Georgia does not have a state law that forces condo unit owners to buy their own insurance. Your condo association carries a master policy on the building, but that policy stops at your unit. A condo policy (the HO-6) covers the interior of your unit, your belongings, your personal liability, and the gap between what the master policy pays and what you actually need to repair your unit. The Georgia Condominium Act (O.C.G.A. Section 44-3-70 through Section 44-3-117) lets your association require unit-owner coverage through its declaration and bylaws, and most Georgia associations do exactly that. A mortgage lender will require it too.
What does a Georgia condo policy cover?
A condo owners policy, sometimes called an HO-6, picks up where your association master policy ends. It has four main parts.
Interior of your unit
Repairs to walls, floors, ceilings, cabinets, fixtures, and improvements you have made inside the unit. What is yours depends on your association's master policy bylaws, and this coverage can be written at replacement cost so a covered loss is rebuilt with like materials. Example: a supply line under your kitchen sink in a Midtown Atlanta high-rise bursts and ruins the cabinets and flooring you installed. If your association runs a bare-walls master policy, that damage is on your HO-6, not the building's policy.
Personal property
Your belongings inside the unit. Personal property coverage protects furniture, electronics, clothing, and personal items against fire, theft, water damage, and most other sudden losses. Example: a kitchen fire in a Decatur garden-style condo destroys your furniture and TV; personal property coverage pays to replace them.
Personal liability
Personal liability coverage pays if you are legally responsible for injuring someone or damaging their property. It covers incidents inside your unit and away from home. Example: a pipe under your bathroom in a Buckhead building leaks into the unit below and damages your neighbor's ceiling; your liability coverage responds to their claim against you.
Loss assessment coverage
If your association has a loss that exceeds its master policy and charges unit owners for the shortfall, loss assessment coverage pays your share up to its limit. This matters in Georgia because older Atlanta and Savannah associations sometimes carry lower master-policy limits or high percentage deductibles. Example: a covered roof loss on a 1970s Sandy Springs association runs past the master policy, and each owner is assessed several thousand dollars; loss assessment coverage can pay your assessment up to your limit. These limits often start low and can be increased.
What does a Georgia condo policy not cover?
Every policy has edges. Four common exclusions catch Georgia condo owners.
Flood damage
Standard condo policies exclude flood. Georgia has real inland and flash-flood exposure well away from the coast, plus coastal risk near Savannah. Flood insurance for your contents is available through the federally backed NFIP or private insurers. A federally backed mortgage on a unit in a FEMA Special Flood Hazard Area requires flood coverage. Example: a flash flood after a heavy summer storm floods a ground-floor unit near a creek in Gwinnett County; a standard HO-6 pays nothing, but an NFIP contents policy would.
Earthquake damage
Earthquake damage is excluded from standard policies and is available as an endorsement or a separate policy.
Master policy property
Anything the association master policy covers is generally excluded from your unit policy. The exact line between association and unit responsibility lives in the bylaws and matters a great deal at claim time. Example: in an all-in master policy, the original kitchen cabinets may be the association's responsibility, so your HO-6 would not pay to replace them.
Business activities
Business equipment, inventory, and liability from a business run in the unit are excluded. A home-based business needs a business endorsement or a separate commercial policy.
Does Georgia law require condo insurance?
No state law forces an individual Georgia condo owner to buy coverage. The Georgia Condominium Act (O.C.G.A. Section 44-3-70 through Section 44-3-117) gives associations the authority to mandate unit-owner coverage through the declaration and bylaws, and most Georgia associations use it. The Georgia Office of Commissioner of Insurance and Safety Fire (OCI) regulates the admitted carriers writing HO-6 policies in the state. So the requirement to carry a condo policy in Georgia almost always comes from your bylaws or your mortgage lender, not from the state itself. Example: a Buckhead association's declaration requires every owner to carry an HO-6 with a set loss assessment limit; you are bound by that as a condition of ownership even though no Georgia statute names the requirement.
Bare walls or all-in: how do you know how much to buy in Georgia?
