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Your declarations page explained, line by line
The declarations page shows who and what is insured, the policy period, each limit and deductible, the premium and the forms attached. What each line means.
The declarations page, often called the dec page, is the one- or two-page summary at the front of your homeowners policy. It names the people and property insured, the policy period, each coverage limit, your deductibles, your premium, any mortgage company, and the list of forms and endorsements that make up the contract. The rest of the policy says how coverage works; the declarations page says how much of it you have. When a claim starts, it is the first document an adjuster opens.
There is no single national layout. The Insurance Services Office (ISO) form HO 00 03 05 11 refers back to the Declarations throughout but does not prescribe the page itself, so every insurer designs its own. Labels vary, and a few items you will see below may be missing or called something else. The content is what matters.
What the HO-3 pulls from the declarations page
The base form is a contract with blanks, and the declarations page fills them. In ISO's HO-3 the following are defined by reference to the Declarations:
- who "you" and "your" are: the named insured shown there, plus a spouse who lives in the same household;
- which address is the "residence premises" covered under Coverage A;
- the limits for Coverages A, B, C, D, E and F;
- the deductible amount that applies to a loss;
- the mortgagee, who is paid with you under the mortgage clause;
- the mailing address where the insurer sends cancellation and nonrenewal notices, where the form says proof of mailing is sufficient proof of notice.
That last item is worth a pause. If you move and do not update your mailing address, a legally valid cancellation or nonrenewal notice can go to the old one.
The page, line by line
| Line | What it tells you | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| Insurer and policy number | The company legally issuing the policy, the "we" in the contract, and the number that identifies it | Keep the policy number with your claims phone number; the legal company name can differ from the brand on the logo |
| Named insured and mailing address | Who is "you"; where notices are sent | Every owner on the deed who should be covered, spelled correctly; current mailing address |
| Residence premises | The insured address and sometimes a description | It matches the home; if you rent out part, say so on the application |
| Policy period | Effective and expiration dates, usually 12 months | The form applies only to loss during the policy period. Many insurers print a time such as 12:01 a.m., so confirm when coverage starts if you closed on a house that day |
| Form and edition | The base form, such as HO-3, and its edition | Matches what you meant to buy; HO-3, HO-5 and HO-2 differ (Homeowners policy types: HO-1 through HO-8 explained) |
| Coverage limits, A through F | Dollar limits for the dwelling, other structures, belongings, loss of use, liability and medical payments | Coverage A tracks rebuilding cost; see below |
| Deductibles | What you pay first, by peril or by cause | Dollar or percentage; separate wind, hail or hurricane lines |
| Mortgagee or additional interest | The lender (and its loan number) paid on dwelling claims | Correct lender and loan servicer address after a loan transfer |
| Forms and endorsements | Every attached form number, title and edition | Each is read against the base form; the full list is in the packet |
| Premium, fees, discounts | Total premium, installment fees, credits and surcharges | Discounts you earned are listed; see your annual homeowners insurance review |
| Rating information | Year built, roof type or age, square footage, construction, protection class, alarms | Errors can raise your premium or, if material, complicate a claim, so correct them |
Limits: the six numbers and the ones tied to them
Coverage A is the amount the insurer will pay to repair or rebuild the dwelling. Coverage B (other structures), C (personal property) and D (loss of use) may print as a dollar amount or a percentage of A. E (personal liability) and F (medical payments) stand alone, with F stated per person. Details of each are in The six coverages in a homeowners policy, A through F.
Additional lines you may see: an inflation guard percentage, which raises Coverage A each year (inflation guard and automatic coverage increases); extended replacement cost, which pays beyond the limit by a stated percentage after a covered loss (extended and guaranteed replacement cost coverage); an ordinance or law limit above the form's built-in 10%; and scheduled personal property items.
Deductibles: where the surprises live
Most homeowners policies carry an all-other-perils deductible stated as a dollar amount. Many also carry a separate deductible for wind and hail, or for named storms or hurricanes, often a percentage of the Coverage A limit. The Triple-I notes that hurricane deductible details are spelled out on the declarations page.
States regulate how the deductible is shown. Florida law requires that the dollar value of the hurricane deductible be shown prominently on the declarations page (Fla. Stat. 627.701), and a New York regulation (11 NYCRR Part 74, Regulation 159) requires the declarations to show both the percentage and the dollar amount, with equal or greater prominence than the non-hurricane deductible. See Florida and New York, and hurricane and named-storm deductibles explained for how triggers work.
The ISO form says that if two or more deductibles apply to one loss, only the highest applies, so they are not added together. Which deductible applies is set by your policy's wind, hail or hurricane trigger language.
A hypothetical page, and what it means
The numbers below are invented for illustration only.
| Declarations item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Coverage A, dwelling | $400,000 |
| Coverage B, other structures | $40,000 |
| Coverage C, personal property | $200,000 |
| Coverage D, loss of use | $80,000 |
| Coverage E, personal liability | $300,000 |
| Coverage F, medical payments | $2,000 per person |
| Deductible, all other perils | $2,500 |
| Deductible, wind or hail | 1% of Coverage A |
| Deductible, hurricane | 2% of Coverage A |
On that page, a stolen laptop is subject to the $2,500 deductible. A hailstorm that causes $20,000 of roof damage is subject to a $4,000 wind/hail deductible, so the insurer owes at most $16,000. A named hurricane that causes $50,000 of wind damage absorbs an $8,000 deductible and leaves about $42,000 payable, subject to the limit and loss settlement terms. The same $400,000 policy produces three different out-of-pocket amounts depending on the cause. That is the main reason to read the deductible lines before a storm, not after. The how homeowners insurance deductibles work guide has more examples.
Reading your dec page at each renewal
The insurer sends a new declarations page at each renewal and an amended one after a mid-term change. Compare it with last year's:
- Check the Coverage A limit against a current rebuilding estimate. The How much homeowners insurance do I need? can help.
- Check each deductible; insurers sometimes change the wind/hail or hurricane deductible at renewal, and some cut a discount.
- Check the forms list for added or removed endorsements.
- Check the mortgagee and the mailing address.
- Check the premium change and the reasons. The home insurance renewal increase checker compares the increase against typical factors.
- Keep a copy: a lender, a closing attorney or a condo board may ask for the declarations page as proof of coverage (insurance binders and proof of insurance at closing).
Key takeaways
- The declarations page is the part of your policy that is specific to you: insured, property, period, limits, deductibles, premium, mortgagee and forms. The other pages are standard wording.
- There is no standard layout, but the ISO form refers to the Declarations for the named insured, the residence premises, every limit and the deductible.
- Notices of cancellation or nonrenewal can be mailed to the address shown there, so keep it current.
- Wind, hail and hurricane deductibles are often percentages, and the same policy can produce very different out-of-pocket amounts depending on the cause of loss.
- Review the page at every renewal, not only when you buy.