HOA Management Company Insurance and Claims Coordination Questionnaire

Insurance administration is one of the easiest management services to overestimate. A manager may organize information, calendar renewals, report incidents, coordinate access, communicate with owners, track vendors, and maintain the claim file. The manager is not automatically the association's broker, coverage lawyer, public adjuster, engineer, restoration contractor, or decision maker.

The board should define that boundary before selecting a management company. It should also test whether the candidate has a repeatable process for renewals and claims, whether records remain under association control, and whether the management agreement matches the sales presentation.

CAI's current risk-management policy says governing boards should work with recognized community association professionals on a comprehensive risk management and insurance program, and it identifies analytical components such as determining values at risk through an insurable replacement-cost valuation, funding for deductibles, and insurance pricing and coverage-availability cycles. CAI also maintains the Community Insurance and Risk Management Specialist credential and a directory of credentialed professionals. A credential can be useful evidence, but it does not replace the board's review of the actual professional, carrier, broker, policy, contract, and claim.

This questionnaire is general board education, not legal, insurance, coverage, brokerage, public-adjusting, engineering, construction, accounting, tax, cybersecurity, employment, accessibility, or emergency-response advice. Insurance terms, licensing rules, disaster procedures, governing documents, and state laws vary. Use qualified association counsel, licensed insurance professionals, and other appropriate advisers for the community's actual risks and policies.

1. Define the manager's insurance role

Ask the candidate to mark each task as manager, board, broker, carrier, counsel, adjuster, engineer, contractor, accountant, or shared responsibility:

• maintain the insurance calendar;
• collect exposure data;
• request proposals;
• communicate with the broker;
• evaluate limits and exclusions;
• order appraisals or valuations;
• select coverage and deductibles;
• bind or renew coverage;
• issue certificates;
• verify vendor insurance;
• receive an incident report;
• report a claim;
• protect damaged property;
• preserve evidence;
• communicate with residents;
• coordinate adjuster and contractor access;
• review estimates and scopes;
• authorize emergency and permanent work;
• code claim expenses and recoveries;
• track deductibles and owner charges;
• close the claim; and
• transfer open claims to a successor.

Then compare the matrix with the proposed management agreement. A manager who says "we handle insurance" should be able to explain exactly what that means, what it excludes, who makes each decision, and what an additional claim-coordination service costs.

2. Request evidence of the renewal calendar

Ask for a redacted renewal calendar from a similar community. It should include:

• policy and bond expiration dates;
• broker submission deadlines;
• exposure-data collection;
• property valuation or appraisal timing;
• loss-run requests;
• building and system updates;
• reserve-study and capital-project information;
• lender or contract requirements;
• board review meetings;
• proposal delivery;
• election or approval deadlines;
• premium finance or payment dates;
• certificate requests; and
• final policy and endorsement review.

Ask how early the process begins and what happens when the broker, carrier, board, vendor, or owner does not supply information on time. The useful answer identifies the escalation owner, due date, backup, and written exception report.

3. Test the exposure-data file

An insurer can only evaluate the information it receives. Ask who maintains the association's current exposure file and how it is verified. The file may include:

• buildings, addresses, construction type, square footage, age, and occupancy;
• roofs, plumbing, electrical, fire protection, elevators, boilers, pools, gates, and other systems;
• renovations, code upgrades, permits, inspections, and open deficiencies;
• property values and appraisal dates;
• vehicles, equipment, employees, payroll, volunteers, amenities, and events;
• rentals, commercial space, short-term rentals, vacant units, or unusual uses;
• contracts, additional-insured requirements, and indemnity terms;
• prior claims, incidents, open projects, and known conditions;
• disaster and business-continuity planning; and
• cybersecurity, payment, owner-data, and technology practices.

Ask for a redacted example showing how the manager reconciled data from association records, the broker, vendors, inspections, permits, reserve studies, and the board. A spreadsheet copied forward without verification can preserve errors for years.

