The declarations page — the "dec page" — is the customized summary of your policy. Everything else in the document is standard form language shared by thousands of policyholders. The dec page is the part that is about you: your limits, your deductibles, your endorsements, your dates.
It is usually one or two pages, and it takes about fifteen minutes to read properly. Most people never do, and then discover its contents during a claim.
The identification block
Named insured, mailing address, insured location, policy number, and the policy period.
Check that the insured location is exactly right, including unit numbers. Check the named insured covers everyone who should be covered — a spouse, a co-owner, a trust that holds title. If the property is in a trust or an LLC and only an individual is named, that is worth raising with your agent.
The policy period has an effective date and an expiration date, and coverage typically begins at 12:01 a.m. on the first day. That detail matters on the day a policy starts.
The coverage limits
Homeowners policies use a lettered structure that is broadly consistent across insurers.
| Coverage | What it covers | How the limit is usually set |
|---|---|---|
| A — Dwelling | The structure itself | Estimated cost to rebuild, not market value |
| B — Other structures | Detached garage, fence, shed | Often a percentage of A, commonly around 10% |
| C — Personal property | Contents | Often a percentage of A, commonly 50–70% |
| D — Loss of use | Living costs while the home is uninhabitable | Often a percentage of A, or a time limit |
| E — Personal liability | Injury or damage you are liable for | A flat amount you choose |
| F — Medical payments | Minor injuries to guests, regardless of fault | A small flat amount |
Coverage A is not your home's market value and not your purchase price. It is an estimate of what it would cost to rebuild the structure. In some markets it is lower than what you paid; in others, higher. A dwelling limit that has not been reviewed in years may not reflect current construction costs.
The deductibles
Frequently more than one. An all-other-perils deductible as a flat amount, plus a separate wind, hail, hurricane, or earthquake deductible that may be a percentage of Coverage A rather than a dollar figure.
If you see a percentage, do the multiplication now and write the result next to it. A 2% deductible on a $400,000 dwelling limit is $8,000, and the moment to discover that is not the day after a storm.
The loss settlement basis
Look for wording such as "Replacement Cost," "Actual Cash Value," or a reference to a loss settlement provision. It can differ between the dwelling and the contents, and a roof schedule can change it for the roof alone.
This single line determines whether a settlement is calculated with depreciation deducted permanently or withheld and recoverable.
The endorsements list
Usually the least readable section: a list of form numbers such as HO 04 90 with brief titles, sometimes no titles at all.
These are the modifications to the standard policy, and they are where both extra coverage and extra restrictions live. Examples of what they commonly do:
- Add water backup coverage, which the base policy generally excludes.
- Add ordinance or law coverage for rebuilding to current code.
- Schedule specific valuables above the standard sublimit.
- Restrict roof payments to actual cash value after a certain age.
- Exclude cosmetic damage from hail.
If a form number appears with no explanation, ask your agent for the endorsement document. You are entitled to the full text of anything modifying your coverage.
Sublimits
Some dec pages list special limits for categories of personal property, and if yours does not, the policy body will. Standard homeowners forms cap what they pay for jewellery, watches, furs, firearms, silverware, cash, and securities — often at figures far below what people own.
The cap applies regardless of your Coverage C limit. A policy with $200,000 in contents coverage can still pay only a small stated amount for stolen jewellery unless items are individually scheduled.
Discounts and the mortgagee clause
The discount list is worth a glance because discounts that no longer apply, or that should apply and do not, are both common. A monitored alarm that was disconnected, or a new roof that was never reported.
The mortgagee clause names your lender. If you refinanced or sold and this is out of date, claim checks can be issued to the wrong party — a fixable but slow problem.
A fifteen-minute review
- Confirm the address, named insureds, and policy dates.
- Write down Coverage A, and ask yourself whether it still reflects what rebuilding would cost.
- List every deductible and convert percentages into dollars.
- Note the loss settlement basis for the dwelling and for the contents separately.
- Read the endorsement list and request any form you do not recognize.
- Compare the personal property sublimits against what you actually own.
- Check the mortgagee details.
What we are not saying
We are not telling you your limits are wrong or that you need more coverage. We do not know your property, your finances, or your risk tolerance, and we do not sell insurance.
What we are saying is that this page is the contract as it applies to you specifically, that most of what determines a claim outcome is on it, and that fifteen minutes now is considerably cheaper than finding out during a loss.
Where to verify this yourself
- Your declarations page — request a current copy from your agent or insurer portal if you cannot find it.
- Your policy form and endorsements — the full text behind every form number listed.
- Your state Department of Insurance — consumer guides explaining the coverage structure used in your state.
