How do I get a copy of the HOA's master insurance policy or certificate?
Reviewed by the OurHOA team · Updated July 2026
How to get your HOA's master insurance policy or certificate of insurance - your right to request it, certificate vs. full policy, and why lenders and owners need it.
The short answer
You are generally entitled to see the association's insurance information, but there are two different documents and it helps to ask for the right one. A certificate of insurance (also called evidence of insurance or a declarations page) is a one- or two-page summary showing the carrier, the policy numbers, the coverage types, the limits, and the deductibles - it is what a lender or title company almost always wants and what an association can usually produce quickly. The full policy is the complete contract with all its terms and exclusions, which you can typically inspect as an association record. For what the coverage actually means once you have it, see our guide on what HOA insurance covers.
Certificate versus the full policy - which to ask for
For a home purchase or a refinance, your lender or closing agent normally needs a certificate or evidence of insurance, often naming you and your mortgage company as a certificate holder or additional interest, showing the master policy is in force with adequate limits. That request usually goes to the association's insurance agent or management company and is routine. If you are trying to understand a coverage gap, a loss-assessment question, or exactly what the master policy excludes - so you can size your own HO-6 or condo unit-owner policy correctly - you want the actual policy language, not just the summary, and that is where your records-inspection right comes in. Our guide on whether an HOA can require you to carry homeowners insurance explains how the master policy and your own policy fit together.
Your right to the document
Insurance policies and summaries are association records, and most states give owners a right to inspect and copy them, sometimes with a specific insurance-disclosure rule on top. In California, Civil Code section 5300 requires the annual budget report to include a summary of the association's insurance policies - carrier or type, coverage amount, deductible, and additional coverage - delivered to every member each year, and Civil Code section 5810 requires the association to notify members if that coverage lapses, is canceled, or is not renewed. In Florida, the condominium insurance statute, Florida Statutes section 718.111(11), requires the association to maintain the coverage and provides that a certificate of insurance be issued to a unit owner or mortgagee on request. These are examples; check your own state's records-access and insurance-disclosure statutes for the exact right and any fee or timeline.
Why you actually need it
There are a few moments when this document really matters. At closing, the lender will not fund without evidence the master policy is in force. When you buy your own unit-owner or HO-6 policy, the master policy's deductible and its 'walls-in' versus 'walls-out' line tell you how much gap coverage and loss-assessment coverage to carry - guess wrong and a common-area loss can hit you with an uninsured bill. And if the association ever levies a loss-assessment or deductible assessment after a claim, the policy terms are what tell you whether the charge was proper. Our guide on what an HOA deductible assessment is walks through that last scenario.
How to request it
Put the request in writing to the board, the management company, or the association's insurance agent, and be specific: say whether you need a certificate or evidence of insurance (name yourself and, for a loan, your lender as certificate holder) or a copy of the full policy for inspection. For a closing, give the closing date so the agent can turn it around in time. If you are exercising a records-inspection right, cite it and note the response window your state allows. Keep a copy of the request and the reply. If the association ignores a proper request, our guide on how to request HOA records covers the inspection right and the remedies when a board does not respond.
How OurHOA helps
Insurance requests tend to land on a volunteer board at the worst time - a buyer's closing is days away, or an owner is trying to file a loss-assessment claim - and the certificate is buried in an old email from the agent. OurHOA helps small self-managed communities keep the master policy, the current certificate, and the annual insurance summary in one place tied to the association's records, so a board or manager can hand an owner or lender the right document quickly instead of scrambling. OurHOA is software for keeping those documents organized, not an insurance agent or law firm; for coverage questions specific to your policy, talk to the association's agent.
OurHOA is the friendly, affordable way self-managed communities keep dues, records, and reminders in one place. See how it works.
These guides are general education for HOA boards and residents, not legal, tax, or financial advice. Rules vary by state and by your community's governing documents - check with a professional for your situation.