4. Ask how property values are updated

CAI identifies accurate property valuation as an important community-association insurance issue. Ask:

1. Who recommends and orders a replacement-cost appraisal or other valuation?
2. How often is it reviewed?
3. Which buildings, site improvements, common elements, equipment, code-upgrade exposures, debris removal, design costs, and inflation assumptions are included?
4. How are completed and planned capital projects reported?
5. Who compares the valuation with policy limits and endorsements?
6. How are disagreements between the appraisal, broker, reserve study, budget, and board resolved?

The manager should coordinate the evidence and calendar. Qualified insurance and valuation professionals should address coverage and valuation conclusions.

5. Review the coverage-discussion process

Do not ask the manager to promise coverage. Ask how the company prepares the board for a qualified broker and counsel discussion. The renewal memo should identify at least:

• property and equipment breakdown;
• general liability;
• directors and officers liability;
• fidelity, crime, and employee dishonesty;
• workers compensation or volunteer accident considerations;
• umbrella or excess liability;
• flood, earthquake, wind, wildfire, water, or other location-specific perils;
• cyber, privacy, social engineering, funds transfer, and business interruption;
• ordinance or law, debris removal, water damage, and other material sublimits;
• deductibles and deductible responsibility;
• lender and contract requirements;
• exclusions, warranties, conditions, and protective safeguards;
• carrier financial strength and claims contacts; and
• material changes from the expiring program.

Ask for a redacted renewal comparison that shows limits, deductibles, premiums, major conditions, material exclusions, and unresolved questions rather than a one-line recommendation.

6. Evaluate broker independence and relationships

Ask the management company to disclose:

• affiliated or preferred brokers, carriers, agencies, wholesalers, or risk programs;
• referral fees, commissions, rebates, sponsorships, credits, gifts, or other benefits;
• insurance products required or favored by the management platform;
• whether the board may select another broker;
• who owns the broker relationship and policy records;
• whether the manager receives loss, renewal, or certificate data directly; and
• how conflicts are disclosed before the board decides.

An affiliation is not automatically improper. The board needs enough written information to evaluate value, alternatives, compensation, and control.

7. Inspect the incident-reporting procedure

Ask for the blank incident form and a redacted completed file. The procedure should capture:

• date, time, exact location, and reporting source;
• immediate life-safety or emergency action;
• people, units, vehicles, assets, and systems involved;
• observable facts without premature fault conclusions;
• photographs, video, access logs, alarms, and witness contacts when appropriate;
• police, fire, utility, code, or emergency-service case numbers;
• vendor arrival and mitigation steps;
• damaged property and affected operations;
• policy and broker contacts;
• board and counsel escalation;
• resident communication; and
• next action, owner, and deadline.

Ask how the manager protects sensitive health, personnel, owner, tenant, security, financial, and privileged information while still preserving a useful claim record.

8. Test the claim-notice decision tree

A board should not discover after a loss that nobody knew who could report the claim. Ask:

1. Who may notify the broker or carrier?
2. What events require immediate notice under the policies or broker instructions?
3. What can management report without a board meeting?
4. Who decides whether to submit a claim when the amount is near the deductible?
5. How are circumstances that may become a claim documented?
6. How are late notice, prior knowledge, repeated loss, and coverage questions escalated?
7. Who records the claim number, adjuster, reservation of rights, and deadlines?

Request a redacted claim register. It should distinguish incidents, circumstances, open claims, closed claims, denied claims, recoveries, deductibles, and litigation.

9. Ask how emergency mitigation is authorized

The manager should be able to protect life and property without turning an emergency into uncontrolled procurement. Ask for the emergency authority matrix covering:

• 911 and public-agency contact;
• utility or building-system shutdown;
• emergency access to units and common areas;
• board and officer notification;
• spending thresholds;
• preferred and backup vendors;
• insurer or adjuster instructions;
• documentation before cleanup where safe;
• temporary security and life-safety measures;
• water extraction, drying, shoring, tarping, or other stabilization;
• resident displacement or accessibility coordination; and
• later ratification and financial review.

