Condo insurance claims: how to file and follow up
Water damage, fire, storm: the right reflexes to file a condo insurance claim and follow it through to reimbursement.
Damage to common areas — water damage, fire, storm — calls for quick action. Handled well, the claim moves smoothly; poorly tracked, it can drag on for months with repairs left pending.
First steps after damage occurs
Secure the area if needed, limit further damage, and gather evidence: photos, witness accounts, receipts for observed damage. The property manager must be notified right away, since they handle the relationship with the building’s insurer.
Deadlines you need to respect
The claim must be filed quickly with the insurer: typically five business days for water damage or theft, two business days for storm or natural disaster claims after the official decree is published. Past this deadline, reimbursement can be denied.
Who files what? Common areas vs. private units
The property manager files claims for damage to common areas with the building’s insurer. Each co-owner remains responsible for filing damage to their own unit with their own home insurance.
- Common areas: filed by the property manager with the building’s insurer.
- Private units: filed by the affected co-owner with their own insurer.
- Cross-unit damage: a dedicated inter-insurer agreement can speed up reimbursement.
The board’s role in following the case
The board does not deal directly with the insurer, but it makes sure the property manager files promptly, tracks the progress of the assessment and repairs, and relays useful information to the co-owners affected.
Logging every claim — date, description, status, related documents — keeps a case from getting lost over several months. That is exactly what CoproHarmony’s Issues module is built for.
For the most frequent claim of all, see water damage: who pays what, and what to document from the first hour.
Before the claim, re-read the policy: cover, excesses and exclusions.
The most predictable claim of the year has its own preparation: see snow, ice and liability.
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