Condex Insurance in New Hampshire: Master Policy, HO-6, and Coverage Gaps

CondoNH

Reviewed by Jon Merwin, licensed insurance agent

Condex insurance in New Hampshire usually works in two layers. The association carries a master policy on the building and shared areas. Each unit owner carries an HO-6 for whatever the declaration and bylaws leave to that owner, plus belongings, personal liability, and loss assessment. A condex can look like a duplex in Manchester, Nashua, Concord, the Lakes Region, or along the Seacoast, but legally it is a two-unit condominium—and the job is making those two layers fit without gaps.

What is a condex under New Hampshire law?

A condex is a two-unit building set up as a condominium: a declaration, bylaws, and plans are recorded, and an owners’ association exists, even if it is just you and your neighbor. Under RSA 356-B:3, each owner holds a “condominium unit,” which is the unit itself together with an undivided interest in the common area. The common area is everything that is not a unit. A “small condominium” is one created with no option to expand or convert and limited to 25 or fewer residential units, which typically describes a condex.

Insurance follows ownership. In many New Hampshire condexes the roof, foundation, exterior walls, yard, and driveway are common area—owned jointly and managed through the association—rather than split down the middle like two separate houses. That is true whether the building is a converted two-family in Concord, a side-by-side near Nashua, or a Seacoast duplex-style condo.

Own a condex across the river? Maine uses a different statute, so see our Maine condex insurance guide for how the Maine Condominium Act handles the master policy and HO-6.

Who insures what: master policy vs. HO-6?

Your declaration and bylaws decide where the association’s responsibility ends and yours begins. Here is the usual split.

Item	Usually the master policy	Usually your HO-6	Check in your documents
Roof, foundation, exterior walls	Yes	No	How the declaration defines units and common area
Injuries on shared driveways, yards, or walkways	Yes (master liability)	Your personal liability may still apply	Master liability limit in the condo documents
Drywall, flooring, cabinets, and fixtures	Only if the master is written “walls-in”	Often, especially under a “bare-walls” master	Unit-boundary language and the master policy form
Upgrades you or a prior owner added	Rarely	Yes, under dwelling or improvements coverage	Whether the master covers improvements
Furniture, clothing, art, jewelry	No	Yes. Schedule high-value items	Sub-limits on your HO-6
Your share of the master deductible or a special assessment	No	Loss assessment coverage, up to its limit	How the declaration allocates deductibles and assessments
Hotel or rental costs while repairs are made	No	Loss of use	None
Flood	Only if the association buys a separate flood policy	No. Flood is a separate policy	Your flood zone on the FEMA map

Walls-in vs. bare-walls

Under RSA 356-B:12, when walls, floors, and ceilings are named as unit boundaries without more detail, the finished surfaces count as part of the unit. That includes wallboard, plaster, paneling, tile, paint, finished flooring, doors, and windows. The documents can say otherwise, but by default much of what you see inside is yours. A “walls-in” master policy picks up more of the interior; a “bare-walls” policy leaves finishes to your HO-6. Read the master policy declarations page and the declaration’s unit-boundary section side by side. Our guide to how an association master policy works walks through the common policy types.

Why can two homeowners policies on a condex backfire?

Some New Hampshire condexes are still insured as if they were two houses, with each owner carrying a homeowners policy on “their side.” But neither owner owns half the building outright. Each owns a unit plus a shared interest in the common area. After a windstorm strips the roof, whose policy responds—and for which parts—can become a real question.

RSA 356-B:43 says that if an association does not carry a master casualty policy covering the common areas, the unit owners share equally in the replacement cost to repair them, to the extent a fire and extended coverage policy would have paid. In a two-unit condominium, that means you and one neighbor. If the damage is only to a limited common area, such as a deck assigned to one unit, only the owners entitled to that area share the cost. The usual fix is a master policy in the association’s name, with matching HO-6 policies. A mismatch is easy to miss at closing and costly to discover at claim time.

What should your HO-6 include?

Dwelling and improvements that match real finishes

Custom kitchens, wide-plank floors, and built-ins cost more to rebuild than a basic interior. Set your dwelling or improvements limit from rebuild cost, not purchase price. That applies to renovated units in older stock near downtown Concord as much as to newer side-by-sides around Manchester or Nashua. In Portsmouth’s Historic District, the city’s Historic District Commission requires a Certificate of Approval for certain exterior changes, which can lengthen repairs and matters when you choose a loss-of-use limit.

Loss assessment sized to the master deductible

When the association faces a large deductible or an uninsured loss, the bill goes back to the owners—and in a condex there are only two of you. Loss assessment coverage on your HO-6 can help pay your share, up to its limit. Ask whether that limit can be raised to match the master deductible, including any separate wind or named-storm deductible on the master policy.

