Homeowners policies are standardized into numbered forms. The number on your declarations page — HO-3, HO-5, HO-6 and so on — determines the structure of your coverage before any endorsement modifies it.
Most people have never noticed theirs. It takes ten seconds to find and it explains more about your coverage than almost anything else in the document.
The distinction everything rests on
Before the forms make sense, one concept has to be clear.
Named peril The policy lists what is covered. If a cause is not on the list, it is not covered. The burden is on you to show your loss fits a listed peril.
Open peril Also called "all risk". Everything is covered except what the policy specifically excludes. The burden is on the insurer to show an exclusion applies.
Open peril is broader, and the shift in burden matters in a dispute. A great many homeowners policies apply open peril to the structure and named peril to the contents — which is the single most common surprise in this area.
The forms
| Form | For | Structure | Contents |
|---|---|---|---|
| HO-1 | Basic, largely obsolete | Named peril, short list | Named peril |
| HO-2 | Broad form | Named peril, longer list | Named peril |
| HO-3 | Most common owner-occupied policy | Open peril | Named peril |
| HO-4 | Renters | Not covered (not yours) | Named peril |
| HO-5 | Comprehensive | Open peril | Open peril |
| HO-6 | Condominium owners | Interior only, varies | Named peril typically |
| HO-7 | Mobile and manufactured homes | Open peril typically | Named peril |
| HO-8 | Older homes, modified coverage | Named peril | Named peril |
HO-3, and what it does not do
The standard owner-occupied policy in most of the country. Open peril on the structure, named peril on the contents.
The practical consequence: if your television stops working for a reason not on the list of covered perils, the policy generally does not respond — even though the same policy would cover the house against almost anything not excluded.
HO-5, and the burden of proof
Extends open peril coverage to personal property as well. Beyond the broader coverage itself, it changes who has to prove what: under HO-5, the insurer must identify an exclusion, rather than you having to fit your loss into a listed peril.
It costs more and is not offered to every property. Insurers typically apply eligibility criteria around age, condition, and claim history.
HO-6, and the gap that catches condo owners
Condominium coverage is genuinely different because two policies are involved: the association's master policy and yours.
What the master policy covers depends on the association's governing documents. Some cover the unit to the bare walls, leaving fixtures, flooring, cabinets and finishes to you. Others cover original installed fixtures but not improvements.
If you own a condo, the document that determines your exposure is not your policy — it is the association's master policy declarations and the section of the bylaws describing what the association insures. The gap between the two is what your HO-6 is meant to fill, and you cannot size it without reading both.
HO-8, and why it exists
Written for older homes where the cost to rebuild using original materials and craftsmanship would substantially exceed the market value. Rather than insure a rebuild that would never happen, HO-8 typically settles on a repair-cost or actual cash value basis, and covers a narrower list of perils.
It is a real trade-off, made deliberately for a category of property that would otherwise be difficult to insure at all.
Where to find your form number
Top of the declarations page, usually near the policy number. It may appear as "HO-3", "Form HO 00 03", or as a description such as "Special Form" (HO-3) or "Comprehensive Form" (HO-5).
Some insurers use proprietary product names instead. If yours does, the declarations page or the policy jacket will still identify the underlying form, or your agent can tell you.
What endorsements do to all of this
The form is the starting point, not the final answer. Endorsements listed on your declarations page modify it, in both directions.
- Adding coverage: water backup, service line, equipment breakdown, scheduled valuables, ordinance or law.
- Restricting coverage: roof settlement on an actual cash value basis after a certain age, cosmetic damage exclusions, wind or hail limitations.
An HO-3 with restrictive endorsements can be narrower in practice than an HO-2 without them. Reading the form number alone is not enough.
What we are not saying
We are not telling you which form to buy or that you should upgrade. Availability depends on your property and your insurer, the price difference varies by market, and we do not sell insurance.
What we are saying is that the form number is the fastest way to understand the shape of your coverage, that the split between open peril on the structure and named peril on the contents is the most common source of surprise, and that condominium owners cannot assess their exposure without reading the association's master policy.
Where to verify this yourself
- Your declarations page — the form number and the full endorsement list.
- Your policy — the perils listed for personal property, and the exclusions applying to the structure.
- Your condo association — master policy declarations and the insurance section of the bylaws.
- Your state Department of Insurance — consumer guides on the forms available in your state.
