Condo associations across Florida are raising insurance deductibles above 5 percent to cut premiums. However, the strategy can disqualify buildings from conventional financing and shrink the buyer pool, according to Danielle Blake, Chief of Residential & Advocacy at the Miami Association of Realtors.
Blake warns that when associations increase deductibles to save money, they often do not realize that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac will no longer back loans in those buildings. “If an association increases its deductible to 10 percent to save on the premium, they’re then automatically disqualified,” Blake says. “A buyer would be disqualified from utilizing Fannie and Freddie in that building because of what the association did.”
This issue is affecting Florida’s condo market at a time when insurance costs are already straining association budgets. Decisions made by volunteer board members, who often lack real estate finance expertise, are now affecting property values and marketability in ways many did not anticipate.
Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac require that all insurance-related deductibles for properties they back, including those set by condo associations, must not exceed 5 percent of the insured value. If an association adopts a deductible above this limit, buyers can no longer use conventional loans to purchase units in that building. Instead, only cash buyers or those using non-traditional financing can close deals, sharply reducing demand.
Blake emphasizes that many association leaders are unaware of this requirement when reviewing insurance proposals. “The most important thing that we do preach is that Fannie and Freddie have a guideline that says all of your percentages have to be at 5 percent or below,” she says. Lack of awareness can lead to decisions that have unintended consequences for both current owners and future buyers.
The main driver behind these high deductibles is a surge in insurance costs for community associations. Blake notes that general liability premiums, covering incidents like slip-and-fall claims, have risen by about 20 percent. “General liability has gone up about 20 percent, and they don’t separate condos and homeowner associations in the insurance world,” she explains.
While Florida has attracted new property insurance carriers in recent years, creating some relief for individual homeowners, Blake points out that this competition has not extended to liability coverage for associations. As a result, condo boards are facing difficult choices and often see raising deductibles as one of the few available ways to keep budgets in check.
However, Blake argues that this approach is a false economy. The short-term savings in premiums are outweighed by longer-term effects on property values and on owners’ ability to sell their units to a broader pool of buyers.
Blake describes the effect of exceeding the 5 percent deductible threshold as a classic supply-and-demand squeeze. When conventional financing is no longer available, the number of qualified buyers drops sharply, forcing sellers to accept lower offers. “If you can only accept cash offers on this building, you’re going to have to lower your price,” she says. “The smaller the pool of purchasers, the more it affects how much the price is.”
The reduced buyer pool can also create a negative feedback loop. As unit values decline, fixed HOA fees represent a larger share of each property’s value, raising further concerns for lenders and buyers about affordability and future resale potential.
Blake says her organization is working to educate association board members and real estate professionals about the risks of raising deductibles above the Fannie and Freddie threshold. “When you’re doing those cost-saving measures, you may be impacting the financing on the building,” she notes.
To address the underlying issue of rising insurance costs without disqualifying buildings from conventional financing, Blake says industry groups are considering new approaches. Former insurance regulators and retired lawmakers are developing certification programs, similar to LEED certification for energy efficiency, that could help associations qualify for insurance discounts while remaining eligible for traditional financing.
“They’re putting a program together where you could get certified under this program, and you’re looking at ways to get those discounts on it,” Blake explains. These initiatives are still in development, but are intended to provide associations with additional tools to manage costs without undermining property values.
Whether more associations will reconsider their insurance strategies may depend on how quickly board members recognize the link between deductible decisions and unit marketability. Blake notes that some building owners are only now recognizing the problem after struggling to sell or receiving lower-than-expected offers from the limited pool of cash buyers.
This issue is now surfacing as rising insurance costs push more associations to raise deductibles beyond the safe limit, often without understanding the financing implications. The broader question is whether the pressures will change how association insurance is structured or continue creating barriers for buyers and owners.
For now, Blake’s message is clear: decisions to reduce insurance premiums can have direct, lasting impacts on property values and the ability to sell. “If you can only accept cash offers,” she says, “you’re going to have to lower your price.” As market conditions tighten, association leaders face a critical need to balance immediate budget relief against the long-term health of their communities.
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