Townhome Window Claim — HOA Master Policy or Your Own Policy
Hail cracked three windows on your end unit. The management company says call your own insurance. Your agent says call the association. Here is how to find out who is right, and what the repair looks like once you do.
A townhome window claim starts with one question: do the association's governing documents make the windows part of the unit or part of the common elements? That decides whether the HOA master policy or your own unit owner policy covers hail or wind damage, and who files. JMB Builders documents the damaged windows, writes a scope either party can use and does the replacement to the association's exterior standard. Twin Cities metro, priced per window.
- Governing documents say who owns the windows
- Master policy or unit owner policy, sometimes both
- Scope written so the HOA and the owner can each use it
- New units ordered to match the association's standard
- Licensed MN contractor BC809005
Send photos and hear back within one business day — or book a free in-home estimate.
In a detached house the windows are yours and the claim is yours. In a townhome the windows sit in a wall that may belong to the association, and the declaration and bylaws decide where the line is. Some associations own everything from the drywall out, windows included, and the master policy covers storm damage to them. Some stop at the exterior face of the wall and leave the windows and doors to the unit owner. Some split it, with frames to the association and glass to the owner. None of that is visible from the yard, so the first thing to do after a storm is read the declaration or ask the management company for the section on windows and doors, in writing.
Then there is the money question even when the association owns them. Master policies on townhome associations often carry a large deductible, and many declarations let the board pass that deductible to the unit owner whose unit was damaged. If the storm hit every building, the board may file one claim for the whole association and assess the deductible across owners. Your own unit owner policy may cover your share of that assessment under a loss assessment coverage, or not. Those are policy questions, and your agent and the association's agent are the people to ask. We do not give legal advice and we cannot tell you which policy will pay.
What we do is the part that is the same either way. We photograph each damaged window with a scale reference and number it by unit and elevation, so the association's adjuster, your adjuster or both can use the same packet. We write a line-item scope: glass, sash or whole unit per window, with the install items. When the association owns the exterior, the replacement has to match the association's approved window: same color, same grille, same profile, and we order to that standard with options such as the maker the association specifies. Once whoever is paying approves the scope, we do the work and send a final invoice to the party that hired us. If the storm hit several units, one scope per building keeps the bookkeeping straight.
What you supply
- The section of your declaration and bylaws on windows and doors, or the management company's written answer on who owns them
- The claim number from whichever policy is filing: the master policy, your unit owner policy or both
- The association's approved window specification, if the exterior is theirs
- Access to each damaged window inside and out, and a contact at the management company
- Your paint color if interior casing is replaced — painting is quoted as a separate line, or paint it yourself
What JMB supplies
- Photos of each damaged window numbered by unit and elevation, with a scale reference
- A line-item scope that the association's adjuster and your adjuster can both work from
- A walk of the building with either adjuster when the party filing wants us there
- Units ordered to the association's approved standard, with options such as the maker they specify
- Install with sill pan, flashing tape, foam, sealant and interior trim reset, matched to the neighbors' exterior
- One scope and one invoice per building when more than one unit is damaged
- A final invoice matched to the approved scope, to the party that hired us
How it is priced: per window
Quoted in writing from your photos, with a reply within one business day. What moves the number:
- Glass only, sash or whole unit per window
- The association's required window specification, which may differ from the cheapest like-kind unit
- How many units in the building are on the same scope
- Shared-wall and end-unit access, and second-story windows over a neighbor's patio
- Interior trim disturbed by a full-unit replacement inside your unit
- Upgrades the association allows and you choose, paid as the difference
Send the declaration section on windows, the claim number and a photo of each damaged window. We reply within one business day with how the scope would be organized.
How long it takes
Finding out who owns the windows is the first week, on the management company's clock. Then approval on the insurer's schedule, windows built to order over weeks, and install several windows per visit.
How your project works
- 1
Send photos, get a written quote
Send three photos of the space and a sentence about what you want. You get a clear, itemized reply within one business day. Prefer a look in person? A free in-home estimate is always an option.
- 2
Pick materials, or bring your own
We help you choose profiles and materials that fit the house and the budget, or match your existing millwork exactly — or you buy the door or trim yourself and we install it. Everything is confirmed before the crew is scheduled.
- 3
Clean, precise installation
The crew shows up on time, protects floors and furniture, and installs with tight joints and consistent reveals. Photos of the finished work go in your job folder.
- 4
Walkthrough and invoice
We walk the finished work with you. If anything is not right, we fix it before we call the job done. Then one invoice, paid by check or direct deposit — no card fees, no payment links.
Situations and options
Association owns the windows
The master policy claim is filed by the board or manager. Our scope and photos go to the association's adjuster. The replacement matches the association's standard. The deductible may be assessed to you; ask your agent about loss assessment coverage on your own policy.
