policy at claim time.

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