How to read your homeowners insurance declarations page

A declarations page, often called the dec page, is the summary of your homeowners policy. Most insurers put it first. It shows the facts that are specific to you: your name, your address, your limits and your deductibles.

It isn’t the whole policy. Your full policy has three parts that work together:

1. The declarations page: your personal numbers.
2. The policy form: the long booklet with the rules, what is covered and what is excluded.
3. Endorsements: add-on pages that change the form, by adding, limiting or removing coverage.

The dec page tells you which form and which endorsements apply to you.

Try these places:

• Your insurer’s app or website. Look under policy documents.
• Your renewal packet. A new dec page comes with each renewal.
• Your insurance agent. An agent can usually email you a copy.
• Your mortgage company. If your premium is paid through escrow, the lender often has a copy.

If everything was lost in a fire or storm, call the claim line and ask for it. Then ask in writing for a complete copy of the policy, with every endorsement. Some states set a deadline for sending it. In California, after a covered loss, the insurer must send a complete copy, including the declarations page, free within 30 calendar days of your request. Look up the rule where you live in our state-by-state claim guides.

Layouts differ by insurer, but most dec pages include the lines below.

Some dec pages use coverage letters and some use names only. If a coverage seems missing, ask your insurer where it appears.

The forms list is a row of codes, like HO 00 03 or a code unique to your insurer. Each code is a document. The first one is usually the policy form. HO 00 03 is the standard special form, often called an HO-3, the most common type of homeowners policy.

The rest are endorsements. These are the ones that most often change a claim:

• Roof payment schedules that pay roofs by age or at actual cash value.
• Cosmetic damage exclusions for roof dents that don’t let water in, found in some hail-prone states.
• Water backup coverage for sewer or drain backups, often sold as an add-on.
• Extended replacement cost, which adds money above your dwelling limit.
• Ordinance or law, which helps pay for required code upgrades.
• Scheduled personal property for jewelry, art or other listed valuables.

Our guide to dwelling coverage and its add-ons explains how extended replacement cost works.

The dec page shows your main limits, but many rules that shape a claim appear only in the policy form and endorsements:

• Special limits. Smaller caps inside your belongings coverage. The standard HO-3 form caps theft of jewelry, watches and furs at $1,500 and cash at $200 unless you add coverage.
• Exclusions. Causes of loss the policy doesn’t cover, such as flood and earthquake.
• Your duties after a loss. In the standard form, these include protecting the property and sending a signed, sworn proof of loss within 60 days after the insurer asks for one.
• Settlement rules. How replacement cost, depreciation and repair deadlines work.

So treat the dec page as the index, and check the full policy before you rely on any number.

Your deductible is the part of a covered loss you pay before the insurer pays. Many dec pages list more than one:

• All other perils: a flat dollar amount, like $1,000 or $2,500, for most claims.
• Wind and hail: a separate amount for storm damage in some states.
• Hurricane or named storm: often a percentage of your dwelling limit, not of the damage.

To turn a percentage into dollars, multiply it by your Coverage A limit. With example numbers, a 2% hurricane deductible on a $300,000 dwelling limit is $6,000. Our homeowners deductible guide explains which deductible applies when.

Almost every payment in a property claim traces back to a line on this page.

• Limits cap each part of the claim. The house, other structures, belongings and living costs each have their own limit.
• The settlement type sets how you’re paid. Replacement cost policies often pay in two checks: actual cash value first, then held-back depreciation after repairs. Our guide to actual cash value versus replacement cost explains the difference.
• The mortgagee line affects your checks. In the standard form, payments for the house are made out to you and the lender together. The lender must sign before you can deposit them.
• Coverage D is your temporary housing budget. It pays the extra cost of living elsewhere. Read our loss of use coverage guide before you sign a lease.

The adjuster will arrive knowing your policy. You should too. The Claims Answer Man course, created by NFIP Certified Adjuster and retired FEMA Housing Inspector John Dwayne, opens its policy module with a lesson on reading this page. Knowing your limits and add-ons helps you ask better questions during the inspection.

Make a one-page summary from your dec page and bring it to the inspection. It helps you:

• Point out damage to detached structures, so it goes under the right coverage.
• Ask about add-ons you paid for, like code upgrade or water backup coverage.
• Know which deductible should apply to this type of damage.

For what happens during the visit itself, read what an insurance adjuster does. Keep your summary with our free homeowner claim checklist, which lists each stage of the claim in order.

Act on it in writing, and keep a copy.

• Before a loss: call your agent, then ask for a corrected dec page by email. Confirm the change took effect.
• After a loss: write down what looks wrong and ask the insurer to explain it in writing. Do not assume an error will be fixed in your favor.

If the insurer’s answer doesn’t resolve it, your state insurance department can explain your options. For a coverage dispute with a lot at stake, consider talking to a licensed attorney or a licensed public adjuster in your state.