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OFFICE OF COUNCILMEMBER ANITA BONDS
CHAIR, COMMITTEE ON EXECUTIVE ADMINISTRATION AND LABOR
THE JOHN A. WILSON BUILDING
1350 PENNSYLVANIA AVENUE, NW
WASHINGTON, DC 20004
November 19, 2025
Nyasha Smith, Secretary
Council of the District of Columbia
1350 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W.
Washington, DC 20004
Dear Secretary Smith,
Today I am introducing the “Condominium Insurance Amendment Act of 2025.” Please find enclosed a
signed copy of the legislation codifying basic individual unit owners' insurance policy coverages and raising
the deductible pass-through cap from $5,000 to $25,000.
Property losses, such as water leaks and fires, are unavoidable events that affect residents all over the city,
especially in aging buildings. Over the past several years, the cost of insurance for condominium owners has
increased, and condominium associations pass these increased costs to the unit owners via special
assessments or fee hikes. Current law offers no mechanism to address the increase in deductibles.
This bill would increase the amount of the deductible that is recoverable from a unit owner when a loss
originates in that unit owner’s unit. Current law caps the deductible responsibility for individual
condominium owner insurance at $5k, with the remainder being applied to the master policy. These costs
would then in-turn be reflected in fees shared by the entirety of the association, this is regardless of the
origin of the damage. This bill makes the following changes to improve the process by which unit owners
settle insurance claims resulting from property loss:
1) increases the deductible responsibility from $5k to $25k;
2) permits the condominium association to pass along the deductible responsibility to the owners of
units where a loss originated, allowing those individual owners to use their individual unit owners’
insurance policies – which they are required to maintain by law – to settle claims, as opposed to the
condominium association’s Master insurance policy to cover these costs.
Should you have any questions about this legislation, please contact Andrew Martell at
amartell@dccouncil.gov or (202) 724-8025.
Thank you,
Anita Bonds
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6 A BILL
______________________________
Councilmember Anita Bonds
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10 IN THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
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15 To amend the Condominium Act of 1976 to clarify the minimum required coverages for
16 condominium owners in the District; to increase the deductible responsibility for individual
17 condominium owners
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19 BE IT ENACTED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, That this act
20 may be cited as “Condominium Insurance Amendment Act of 2025”.
21 Sec. 2. Section 310 of the Condominium Act of 1976, effective March 29, 1977 (D.C. Law
22 1-89; D.C. Official Code § 42-1903.10), is amended as follows:
23 (a) Subsection (d-1) is amended to read as follows:
24 “(d-1)(1) Each unit owner shall, to the extent reasonably available, obtain and keep in full
25 force and effect, a condominium unit owner’s insurance policy. Such policy shall include:
26 (A) Dwelling or Building Property Coverage of not less than $25,000 or such
27 greater limit as is sufficient to repair and replace any improvements, betterments, alterations, and
28 additions made by the current owner or acquired from any previous owner other than the declarant, or
29 upgrades which are part of the unit when conveyed by the declarant, and which are the responsibility
30 of the unit owner to insure when required to do so by the condominium's declaration or bylaws;
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31 (B) A limit of coverage adequate to repair or replace a unit owner’s existing
32 personal property;
33 (C) Personal liability coverage of not less than $500,000;
34 (D) A limit of additional living expense or loss of use coverage adequate to
35 provide alternative housing for at least 12 months in the event the unit owner cannot live in the unit
36 following a covered casualty event;
37 (E) Loss assessment coverage of not less than $25,000; and
38 (F) Coverage for the unit owners’ association’s property insurance deductible or
39 any portion thereof written in compliance with subsection (j)(2); provided, that the executive board
40 may increase the minimum amounts required under this subsection at a meeting properly noticed
41 under this chapter.
42 (2) All unit owner-obtained insurance policies shall contain a waiver of subrogation
43 with respect to the unit owners’ association and its policies.
44 (3) Each unit owner shall furnish evidence of insurance coverage to the unit owners’
45 Association annually, or more frequently if requested by the unit owners’ association. If a unit owner
46 fails to obtain and maintain individual unit owners’ coverage, the unit owners’ association shall have
47 the right to obtain a policy on behalf of the unit owner, with deductible proceeds payable to unit
48 owners’ association, and charge the annual premium cost to the unit owner as an assessment.
49 (2) Subsection (j) is amended to read as follows:
50 “(j)(1) The bylaws shall specify insurance coverage and limits with respect to any
51 insurance policy that may be required on the common elements.
52 “(2) If the cause of any damage to or destruction of any portion of the condominium
53 originates from a unit, the owner of the unit where the cause of the damage or destruction originates is
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54 responsible for the unit owners’ association’s property insurance deductible, or uncovered loss, not to
55 exceed $25,000 (either in the aggregate or per unit), unless the governing documents allow for a
56 higher deductible amount or impose liability for a higher amount or the entirety of the loss. If the
57 cause of any damage to or destruction of any portion of the condominium originates from the common
58 elements or from outside the building, the association’s property insurance deductible shall be a
59 common expense. If a unit owner is responsible for the association's property insurance deductible or
60 an uncovered loss up to $25,000, this amount shall be assessed against the owner's unit. Regardless of
61 loss origination, if there is loss or damage that affects one or more units where the property policy
62 includes a per unit deductible, the owner of each damaged unit shall be responsible for the deductible
63 applied to that unit not to exceed $25,000.
64 Sec. 3. Fiscal impact statement.
65 The Council adopts the fiscal impact statement in the committee report as the fiscal impact
66 statement required by section 4a of the General Legislative Procedures Act of 1975, approved October
67 16, 2006 (120 Stat. 2038; D.C. Official Code § 1-301.47a).
68 Sec. 4. Effective date.
69 This act shall take effect following approval by the Mayor (or in the event of veto by the
70 Mayor, action by the Council to override the veto) and a 30-day period of congressional review as
71 provided in section 602(c)(1) of the District of Columbia Home Rule Act, approved December 24,
72 1973 (87 Stat. 813; D.C. Official Code § 1-206.02(c)(1)).