Tennessee Condo Owners: What to Know About the 2026 Insurance Scoring Update
A Change to One Tennessee HO-6 Insurance Program Is Coming in 2026
If you own a condominium in Tennessee, you may hear more about insurance scoring as we approach the end of 2026.
A specific Tennessee HO-6 condominium insurance program has filed a change to replace the insurance credit-score model it uses for underwriting and insurance tier assignment.
The change has two effective dates:
October 23, 2026 — New business
December 10, 2026 — Renewals
The filing reports a 0.0% overall rate impact for the program. However, that does not necessarily mean every individual policy will have exactly the same premium.
And there is an important distinction:
This is a change to a specific HO-6 program — it does not mean every Tennessee condo insurance policy or every insurance company is changing its scoring model.
So, what does this actually mean for Tennessee condo owners?
What Is an Insurance Score?
An insurance score is different from the credit score you might see when applying for a credit card or mortgage.
Insurance companies that use credit-based insurance information may use an insurance scoring model as one factor in evaluating an applicant or determining an insurance tier.
The purpose is to help an insurer evaluate potential insurance risk using information from a consumer's credit history.
For an HO-6 policy, this can be one of several factors considered when determining how a policy is rated.
Other factors can include:
Location of the condo
Coverage limits
Deductibles
Claims history
Property characteristics
Loss history
Occupancy
Construction characteristics
Discounts
The insurance company's underwriting guidelines
So your insurance score is not the only thing determining your condo insurance premium.
What's Changing in This Tennessee HO-6 Program?
The program is replacing the insurance credit-score model it currently uses with a different model.
The new model is designed to provide a comparable approach to insurance scoring and tier assignment.
The important part for condo owners is that changing the scoring model does not automatically mean your insurance premium will increase.
The filing reports a 0.0% overall rate impact.
That figure represents the overall impact for the book of business, rather than guaranteeing that every individual policy will experience no change.
Why can individual policies be different?
Insurance scoring can affect which pricing tier a policy falls into.
If a new scoring model produces a different result for a particular customer, that could potentially affect the policy's tier or premium, depending on the program's rules.
That's why an overall 0.0% rate impact shouldn't be interpreted as "every policy stays exactly the same."
Does This Mean All Tennessee Condo Insurance Is Changing?
No.
This is probably the most important point for Tennessee condo owners to understand.
The update applies to the specific HO-6 program involved in the filing.
Other insurance companies and HO-6 programs may use different:
Insurance scoring models
Underwriting guidelines
Rating factors
Pricing tiers
Reordering procedures
So if you have a condo in Tennessee, you shouldn't assume that your policy is automatically affected simply because you have an HO-6 policy.
Your insurance agent can determine whether your particular policy is with the program affected by the change.
Why Does This Matter If the Overall Rate Impact Is 0.0%?
Because overall rate impact and individual policy impact are two different things.
Think of it this way:
An insurance company can make a change that has a neutral overall impact across its entire book of business while some individual customers see different results.
For example, if some policies move into a different rating tier while others don't, the overall impact can still be reported as 0.0%.
That doesn't mean a particular policy will necessarily change. It simply means the filing's overall projected rate impact is neutral.
What Should Tennessee Condo Owners Do?
You don't necessarily need to do anything just because this change is occurring.
However, if your HO-6 policy is with the affected program, the upcoming effective dates are a good reason to review your policy.
1. Check your current HO-6 coverage
Don't focus only on your premium.
Look at important coverages such as:
Coverage for improvements and betterments
Personal property
Personal liability
Medical payments
Loss of use
Loss assessment coverage
Water backup coverage
Deductible
Valuable items coverage
Your condo association's master policy and your individual HO-6 policy are designed to cover different things, so understanding the difference is important.
2. Review your condo association's master policy
One of the biggest mistakes condo owners can make is assuming the HOA's insurance covers everything inside their unit.
It doesn't necessarily.
The association's master policy may cover certain portions of the building, while your HO-6 policy may be responsible for your personal property, liability, improvements, and other exposures.
The exact division depends on the association's documents and the applicable insurance policies.
3. Check your credit information for errors
If an insurance program uses credit-based information for insurance scoring, inaccurate information could potentially affect the information used in the scoring process.
If you find an error on your credit report, it's worth addressing it rather than assuming it will correct itself.
4. Don't assume a premium change is caused by this update
If your condo insurance premium changes at renewal, there could be many possible reasons.
For example:
Changes in your coverage
Changes in deductibles
Property or claims history
Insurance company rate changes
Changes in underwriting
Changes in discounts
Insurance scoring or tier placement
Your insurance professional can help determine what changed.
What Happens on October 23 and December 10?
The two dates apply to different parts of the program:
October 23, 2026: The new scoring model becomes effective for new business under the affected program.
December 10, 2026: The change becomes effective for renewals under the affected program.
That means existing policyholders shouldn't assume that something changes on October 23 simply because they have an HO-6 policy.
For an existing customer, the December 10 renewal effective date is the more relevant date.
Should You Shop Your Condo Insurance?
A scoring-model change doesn't automatically mean you should move your policy.
However, your renewal is always a good opportunity to make sure your coverage and pricing still make sense.
If your premium changes, ask:
"What changed?"
Your agent can compare your current policy with available alternatives and determine whether the difference is related to the insurance program, coverage, rating factors, or something else.
And when comparing quotes, don't look at premium alone.
A cheaper HO-6 policy isn't necessarily equivalent if it has different deductibles, limits, endorsements, or loss assessment coverage.
The Bottom Line for Tennessee Condo Owners
A specific Tennessee HO-6 insurance program is changing the insurance credit-score model it uses in 2026, with an effective date of October 23 for new business and December 10 for renewals.
The filing reports a 0.0% overall rate impact, but individual policy results can vary.
Most importantly, this is not a statewide change affecting every Tennessee condo insurance policy.
If you own a condo in Tennessee, the best place to start is by understanding which insurance program you have, what your HO-6 policy covers, and whether anything changes at your next renewal.
If you're unsure whether your policy is affected, RISE Insurance can help you review your coverage and explain what you're seeing on your renewal.
Need help reviewing your Tennessee condo insurance?
📞 423-541-1111