The forms mapped against the two structures
The HO-3 gap, with examples
Because the structure and the contents are covered differently, the same policy responds inconsistently depending on what was damaged.
| What happened | Structure | Contents |
|---|---|---|
| Kitchen fire | Covered | Covered — fire is a listed peril |
| Burst pipe floods the floor | Covered | Covered — accidental discharge is listed |
| Television falls off its bracket | Not applicable | Generally not covered — no listed peril fits |
| Paint spilled on the carpet | Not applicable | Generally not covered |
| Laptop dropped down the stairs | Not applicable | Generally not covered |
| An unexplained crack appears in a wall | Insurer must find an exclusion | Not applicable |
Notice the asymmetry in the last row. An unexplained problem with the building puts the burden on the insurer to identify an exclusion. An unexplained problem with a possession puts the burden on you to fit it into a list.
Condominiums: the three documents that decide everything
Condo coverage is the one genuinely different case, because two policies interact and you control only one of them.
Read all three, in this order
- The association's master policy declarations — what it insures, at what limits, and on what settlement basis
- The bylaws or declaration of condominium — the section describing where the association's responsibility ends and the unit owner's begins
- Your own HO-6 — whether its limits actually match the gap the first two leave
Master policies fall into recognisable patterns, and knowing which yours uses changes your exposure substantially.
| Master policy type | What it covers | What you must insure |
|---|---|---|
| Bare walls | Structure, common areas, exterior | Everything inside: flooring, cabinets, fixtures, finishes, appliances |
| Single entity | Structure plus original installed fixtures | Your improvements and upgrades, plus contents |
| All-in | Structure plus fixtures including improvements | Contents, and liability |
There is a fourth exposure people miss entirely: the master policy deductible. Where the association's deductible is substantial and the bylaws allow it to be allocated to the unit owner responsible for a loss, you can face a five-figure obligation with no coverage for it. Loss assessment coverage on your HO-6 exists to address this, and it is frequently carried at a limit far below the master deductible.
Why HO-8 exists, and who it is for
Written for older homes where restoring the property using original materials and craftsmanship would cost far more than the property is worth on the market.
Consider a historic property with plaster mouldings, original timber and a slate roof, worth $220,000 in its market. Reproducing that construction after a total loss could cost several times more. No insurer will write replacement cost coverage on that basis, and no owner would pay the premium if one did.
HO-8 resolves it by settling on a repair-cost or actual cash value basis, using modern materials where appropriate, and by covering a narrower list of perils. It is a genuine trade made deliberately for a category of property that would otherwise be very difficult to insure at all.
Mobile and manufactured homes
HO-7 covers manufactured housing, and there are practical differences worth knowing.
Where HO-7 differs
- Coverage frequently extends to the unit in transit, subject to conditions
- Tie-downs and anchoring may be a condition of windstorm coverage
- Actual cash value settlement is more common than on site-built homes
- Skirting, awnings and attached structures may have their own sublimits
- Land ownership versus a leased lot affects what is insurable
Finding your form, and what to do next
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Step 1
Look at the top of the declarations page
Near the policy number. It may read "HO-3", "Form HO 00 03", or a description such as "Special Form".
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Step 2
If it uses a product name, ask
Many insurers use proprietary names. The declarations page or the policy jacket still identifies the underlying form, and any agent can tell you.
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Step 3
Confirm the contents structure separately
Open the personal property section and check whether it lists perils. This is the answer most people do not have.
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Step 4
Read the endorsement list
An HO-3 with restrictive endorsements can be narrower in practice than an HO-2 without them. The form is a starting point, not the final answer.
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Step 5
Ask what the alternative costs
Specifically: what would this policy cost with open peril on contents, and is it available on this property? Two short questions with checkable answers.
What we are not saying
We are not telling you which form to buy, and availability is decided by underwriting criteria you cannot see. What we are saying is that the form number is the fastest route to understanding the shape of your coverage, that the split between the building and the contents is the most common source of surprise, and that condominium owners cannot size their exposure without reading two documents that are not their own policy.
Eligibility: why you may not be offered the broader form
The HO-5 is not simply a more expensive version of the HO-3 that anyone can elect. Insurers apply underwriting criteria to it, and being declined tells you something about how the property is viewed.
What commonly affects eligibility
- Age of the roof, and its material
- Age of the electrical system, and the panel type
- Plumbing material and age
- Claims history on the property, not only yours
- Construction type and whether the property is in a wildfire or coastal exposure zone
- Whether the property is owner-occupied year-round
If you are declined, ask why. The reason is usually specific and several of the items above are things you can change — which makes it worth asking again after a roof replacement or an electrical update rather than assuming the answer is permanent.
One last check
Whatever form you have, confirm one thing: whether your personal property is settled on a replacement cost or an actual cash value basis. That question is independent of the form number, it is answered in a single line on the declarations page, and it changes what a contents claim pays by roughly half on older belongings.
This is general education, not advice. Insurance law and claim rules vary by state and change over time. Nothing here is legal, financial, or insurance advice for your situation, and reading it does not create any professional relationship. For your specific case, consult a licensed professional in your state or contact your state Department of Insurance.