Self Defense Insurance - How many have it?

[TOM1960]

Tom, if you're ever involved in a shooting, this statement will be used against you in court and no liability insurance policy anywhere will provide coverage for you no matter how legit the shoot when this statement surfaces.

Some things you never ever put in writing even if you think it's on an anonymous gun forum. You shoot someone and prosecutors will conduct discovery and find every online post you have ever made and use it against you.



Yup





The HOA condo fee most certainly does not include homeowners insurance. The HOA fee includes the Condo Association Master Insurance policy that includes coverage for the physical structure of the building and liability for the Condo Association or HOA only. It may or may not cover the interior walls, flooring, fixtures, improvements & betterments of your unit depending on the Condo Association Agreement. Many Condo Associations do not cover from the "studs in" meaning the unit owner is responsible from the interior surface of the studs, anything above the surface of the basement floor and anything below the inside surface of the roof. This means the unit owner is responsible for the interior walls, flooring, fixtures, permanently installed cabinetry, major permanently installed appliances including boiler/furnace, HVAC, etc. (if each unit has their own HVAC as some do). Also, many associations make the unit owner responsible for any improvements & betterments which means any added walls, upgraded flooring, cabinets, countertops etc. might not be covered by the association policy even if the association covers from the "studs in". The association agreement will specify what the Association is required to insure and what the unit owner is responsible for in the event of a loss The Condo Association usually doesn't require the unit owners to carry their own insurance and if there's a total loss, the unit owner may be looking at a rebuilt unit which is essentially rough framed and they're responsible for the rest.

The Condo Association policy doesn't cover your contents or your personal liability and should never, ever, ever be considered as homeowners insurance for the unit owner. A typical Unit Owner's policy (also called an H06) usually costs around $200-$300 and rarely goes over $400-$500 unless you have a lot of contents coverage or you need to cover the entire interior.

I write a lot of condo association master policies and I always include an "all-In" endorsement which supersedes what the condo docs say, this way the Master Policy covers walls, fixtures, flooring, improvements & betterments. Also, most larger condo associations have deductibles in the $5k-$25K range which the unit owner is responsible for (even if it has all-in coverage).

Sorry, don't mean to hijack the thread and tried to make this as brief as I could.

Our HOA has complete replacement insurance. Policy is reviewed annually and adjusted accordingly. Furniture would be lost, but is easily replaced. Time to upgrade anyhow. As far as using deadly force to repel a home invasion, I am going that route without hesitation. They want to prosecute me, fine. I would very much prefer to be a live defendant in court than a dead or maimed victim any day of the week. Feel free to quote me on that.

 

[Buck F]

Our HOA has complete replacement insurance. Policy is reviewed annually and adjusted accordingly. Furniture would be lost, but is easily replaced. Time to upgrade anyhow. As far as using deadly force to repel a home invasion, I am going that route without hesitation. They want to prosecute me, fine. I would very much prefer to be a live defendant in court than a dead or maimed victim any day of the week. Feel free to quote me on that.

That's good re your HOA insurance, it still doesn't provide you any liability coverage. No one is arguing with you defending yourself, making statements that will hurt you in court afterwards is still not a good idea. I'd rather be a live defendant and go free than go to jail because I made comments online that were used against me effectively at trial. But hey, you do you.

 

[Rob Boudrie]

Our HOA has complete replacement insurance. Policy is reviewed annually and adjusted accordingly. Furniture would be lost, but is easily replaced. Time to upgrade anyhow. As far as using deadly force to repel a home invasion, I am going that route without hesitation. They want to prosecute me, fine. I would very much prefer to be a live defendant in court than a dead or maimed victim any day of the week. Feel free to quote me on that.

Is that complete replacement for the common building and areas, or for all units as well?

 

[Buck F]

Is that complete replacement for the common building and areas, or for all units as well?

It could be for the interior of the units, it's not that uncommon; it's all I sell. There's also the deductible which often goes as high as $25K and also separate per unit deductibles which can also apply. I always advise condo unit owner clients to check their Association Agreement and get a Certificate of Insurance on the Master Policy which states the level of coverage. Get it in writing. I can't tell you how many people rely on "the property manager or association president told me...". That's right up there with people quoting the cop/LGS they asked about firearms regs. And then I look at the docs and find out the association doesn't cover the interior of the unit. At claim time, the insurance company doesn't care what the Trustee/Property Manager told you. The other thing I hear sometimes is "I was told I can't put a claim in under the master policy because the pipe that burst was in my unit" or "I was told I'm responsible for the damage to the downstairs unit because my toilet overflowed" etc. Same with application of deductible "they told me I'm responsible for the entire deductible since the damage originated in my unit" That's not how it works usually. Association Trustees & Property Managers hate putting in claims on the master policy and will often mis-inform the unit owner that there's not coverage and they can't put in a claim. This is a yuge E&O/D&O exposure. Unit owners can file a claim against the Association policy themselves. If they put in a claim on their Unit Owner H06, their insurance company will check the association agreement & master policy first and if the Association is responsible for providing coverage, the unit owner policy won't pay it.

 

[Lokdog]

The Paul Harrell shooting is very educational. Absolute self defense situation and he had to ho through some real BS to come out the other side. Probably had to refi and take the equity out his house to taste freedom again

 

[TOM1960]

Is that complete replacement for the common building and areas, or for all units as well?

Entire building. Has to be approved for occupancy after completion, so not just a weatherproof shell. MA real estate is appreciating rapidly so the policy, for full replacement value, is upgraded annually.

The Paul Harrell shooting is very educational. Absolute self defense situation and he had to ho through some real BS to come out the other side. Probably had to refi and take the equity out his house to taste freedom again

Never heard of that one. Street shooting or home defense. There is a difference. As far as I know, MA does not have a "stand your ground" law like Florida and some other states. That is why I never bothered with LTC and carrying guns in public. Too much risk of a questionable shooting or a confrontation with LE. If I had a high-risk-of robbery-business like a jewelry store or liquor store, I might reconsider. Home defense is entirely different.