Condo Insurance in Hillsborough County: HO-6 Costs & Coverage

Updated 2026 · 7 min read

Condo insurance works completely differently from homeowners insurance. If you own a condo in Tampa, Brandon, or anywhere in Hillsborough County, you're covered by two separate policies: your HOA's master policy and your own HO-6 policy. Understanding where one ends and the other begins is the difference between being fully covered and discovering a gap after a storm.

In , HO-6 condo insurance in Hillsborough County typically costs $600 to $2,400 per year, depending on your unit's value, the master policy's deductible, and your location.

What's in this guide

What the HOA Master Policy Covers

Your condo association carries a master policy that covers the building itself — the structure, roof, elevators, common areas, and shared systems. But Florida law allows the association to choose between two very different levels of coverage, and this choice directly affects what you need to buy:

  • Bare walls coverage: The master policy covers only the unfinished structure — drywall, concrete, and structural elements. You are responsible for everything inside your unit: flooring, cabinets, countertops, fixtures, appliances, and interior paint.
  • Single entity coverage: The master policy covers the structure plus the original builder-grade finishes — flooring, cabinets, and fixtures as they were installed when the building was built. You're responsible for upgrades and your personal belongings.

Most Florida condo associations carry bare walls coverage because it's cheaper for the association. That means you need to cover far more than you'd expect.

Find out which you have. Request a copy of the master policy's declarations page from your HOA. If they won't provide it, that's a red flag. You cannot buy the right HO-6 coverage without knowing what the master policy pays for.

What Your HO-6 Covers

A standard HO-6 policy in Florida covers:

  • Building property: Interior walls, flooring, cabinets, fixtures, and built-in appliances — to the extent the master policy doesn't cover them
  • Personal property: Furniture, electronics, clothing, and everything you own inside the unit
  • Loss assessment: Your share of a covered loss to common areas that the association assesses back to unit owners (this is critical — see below)
  • Liability: Injuries or damage you cause to others
  • Loss of use: Temporary housing if your unit is uninhabitable

Loss assessment coverage is the most important part of an HO-6 policy. If the HOA's master policy has a $100,000 hurricane deductible and the building sustains $500,000 in damage, the association can assess each unit owner for their share. Without loss assessment coverage, you'd pay that out of pocket. Standard limits are $1,000 to $10,000, and you can usually increase it for a small premium bump.

Cost in Hillsborough County

Here's what Hillsborough condo owners typically pay for HO-6 coverage in :

  • Small unit, bare walls master policy, Zone X: $600–$900/year
  • Median condo (1,200–1,600 sq ft), single entity master policy: $900–$1,500/year
  • Larger unit or higher-value interior finishes: $1,500–$2,400/year
  • Coastal or bay-adjacent buildings (South Tampa, Apollo Beach): at the top of the range or above

Two factors drive the biggest swings: whether your building is in a flood zone, and how old the building is. Condos built after 2002 in inland Hillsborough generally see the lowest rates.

The Milestone Inspection Problem

Florida's condo safety law (SB 4-D, passed after the Surfside collapse) requires buildings that are 3 stories or taller and 30 years or older — or 25 years or older within 3 miles of the coast — to undergo milestone structural inspections.

This matters for insurance because:

  • Buildings that fail or defer milestone inspections become harder for the association to insure at all
  • Higher master policy premiums get passed to owners through HOA dues
  • Some carriers now decline to write HO-6 policies in buildings with unresolved structural issues

If you're buying a condo in Hillsborough County, ask for the milestone inspection report before you close. Tampa has a significant stock of 1970s and 1980s condo buildings that are now going through this process.

How to Lower Your HO-6 Premium

  1. Get the master policy declarations page. Know exactly what your HOA covers so you don't duplicate coverage or leave a gap.
  2. Maximize your loss assessment coverage. It's cheap and it protects you from the single most expensive condo insurance risk.
  3. Buy flood insurance separately. HO-6 policies don't cover flooding. If you're in a flood zone, you need an NFIP or private flood policy. See our flood insurance cost guide.
  4. Ask about the building's wind mitigation features. Some HO-6 carriers offer discounts based on the building's construction and roof.
  5. Bundle with auto insurance. The discount is the same as for homeowners.
  6. Consider a higher deductible. Going from $1,000 to $2,500 can reduce your premium 15–20%.

For the broader picture on Hillsborough insurance costs, see our insurance costs guide. For hurricane preparation, see our hurricane prep guide.

Bottom line: HO-6 condo insurance in Hillsborough costs $600–$2,400/year. Know whether your master policy is bare walls or single entity, maximize loss assessment coverage, and buy flood insurance separately. If you're buying an older building, check the milestone inspection report first.