The percentages that generate your other limits
On most homeowners policies you choose Coverage A, and the rest is derived from it automatically. Knowing the multipliers tells you what to check.
| Coverage | Typical basis | On a $400,000 dwelling | When it is not enough |
|---|---|---|---|
| B — Other structures | Around 10% of A | ~$40,000 | Detached garage, workshop, long fencing, pool house |
| C — Personal property | 50–70% of A | $200,000–$280,000 | Rarely, but sublimits bite long before the total does |
| D — Loss of use | 20–30% of A, or a time limit | $80,000–$120,000 | Long rebuilds after a widespread disaster |
| E — Liability | A flat amount you choose | Whatever you selected, often years ago | Assets grew and the limit did not |
| F — Medical payments | A small flat amount | Typically modest | Rarely the binding constraint |
Coverage B is the one worth checking on properties with substantial detached structures. A derived limit of around ten percent may not rebuild a detached garage, and it is adjustable.
Coverage A is a rebuild estimate, not a price
Decoding the endorsement list
The least readable part of the page, and the part most worth reading. Endorsements modify the standard policy in both directions and a form number reveals nothing about which.
Frequently add coverage
- Water backup and sump overflow
- Service line coverage
- Equipment breakdown
- Ordinance or law
- Scheduled personal property
- Extended replacement cost
Frequently restrict it
- Roof surfaces schedule
- Cosmetic damage exclusion
- Wind or hail percentage deductible
- Animal liability exclusion
- Water damage limitation
- Vacancy or occupancy conditions
Titles are not always transparent. Something called "Roof Surfaces Loss Settlement" sounds neutral and is a limitation. Request the full text of any form you do not recognise — you are entitled to it.
The sublimits that sit behind Coverage C
Your contents limit is not the limit that applies to everything inside the house. Standard forms cap specific categories, and the caps are frequently far below what households own.
Categories with special limits in most policies
- Jewellery, watches and precious stones — usually for theft specifically
- Furs
- Silverware, goldware and pewterware
- Firearms
- Cash, coins and precious metals — typically a very low figure
- Securities, deeds, manuscripts and tickets
- Business property on the premises
- Watercraft, trailers and related equipment
Read the jewellery sublimit carefully: in most policies it applies to theft rather than to all causes. The same ring destroyed in a fire and stolen in a burglary can produce very different settlements.
The comparison that finds problems
Set this year's declarations page beside last year's. Differences are where insurers make changes that arrive as form numbers rather than as plain statements.
Compare line by line
- Did Coverage A change? Inflation guard raises it automatically, and the percentage is worth checking
- Did any deductible change, or did a new percentage deductible appear?
- Did the loss settlement basis change on any coverage?
- Did any endorsement appear that was not there before?
- Did any endorsement disappear?
- Did a discount drop off?
- Are the mortgagee details still correct?
Most states require notice when a renewal reduces coverage, but the notice frequently arrives as a form in a packet. The year-over-year comparison is what makes a quiet change visible.
Errors worth fixing immediately
- The wrong address or unit number. Fixable in a phone call; expensive to discover at claim time.
- A missing named insured. A spouse, co-owner, or trust that holds title. An unnamed co-owner may have no coverage for their interest.
- A stale mortgagee. After a refinance, claim cheques can be issued to a lender that no longer holds the loan.
- Discounts that should apply and do not. A new roof, an alarm, a water shutoff device, a change in occupancy.
- A Coverage A figure that has not been reviewed in years, in a market where construction costs have moved.
Auto declarations pages
Structured differently and worth its own pass. Check each vehicle separately, because coverages are elected per vehicle.
On an auto dec page
- Liability limits — the three-number notation, or a combined single limit
- Uninsured and underinsured motorist limits, which need not match the liability figure
- Whether comprehensive and collision are carried, and at what deductibles
- Medical payments or PIP, depending on your state
- Rental reimbursement, with its daily and total caps
- Every listed driver, and whether anyone is missing or should be removed
- The garaging address for each vehicle
The garaging address is not a formality. Rates are set by territory, and a vehicle insured at an address where it is not kept is a misrepresentation that can surface at claim time.
What we are not saying
We are not telling you your limits are wrong. What we are saying is that this page is your contract as it applies to you specifically, that most of what determines a claim outcome sits on it, and that comparing it against last year's is the only reliable way to notice something changing quietly.
Where to get a copy
If you cannot find yours, every insurer will provide one. Most maintain an online portal where the current declarations page can be downloaded in a few clicks, and any agent will email one on request.
Ask specifically for the declarations page and the full policy including all endorsements. The declarations page alone tells you the limits; it does not tell you what the endorsement form numbers actually say, and those are where a good deal of the substance lives.
Keep a copy somewhere outside the property, alongside your home inventory. A policy stored only as paper in a damaged home is not available at the moment you need to read the exclusions section.
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.