Unit owner owns the windows
The claim is yours, on your unit owner policy. The scope goes to your adjuster. The new windows still have to match the association's exterior standard, so get the specification in writing before the order.
Split: frames and glass to different parties
Some declarations give the association the frame and the owner the glass or the interior. We write the scope with the lines split the same way, so each adjuster can approve their share without re-measuring.
Whole building hit
Every unit in the row has damage. One numbered scope per building, with each unit's windows grouped, lets the association file once and lets each owner see their own lines. Installs are sequenced along the row.
Townhome Window Claim — HOA Master Policy or Your Own Policy: questions, answered
Who pays for hail-damaged windows in a townhome, the HOA or me?
Your association's declaration and bylaws decide. If the windows are part of the common elements or the association is responsible for the exterior, the master policy covers storm damage to them. If the declaration makes windows part of the unit, your own unit owner policy does. Some split frames and glass. Get the answer in writing from the management company, and ask your own agent how your policy reads alongside it. We document the windows the same way for either adjuster.
What is a master policy deductible assessment on a townhome claim?
Many townhome master policies carry a large deductible, and many declarations allow the board to assess that deductible to the owner whose unit was damaged, or across all owners when a storm hit the whole association. Your own unit owner policy may include loss assessment coverage that pays some or all of your share. Whether it does, and how much, is a question for your agent. We can tell you what the repair involves; we cannot tell you who ends up paying the deductible.
Can I file on my own policy if the association will not file a claim?
Ask your agent. Some unit owner policies cover damage to parts of the building the association is responsible for when the master policy does not respond, and some do not. If the declaration says the windows are yours, your policy is the one to file on regardless. Either way, photograph the damage now and keep the broken parts; the question of who files can take weeks to settle and the evidence should not wait.
Do replacement windows in a townhome have to match the other units?
Almost always. Even when the window is yours, the association controls the exterior appearance, and most have an approved window specification: color, grille pattern, profile and sometimes the maker. Get it in writing before anything is ordered. If the association's standard costs more than the like-kind unit the adjuster priced, that difference is a question for the association and the insurer, and we write it as its own line.
Can one contractor handle the window claim for the whole townhome building?
Yes, and it is easier for everyone. One numbered scope per building, with each unit's windows grouped, means the association's adjuster sees the whole loss at once and each owner can find their own lines. The order goes in as one batch so the color and profile match down the row, and the installs are sequenced unit by unit.
Who meets the adjuster for a townhome window claim?
Whoever filed the claim, usually. If the association filed, the manager or a board member meets the master policy adjuster and we come along when they want us there. If you filed, you meet your adjuster and we come when you want us. Either way we bring the numbered photo set and the scope so the walk goes window by window.
Recent JMB work, from our job log
59 installs recorded across 30 Twin Cities communities since Dec 2025. Window and door installs for homeowners, builders and dealers. Counts come straight from our job log; no customer names.
Get a written quote for this job
Three photos and a sentence is enough: a reply within one business day, or ask for a free in-home estimate. Or text the photos to 763-333-4066.
Related jobs we do
Insurance Claim Window Replacement — From the Storm to New Windows
Hail or straight-line wind took out windows on one side of the house and you have never filed a claim. Here is the whole path, from the first photos to the last check.
Read moreTownhome Window Replacement With HOA Approval — Specs, Forms, Install
Your windows are failing, but nothing changes on the outside until the association signs off. We give you the paperwork they want, then do the job their way.
Read moreStorm Damage Repairs for Rental Properties — One Scope per Building
Several buildings, one hail storm, more than one insurer, and tenants in every unit. The adjuster wants a scope per address, the tenants want to know when someone is coming, and you want one invoice per claim.
Read moreInsurance Won't Replace All Windows for Matching — What to Document
Hail cracked one window. The line was discontinued, the grilles and color are different now, and the adjuster is only paying for the one.
Read moreWhole-House Window Replacement on a Storm Claim — Every Side Hit
The hail came in sideways and then the wind turned, so every side of the house took hits. Twenty windows on one claim is a different job than two, and the scope has to be organized like one.
Read moreActual Cash Value vs Replacement Cost — Why the First Check Is Less
The adjuster's estimate says one number, the check that came says a smaller one, and the letter mentions depreciation. Nothing is wrong. Here is what the numbers are and what has to happen for the rest to arrive.
Read morePage reviewed October 2, 2026 · JMB Builders LLC, MN license BC809005 · All insurance repairs pages
Where we work
Insurance repairs near you
Based in Zimmerman, scheduling across the Twin Cities metro. Closest first: