Glossary

Endorsement

A written change attached to a policy that adds, removes or alters coverage, limits or conditions, and controls over the base form wherever the two conflict.

Also called: policy endorsement, policy amendment, add-on coverage

An endorsement is a form attached to your policy that changes it. It may add coverage the base policy lacks, such as water backup, scheduled jewelry or ordinance or law coverage; raise a limit; remove a peril; or change how a loss is settled, as an ACV roof endorsement does. Where an endorsement conflicts with the base form, the endorsement wins.

Endorsements carry form numbers. Examples from the ISO family include HO 04 90 (personal property replacement cost loss settlement), HO 04 95 (water back-up and sump discharge or overflow) and HO 04 61 (scheduled personal property). Insurers also write their own. A state amendatory endorsement rewrites parts of the base policy to match state law, and many policies carry one.

The pitfall is that endorsements restrict as often as they expand. A roof payment schedule, a cosmetic damage exclusion or a higher wind deductible all arrive as endorsements, and many homeowners never read the list. Your declarations page names each one, usually with a form number and sometimes a premium or limit. Ask your agent which endorsements change how a claim is paid.

See what the words endorsement, rider and floater mean, and browse homeowners endorsements worth considering for common choices.

Last reviewed October 10, 2026

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Related terms

Rider A form added to a policy to change its coverage; in homeowners insurance, an everyday word for an endorsement such as scheduled jewelry or water backup. Floater Coverage that insures listed movable items, such as jewelry, art or cameras, at stated values wherever they go, free of a standard policy's low limits. Amendatory endorsement An add-on that rewrites parts of the base policy, usually to match a state's insurance laws, and that takes priority wherever it conflicts with the form. Scheduled personal property Individually listed valuables, such as jewelry, art and collectibles, insured for a stated amount each, with broader protection than standard contents coverage. Declarations page The summary page at the front of a policy listing the insured, the property, policy dates, limits, deductibles, premium, mortgage lender and attached forms. Exclusion A policy provision that removes coverage for a stated cause, type of loss, property or circumstance that the coverage would otherwise reach.

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Related tools

Homeowners coverage gap checker Tick the 16 statements that are true of your homeowners policy and the checker lists the gaps to fix or raise with your agent before renewal. Valuables coverage checker Compare what you own in jewelry, firearms, cash, boats and business property with the special limits in a standard homeowners policy and see what to schedule.