The procedure should separate immediate mitigation from permanent repair, design, permitting, bidding, owner responsibility, and insurance-scope decisions.

10. Review evidence preservation and subrogation controls

Ask how the company preserves:

• failed parts and equipment;
• photographs and video;
• maintenance and inspection history;
• contracts, certificates, permits, and warranties;
• access, alarm, gate, camera, and system logs;
• invoices, work orders, and communications;
• weather and public-agency information;
• owner and vendor statements;
• prior complaints or repairs; and
• chain of custody for physical evidence.

The manager should know when to pause destructive work and seek carrier, counsel, engineer, or other professional direction without delaying necessary life-safety or mitigation activity.

11. Compare claims coordination as an operating workflow

Ask the candidate to demonstrate an anonymized claim from first report through closure. Require the company to show:

1. incident intake and emergency action;
2. claim notice and policy identification;
3. adjuster, broker, counsel, and vendor contacts;
4. site access and resident communication;
5. mitigation authorization and evidence;
6. estimates, scopes, permits, and professional reports;
7. board decisions and spending approvals;
8. invoices, deductibles, advances, and recoveries;
9. change orders and disputed scope;
10. restoration milestones and owner impacts;
11. subrogation or liability evidence; and
12. claim closure, lessons learned, and record retention.

Ask which steps are included in the base fee, charged hourly, billed as a project fee, or referred to another provider.

12. Protect board authority over vendors and scopes

Insurance work can move quickly, but the board should still understand who selects restoration contractors, engineers, consultants, public adjusters, or other professionals. Ask:

• Does the manager have affiliated or preferred claim vendors?
• Are referral fees or other benefits disclosed?
• Who writes and compares the scope?
• Who checks licenses, insurance, warranties, permits, exclusions, and subcontractors?
• Who signs contracts and change orders?
• Does the carrier's estimate define the association's entire repair obligation?
• How are uninsured betterments, code work, owner work, and association work separated?
• Who decides when work is complete?

Require the management agreement and emergency policy to preserve the board's decision rights while allowing appropriately limited emergency action.

13. Examine resident and owner communication

Ask for redacted templates for a first notice, access request, service interruption, claim update, repair schedule, owner-insurance reminder, meeting update, and final closeout. Strong communication:

• states known facts and the next update time;
• identifies safety and access instructions;
• distinguishes association, owner, carrier, and vendor processes;
• avoids promising coverage, liability, reimbursement, or completion dates;
• protects personal and privileged information;
• provides an escalation channel; and
• keeps a record of what was sent.

Ask how the manager handles language, disability, technology, and off-site-owner communication needs without exposing claim or resident details.

14. Test deductible and owner-charge controls

Deductible responsibility can depend on statutes, governing documents, policy language, facts, and legal interpretation. The manager should not post a charge to an owner merely because a deductible exists.

Ask for the workflow that controls:

• legal and governing-document review;
• board or delegated authorization;
• notice and hearing or dispute rights where applicable;
• insurer recoveries and later adjustments;
• owner, tenant, vendor, or other insurance;
• payment plans and collections;
• general-ledger and owner-ledger coding; and
• correction when responsibility changes.

Require a second-person review before a claim-related charge reaches an owner ledger.

15. Inspect financial tracking and board reporting

Ask for a redacted claim financial schedule that reconciles:

• emergency and permanent work;
• vendor commitments and invoices;
• operating and reserve payments;
• deductibles;
• insurance advances and final recoveries;
• owner or vendor reimbursements;
• retainage;
• disputed and uninsured amounts;
• approved change orders;
• budget and cash-flow impact; and
• open commitments after claim closure.

The board report should show the decisions and exceptions, not just a folder of adjuster emails. Ask who reconciles the schedule to the general ledger and bank accounts each month.

16. Review vendor insurance controls

Ask how the manager obtains and reviews certificates of insurance without treating a certificate as the entire risk-transfer analysis. The process should address:

• required coverages and limits from the contract;
• legal entity and named insured;
• policy dates;
• additional-insured and waiver requirements where applicable;
• subcontractors;
• licensing and registration;
• renewal tracking;
• direct verification for material projects;
• contract and endorsement review by qualified professionals; and
• exceptions approved by the proper authority.

