Declarations page checklist
Tick each field you have checked. Write every discrepancy in the margin — that list is what you take to the phone call.
Section 1 · The basics
- Policy period and term lengthSix months or twelve? Comparing a six-month premium to a twelve-month one is the most common false alarm there is.
- Named insured and mailing addressEveryone who should be on the policy, and nobody who should not.
- The underwriting company that issued itUsually in small type. Groups contain several companies at different price levels — this tells you which one you are in.
- Renewal date and payment due dateThey are not always the same day.
Section 2 · What is being rated (auto)
- Annual mileageThe field most likely to have stopped being true. A commute that ended is frequently still priced at the old figure.
- Garaging address and ZIPRates are territorial. Where does the car actually sleep?
- Vehicle use classificationPleasure, commute or business — which is true now?
- Every driver listedStill in the household? Still driving this car? A driver who moved out is still being priced.
- Every excluded driverKnow who is on this list. An excluded driver behind the wheel is an uninsured loss.
- Every vehicle listed, with VINStill owned? VIN correct? A sold car still on the policy costs real money.
- Lienholder or lessorPaid off? It should come off, and it can change what coverage you must carry.
Section 3 · What is being rated (home)
- Coverage A — the dwelling limitHigher than last year? Most policies raise it automatically. Ask for the replacement cost estimate behind it.
- The replacement cost inputsSquare footage, stories, roof type and pitch, interior finish grade, attached structures. A wrong input produces a wrong limit.
- Coverage B, C and DOther structures, personal property, loss of use — usually a percentage of Coverage A, so they move with it.
- Coverage E and FPersonal liability and medical payments. Check neither was cut to hold a price flat.
- Roof age and settlement basisReplacement cost or actual cash value, and is there an age schedule? Ask in writing.
- Occupancy and useOwner-occupied, rented, vacant? These are different products, not just different prices.
Section 4 · Coverages and limits
- Liability limitsThe coverage protecting everything you own. Raising it is often cheap; cutting it is the classic false economy.
- Uninsured and underinsured motorist (auto)Present at all? At what limit? Commonly the first thing thinned to make a quote look competitive.
- Medical payments or PIP (auto)Required in some states, optional in others. Two quotes with different values here are not comparable.
- Comprehensive and collision deductibles (auto)Weigh the annual cost of both against what the car is actually worth today.
- All-other-perils deductible (home)The headline deductible — but rarely the only one.
- Separate wind, hail, hurricane or named-storm deductible (home)A percentage is calculated on the dwelling limit, not on the claim. Work out what yours is in dollars.
Section 5 · Endorsements and discounts
- Every endorsement, by nameCompare to last year's list. Additions and removals both change what you are covered for without touching a headline limit.
- Anything genuinely duplicatedRoadside assistance you already have through an auto club or card; rental reimbursement you would never claim.
- Every discount currently appliedIs this list shorter than last year's? That is the easiest cause of an increase to reverse.
- Discounts you might qualify for and are not gettingMemberships, occupation, vehicle equipment, protective devices, payment method, courses completed.
- Any surcharge, and when it expiresNothing re-rates you automatically when one comes off. Ask for the date and diarize it.
Section 6 · What to ask for on the call
- Corrections to every discrepancy you wrote downRead them as a list, not as a complaint.
- A full discount reviewWhich am I getting, and which could I qualify for?
- Surcharge expiry dates, and a re-rate when each lapses
- A company placement review within the carrier's group
- A revised declarations page afterwardsSo you can confirm the changes were actually applied.
AiM Insurance · getaiminsurance.com/tools/declarations-page-checklist · General information, not licensed insurance advice. Coverage names and declarations page layouts vary by carrier and by state.