Belongings, liability, and umbrella

Jewelry, art, and collections are often sub-limited, so schedule them. The master liability policy generally responds to claims tied to common areas; it does not follow you into your unit, your car, or your boat. A personal umbrella policy adds liability limits above your HO-6 and auto policies. If you rent your unit or use it seasonally, that changes which HO-6 form fits.

As an independent agency working with 30+ carriers, we compare HO-6 options from companies such as Andover, Chubb, Cincinnati, and Hanover, depending on the property and its location.

Flood, wind, and regional New Hampshire risks

Standard master and HO-6 policies exclude flood. The NH Insurance Department notes that homeowner-style policies exclude flood, including surface water, wave or tidal water, and water that backs up from sewers or drains. Condo owners can buy coverage through the National Flood Insurance Program. As of October 6, 2026, FloodSmart says condominium owners in participating communities are eligible, with building coverage generally up to $250,000 and contents up to $100,000. Coverage often starts 30 days after purchase, with no wait when it is bought in connection with a new or changed mortgage. Portsmouth Atlantic can place NFIP coverage as a write-your-own (WYO) path through Selective where that program fits, and we can also discuss private flood options when they are appropriate. Flood is not part of your homeowners or HO-6 policy.

• Coordinate with the association. Ask whether it carries flood insurance on the building, then arrange your unit coverage around that answer.
• Check wind and named-storm deductibles on the master policy, then size loss assessment with those in mind.
• Seacoast example: for condexes near the water in Hampton, Rye, New Castle, or Portsmouth, nor’easters (most common September through April, per the National Weather Service) can combine wind and coastal flood. See our Seacoast NH flood insurance guide.
• Look up your flood zone on the FEMA Flood Map Service Center, wherever the property sits in New Hampshire.

Missing documents or a thin association?

Some older New Hampshire condexes have incomplete or hard-to-find recorded documents. Lenders and insurers often ask for proof that the condominium exists and that a master policy is in force. Start with the county Registry of Deeds where the property is located. If you cannot find a recorded declaration and bylaws, talk with a New Hampshire real estate attorney before closing or refinancing. Separately, small associations sometimes need formal registration or banking paperwork so the association—not an individual owner—can be the named insured and the claim payee. Get that structure right before you rely on the master policy at claim time.

Buying a condex in New Hampshire? Checklist before closing

Frequently asked questions

Is a condex the same as a duplex for insurance in New Hampshire?

No. A duplex is usually one property with one owner, insured on a homeowners or dwelling policy. A condex is a two-unit condominium under New Hampshire law, so the association should insure the building with a master policy and each owner should carry an HO-6 for their unit.

Does New Hampshire law require a condex to have a master policy?

RSA 356-B:43 says the condominium documents, including those for small condominiums, must require the association to obtain a master casualty policy at full replacement value and a master liability policy. If the association does not carry the casualty policy, the owners share the cost of repairing common areas.

Do I still need my own policy if the association has a master policy?

Yes. A master policy does not cover your belongings, your personal liability inside your unit, your living costs after a covered loss, or, under a bare-walls policy, your interior finishes. An HO-6 policy fills those gaps.

Who pays the master policy deductible after a loss in a condex?

It depends on your declaration and bylaws, which can assign the deductible to the association, to the owner of the damaged unit, or to both owners. Loss assessment coverage on your HO-6 can help pay your share, up to its limit.

Does condex insurance cover flood in New Hampshire?

No. Standard master and HO-6 policies exclude flood. Condo owners can buy flood coverage through the National Flood Insurance Program, including via a write-your-own carrier such as Selective, and the association can insure the building separately. Flood is not part of a homeowners or HO-6 policy.

What if our New Hampshire condex has no recorded bylaws?

Search the county Registry of Deeds for the declaration and bylaws. If nothing is recorded, consult a New Hampshire real estate attorney before you close, refinance, or rely on a master policy. Lenders and insurers often need clear association documents and a policy written in the association’s name.

Sources

• NH General Court: RSA Chapter 356-B, Condominium Act
• RSA 356-B:3, Definitions
• RSA 356-B:12, Construction of Condominium Instruments
• RSA 356-B:43, Insurance
• RSA 356-B:58, Resale by Purchaser
• New Hampshire Insurance Department: Homeowners and Renters Insurance
• FEMA FloodSmart: What you need to know about buying flood insurance
• FEMA Flood Map Service Center
• National Weather Service: What is a Nor’easter?
• City of Portsmouth: Historic District Commission
• Rockingham County Registry of Deeds: AVA online records search