Request a redacted vendor-compliance register and an example of an exception that was stopped or escalated.

17. Plan for catastrophe and business continuity

Ask how the management company operates when an event affects many communities at once. Test:

• staff availability and backup assignments;
• emergency and restoration vendor capacity;
• remote access to records;
• power, internet, cellular, and office outages;
• owner and board communication at scale;
• cash, banking, and payment continuity;
• temporary relocation of management functions;
• prioritization across clients;
• security and fraud controls during disruption; and
• transfer of the claim if assigned staff are unavailable.

The company should describe capacity honestly. A long vendor list is not proof that crews, adjusters, staff, or materials will be available after a regional catastrophe.

18. Require association ownership and portability

The association should be able to recover its insurance and claim records without depending on one employee or manager. Confirm who owns and can export:

• policies, endorsements, binders, certificates, and applications;
• valuations, loss runs, renewal submissions, and proposals;
• broker and carrier communications;
• incident and claim registers;
• photographs, video, reports, estimates, scopes, permits, and contracts;
• invoices, recoveries, deductibles, and financial schedules;
• resident and owner communications;
• open deadlines and litigation holds; and
• broker, carrier, adjuster, counsel, engineer, and vendor contacts.

Ask for the export format, delivery deadline, cost, historical depth, document metadata, and successor-cooperation clause.

19. Run a transition test

Give the candidate a hypothetical transition with an insurance renewal in 45 days, one open property claim, one liability claim, a disputed deductible, an active restoration project, and expiring vendor certificates. Ask for the first 30 days of actions.

A credible plan should identify immediate policy and claim deadlines, validate authority and contacts, reconcile the claim register and financial schedule, transfer evidence and communications, inspect open scopes and contracts, confirm resident updates, remove former access, and provide the board with a decision-ready exception report.

20. Score evidence, contract, and fit

Use a weighted scorecard. A practical example is:

• Renewal calendar and exposure data: 15%
• Qualified broker and professional coordination: 10%
• Incident and claim intake: 15%
• Emergency mitigation and authority: 10%
• Claim workflow and resident communication: 15%
• Financial and deductible controls: 10%
• Vendor insurance and procurement: 10%
• Records, technology, and portability: 10%
• Catastrophe capacity and transition plan: 5%

Score the written proposal, demonstration, references, sample evidence, and contract language. Do not award full points for a verbal promise that does not appear in the operating procedure or agreement.

Questions for references

Ask association references with recent renewals or claims:

1. Did the manager start renewals early and deliver complete data?
2. Were material coverage changes and open questions presented clearly?
3. Could the board reach the right person during an incident?
4. Were emergency vendors controlled and documented?
5. Did residents receive useful updates without unsupported promises?
6. Did claim expenses and insurance recoveries reconcile to the books?
7. Were the broker, adjuster, contractors, counsel, and board kept aligned?
8. Did the manager preserve evidence and meet deadlines?
9. Were extra claim-coordination fees clear?
10. Could the association obtain the complete file when staff or management changed?

Final decision rule

The strongest candidate does not claim to be every insurance professional. It defines the manager's role, builds the calendar, maintains verified records, coordinates qualified advisers, escalates decisions, protects life and property, communicates carefully, reconciles the financial file, and returns complete association records.

Before signing, attach the responsibility matrix, renewal calendar, incident procedure, emergency authority, claim-reporting standard, fee schedule, record-ownership requirements, and transition deliverables to the management agreement or approved scope. That converts a reassuring interview into an operating commitment.

Sources

• CAI: Risk Management and Insurance for Community Associations
• CAI: Directory of Credentialed Professionals
• CAI: Finding the Right Professional
• FEMA: Flood Insurance Manuals and Handbooks (current NFIP Claims Manual)

Source review date: October 25, 2026. Verify current laws, credentials, policy language, licensing requirements, and professional guidance before relying on any source.