New publication clarifies who covers what, helping boards and homeowners avoid costly coverage gaps.
FALLS CHURCH, VA, UNITED STATES, May 14, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — Community Associations Institute, the leading international authority on community association housing, today announced the release of Insurance in Community Associations: Who Covers What? The new guide is a comprehensive resource designed to help association boards, homeowners, and community managers navigate one of the most complex and consequential aspects of community living.
According to the Foundation for Community Association Research, more than 78 million Americans live in homeowners associations, condominiums, housing cooperatives, and other planned communities nationwide. Yet insurance responsibilities in these communities are frequently misinterpreted, leading to coverage gaps and unexpected financial risk. Many homeowners mistakenly believe their association’s master insurance policy covers everything inside their home. In many cases, owners remain responsible for interior finishes, personal property, liability, and loss-of-use coverage.
“Community associations across the country are navigating rising insurance costs, evolving lender requirements, natural disaster risks, and increasingly complex coverage decisions,” says Dawn M. Bauman, CAE, chief executive officer of Community Associations Institute. “CAI developed this resource to provide practical guidance that helps communities better understand insurance responsibilities, avoid costly coverage gaps, and protect homeowners and shared assets. Education, transparency, and proactive planning are essential to the long-term sustainability of community associations.”
A Challenging Insurance Environment
The guide comes as community associations have faced a hardening insurance market marked by rising premiums, reduced coverage availability, higher deductibles, and insurer withdrawals from high-risk areas. Severe weather events, rising reconstruction costs, aging infrastructure concerns, and reduced carrier availability have combined to create challenging conditions. Rising insurance costs increasingly contribute to higher monthly assessments and special assessments in condominium and HOA communities nationwide.
According to an April 2025 Foundation for Community Association Research survey of community association leaders and professionals across 39 states:
• 93% reported property and casualty insurance premium increases at renewal.
• 47% experienced policy cancellations or nonrenewals.
• 71% reported increasing regular assessments to help fund rising insurance costs.
• 31% used special assessments to address insurance premium increases.
Key topics covered in the guide:
• Foundational coverage. Property, general liability, directors & officers, and fidelity/crime insurance every association should carry.
• Additional coverage. Workers’ compensation, umbrella liability, cyber liability, and environmental insurance based on community risk profiles.
• Bare walls vs. all-in coverage. The difference between condominium master policy structures and what each means for unit owners.
• Coverage gaps. What association policies typically do not cover and what individual owners must insure themselves.
• Homeowner policies. Guidance on HO-6 (condominium owner), HO-3 (single-family), and renters insurance policies.
• Insurance program reviews. How to monitor, select, and regularly review insurance programs.
•Risk management. Strategies beyond insurance including avoiding, controlling, and accepting risk.
Insurance in Community Associations: Who Covers What? is available in both print and digital formats through Community Associations Institute. The digital version is available for free to CAI members.
Blaine Tobin
Community Associations Institute
+1 207-907-9487
email us here
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