Boca Raton is condo country. From the towers along the Intracoastal to the gated communities inland toward Mission Bay and Sandalfoot Cove, a large share of Palm Beach County residents live in buildings governed by a condominium or homeowners association. When a storm damages a shared roof, a burst pipe floods multiple units, or wind tears into a building envelope, the claim that follows is far more complex than a single-family home claim. Boards that handle it alone often leave significant money on the table.
Ryan Risteen and the team at Phoenix Claims Consulting represent associations as well as individual owners. From the firm’s Coral Springs office, the team works with condo and HOA boards across Boca Raton and the surrounding area to recover the full value of association property damage claims. Here is what every board should understand before the next loss.
Why association claims are harder than homeowner claims
An association claim involves shared structures, multiple stakeholders, and layered policies. The damage rarely sits neatly inside one unit. A single roof failure can affect dozens of owners. Water from a common-area pipe can travel through walls into private units. Determining what the association master policy covers versus what an individual unit owner’s policy covers is a frequent source of dispute, delay, and underpayment. Insurers know this complexity works in their favor.
On top of that, board members are volunteers. They are neighbors with day jobs, not insurance professionals. When a carrier sends an adjuster who scopes the loss narrowly and offers a fast settlement, a board without expert support has little way to know whether the number is fair.
The most common association claim problems we see
1. The master policy and unit policies are not coordinated
After a loss, the question of where association responsibility ends and unit-owner responsibility begins becomes critical. Carriers can use that gray area to shift costs and minimize what the master policy pays. A clear, well-documented scope of loss that maps damage to the correct policy is essential, and it is exactly what gets missed when a board negotiates alone.
2. Shared structures are underscored.
Roofs, building envelopes, balconies, elevators, and common mechanical systems are expensive and easy to under-document. This is especially true in storm and wind damage claims, where an adjuster moving quickly through a large building will miss damage that only a thorough, methodical inspection catches. For an association, an under-scoped roof or envelope claim can mean a special assessment that hits every owner in the wallet.
3. The Citizens and private-market shift adds pressure
Recent Florida legislation aimed at Citizens Property Insurance expands the clearinghouse process that can move condo associations, apartment properties, and multifamily buildings out of Citizens and into private coverage. For Boca Raton boards, this means coverage terms and carriers may be changing, and understanding your current master policy before a loss has never been more important. The biggest local impact of this change falls on exactly these property types in Palm Beach County.
4. Delay quietly becomes denial
Florida law requires insurers to acknowledge a claim and to pay or deny within set timeframes after receiving proof of loss. Large association claims are precisely the ones carriers tend to slow-walk. A board that does not track these deadlines and document the carrier’s responses can lose leverage without realizing it.
What the numbers say
Association claims are high-dollar and high-stakes. A 2026 hurricane season claims analysis cited across the industry found that a large majority of residential claims after recent named storms were closed without payment. For a single homeowner, that is a hardship. For a condo association responsible for an entire building and accountable to dozens of owners, an underpaid or closed claim can trigger special assessments, deferred repairs, and years of financial strain. The stakes scale with the size of the building.
A scenario boards will recognize
Picture a mid-rise condo near Boca Raton that loses sections of its roof in a windstorm. The carrier’s adjuster inspects, scopes the visible roof damage, and offers a settlement that sounds reasonable to a board with no point of comparison. A licensed public adjuster re-inspects and documents the full roof system, the resulting water intrusion into top-floor units, and damage to the building envelope, then prices the repair at current Palm Beach County rates and negotiates directly with the carrier. The recovery comes in well above the first offer, and the board avoids passing a large assessment on to owners. The damage was always there. It simply was not documented until someone advocated for the association.
What a public adjuster does for a condo or HOA board
Every association claim is different, but the services we offer a condo or HOA board typically include the following:
- Reviews the association master policy and coordinates it against unit-owner coverage
- Performs a thorough inspection of roofs, envelopes, common areas, and affected units
- Builds a complete scope of loss that maps each item to the correct policy
- Prices repairs at current Palm Beach and Broward County labor and material rates
- Tracks statutory deadlines and documents the carrier’s responses
- Negotiates directly with the insurer and files supplemental claims when more damage surfaces
Associations that work with Phoenix Claims Consulting pay nothing upfront. The firm works on a contingency basis and is compensated as a percentage of the recovery it secures for the association. If it does not recover more, there is no fee, which means no risk to the board or the owners in getting a professional review.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a condo association in Boca Raton hire its own public adjuster?
Yes. A condominium or homeowners association can retain a licensed public adjuster to represent the association’s interest in a property damage claim under the master policy. The adjuster advocates for the association rather than the insurer, working to document the full loss and negotiate a fair settlement on the board’s behalf.
Who is responsible for damage, the association or the unit owner?
It depends on the master policy, the governing documents, and where the damage occurred. Shared structures and common areas typically fall under the association master policy, while interior unit damage may fall to the owner’s policy. The dividing line is a frequent source of dispute, which is one reason professional documentation matters so much for association claims.
How does the recent Citizens law affect Boca Raton condo associations?
The law expands the clearinghouse process that can move condo associations and multifamily properties out of Citizens and into private coverage when a qualifying offer is made. Boca Raton has a high concentration of these properties, so boards should review their current master policy and any renewal or clearinghouse notices carefully.
What does it cost an association to hire a public adjuster?
Phoenix Claims Consulting works on contingency. There are no upfront fees. The firm is paid a percentage of the additional recovery it secures for the association, so there is no financial risk to the board in seeking a second opinion on a settlement.
Protect your association before the next loss
If your Boca Raton condo or HOA has suffered property damage, or you simply want your master policy reviewed before storm season, contact Phoenix Claims Consulting for a free consultation.
About the Author
Ryan Risteen is the owner and licensed public adjuster at Phoenix Claims Consulting, with over 17 years of experience representing Florida property owners and associations. From the firm’s Coral Springs office, Ryan and his team advocate for condo and HOA boards, homeowners, and businesses across Palm Beach and Broward counties, including Boca Raton, Coral Springs, and Parkland, on hurricane, storm, water, and fire damage insurance claims. State License #P172623.
This article is for general information only and is not legal advice. Coverage depends on your specific policy and governing documents. Confirm current law and your deadlines before acting on any claim decision.