It depends on what your HOA master policy covers. Georgia associations use two main master-policy types, and your HO-6 has to fill whatever gap the master policy leaves.
| Master policy type | What the association covers | What your HO-6 covers |
|---|---|---|
| Bare walls | The structural shell only (framing, subfloor, exterior) | Flooring, cabinets, fixtures, appliances, and everything from the drywall in |
| All-in | Original fixtures and appliances as built, plus the structure | Your upgrades, personal property, liability, and the loss assessment gap |
Example: two owners in different Atlanta buildings pay very different HO-6 premiums because one association runs bare walls (the owner insures all interior finishes) and the other runs all-in (the owner mainly insures upgrades and belongings). A coverage review can read your declaration and confirm which type your building uses.
What can you expect to pay for condo insurance in Georgia?
Premiums vary by building age, master-policy structure, and coverage limits. Most condo owners pay between $250 and $900 per year for a typical condo owners policy. Coastal and high-rise buildings cost more, which is why a Savannah historic conversion or a Midtown high-rise often prices above an inland garden-style unit. This is a general range, not a quote for your unit; a coverage review prices your actual building and limits.
How does condo insurance work in Georgia?
Georgia has no state law requiring condo unit owners to carry personal insurance, but the Georgia Condominium Act (O.C.G.A. Section 44-3-70 through Section 44-3-117) lets associations mandate it through the declaration and bylaws, and most do. Metro Atlanta is the state's largest condo market: Midtown, Buckhead, Atlantic Station, Decatur, and Sandy Springs all have dense condo stock, from 1970s garden-style communities to newer high-rises. Master policies on older Georgia associations sometimes carry lower limits or higher percentage deductibles, which makes the loss assessment gap more likely to surface at claim time.
Savannah looks different: historic building conversions with older roofs and coastal proximity add wind and moisture exposure that affects both master-policy cost and unit-owner claims. Coastal wind risk in Georgia is backed by the Georgia Underwriting Association (GUA), the state's FAIR-plan-style residual property market for wind and coastal risk under O.C.G.A. Title 33, Chapter 33; Georgia has no separate state-run wind pool. If a carrier fails to pay a covered claim, O.C.G.A. Section 33-4-6 lets you make a written demand, and if the carrier does not pay within 60 days and a court later finds the refusal was in bad faith, the carrier owes a penalty of up to 50 percent of the claim or $5,000, whichever is greater, plus reasonable attorney's fees. A coverage review can confirm what your bylaws make your responsibility and whether your loss assessment limit fits your building.
What should you do if you need to file a condo claim in Georgia?
Condo claims have a twist most property claims do not: the line between your policy and the association master policy drives everything.
- Read the association bylaws before a loss happens. They spell out which fixtures, finishes, and structural elements are the association's responsibility versus yours, which avoids fighting at claim time.
- Notify the association right away for any water, fire, or shared-element loss. The master policy may apply to part of it, and both policies can be involved in one claim.
- Document everything before cleanup. Photos and video of the damage in place, before anything is moved, covering the unit interior, the affected fixtures, and any visible damage to neighboring units.
- Notify your carrier promptly. Most policies require prompt notice; get a claim number and adjuster contact in writing.
- Keep all receipts for additional living expenses. If you are displaced, hotel costs, extra meals, and laundry are usually reimbursable under loss of use.
- Watch for a special assessment after a major event. If the association assesses owners after a loss that exceeds the master policy, your loss assessment coverage may apply even if your unit was not directly damaged.
See the claims resource page for how the process works start to finish.
Which carriers write Georgia condo insurance through Olive Cover?
The carriers we compare are licensed and regulated in Georgia. Carriers available through Olive Cover that write Georgia condo owner coverage include Stillwater, Travelers, Safeco, and Nationwide. A licensed advisor reviews the fit with you in a free coverage review, and you can see the full carrier panel anytime.
Who needs Georgia condo insurance?
Every condo owner in Georgia. The line between association master coverage and unit-owner responsibility is set by your bylaws and varies by building. Many Georgia associations require unit owners to carry condo coverage as a condition of ownership, and lenders typically require it for any condo with a mortgage. If you rent your unit out instead of living in it, landlord insurance covers a different set of risks, and a tenant in your unit would carry their own renters insurance.
Check your Georgia condo coverage before you need it
Your association's master policy, your bylaws, and your unit's finishes decide how much HO-6 coverage you actually need, and that mix is different in every Georgia building. A free coverage review reads your declaration, checks whether your master policy is bare walls or all-in, and confirms whether your loss assessment limit fits your building before a loss ever happens.
Start a free coverage review or get a quote. Related reading: condo insurance basics, flood insurance, renters insurance, and the full FAQ.