What is a declaration page for renters insurance

The insurance declaration page is part of your insurance policy. It comes at the front of your paperwork and sums up the key data about your insurance.

  • Alternate name: Policy declarations page, declarations page
  • Acronyms: DEC page, dec page

For example, you would receive a declarations page when you buy a new car insurance policy.

The insurance declaration page is part of your policy. You will get it once your policy is issued. It comes after the binder of insurance and should have the same data that was sent to you in the binder of insurance.

Despite the name, the document may be longer than a single page. Depending on the details of your coverage, it may span many pages. You should get a new page every time you buy or renew a policy.

The binder of insurance is a temporary document that outlines your coverage. It can be shown as proof of insurance until you receive your policy documents. Those will include your dec page.

The dec page is a key part of your policy. It shows:

  • The main coverages that lead to how a claim will be paid 
  • The limits for each section
  • The premiums charged
  • Who is insured and what is covered

The dec page contains all of the key information about your contract, including what or whom is covered, how to file for a claim, and other details. You should review the dec page in detail to make sure that it is correct.

Common problems found on insurance dec pages may include:

  • Errors such as a typo in a name or address
  • The wrong type of coverage (for instance, a named perils policy instead of an open perils policy)
  • Incorrect deductibles
  • Incorrect coverage amounts
  • Missing riders
  • Missing discounts

All of the things you asked for or agreed to when accepting your new policy should be on the dec page. Any errors can make it hard to file a claim. If you find any, contact your agent to have them fixed.

Once you are done looking over your policy, keep your dec page in a safe place, as it is part of your contract.

The declaration page is followed by the policy wording, which defines the terms on the dec page and how they apply in a claim. The policy wording will help you understand what each section of your policy means. It will also tell you how it applies to your property.

An insurance declaration page will sum up the key data from your policy, which should include:

  • The policy number
  • Name and address of the policyholder 
  • Whom and what is covered
  • The insurer name, address, and contact info
  • What type of coverage the policy includes 
  • Limits and deductibles
  • Endorsements
  • How long the policy is valid for
  • Discounts and surcharges
  • Cost of the insurance, often divided into payments
  • Other named insureds, such as banks
  • Limits of liability

Many declaration pages will also include the process of how to file a claim. If this is not on the dec page, it should be listed in a separate part of your paperwork.

In some cases, it's helpful to have your insurance dec page on hand. In others, it's required.

For instance, when you shop for insurance, having your dec page on hand makes it easy to compare products, and when you switch insurers, your new company will want proof of your current coverage.

If you have a loan on any insured property, the lender may require a copy of the dec page. For instance, your auto lender may ask for it, because the dec page will say what and how much coverage your car has, while your insurance ID card will not. The dec page will also show the lender who is listed as loss payee and/or additional insured on the policy. The mortgage company on your home may require the dec page for your homeowner's insurance as well.

Many times, your insurer is the one that sends your dec page to the lender, but sometimes it gets lost, and you will need to provide a copy.

  • An insurance declaration page sums up what is in an insurance policy.
  • It comes at the start of policy paperwork and contains information such as your deductible, coverage, discounts, and more.
  • You should check your dec page for errors as soon as you get it. Errors may make it hard to file a claim.
  • You may need to show this page to your lender as proof of coverage.

A declarations page is the summary of your insurance policy—it includes important details like coverage amounts, deductible, who’s covered, and more.

What’s a declarations page?

Your insurance policy is a contract between you and your insurance company. And, like most legal documents, it’s pretty long and complicated—but it also has a summary, which is known as a declarations page.

This page, often referred to as a dec page, is your go-to for important info like how much coverage you have on your property, what types of endorsements were added on (if any), and more.

A breakdown of a typical declarations page

  1. Who is insured aka “named insured” (and at what address)
  2. When the policy starts and stops (“effective” and “expiry” dates)
  3. What’s being covered, and for how much
  4. Your premium
  5. Any discounts you may be eligible for
  6. Your deductible
  7. Endorsements and notices
  8. How to contact your insurer

Your dec page will also typically contain a list of terms that are used in the document, along with their explanations.

What you need to check on a declarations page

Once you get your policy, read over the declarations page extra carefully and make sure everything is correct.

One of the most common mistakes we see here at Lemonade HQ is one of the most obvious: an incorrect home address. And while you’re at it, make sure to double check your name, coverage amounts, deductible, and policy type.

 If you stay with your insurance company for more than a year, you’ll have a new dec page to review annually—exciting!—since your policy term is typically 12 months long.

One of the questions we hear most often is,

As always, Effective Coverage has the insurance answers you need.  This one is the same nationwide, so whether you have Chula Vista, CA Renters Insurance or renters insurance in Omaha, the answer is relevant to you.

The declarations page of your renters insurance is what sets out the types and amounts of coverage that are available on your policy.  The policy document, or policy form, is what tells you when the coverage applies, what situations it applies to, and similar information.

Consider the policy document to be what defines the specific coverage, while the declarations page tells you if you have it, how much of it you have, and often what part of the cost of the policy it makes up.  For instance, you know that personal property coverage pays for a loss where there’s damage to your property from specified causes of loss.

But do you know how much of that coverage you have, and what it pays based on?

The declarations page will tell you those things.  You’ll find both coverage levels and forms and endorsements that are made a part of the policy on this document.  The declarations page might say that you have $15,000 of personal property coverage.  But that doesn’t tell you on what basis the coverage pays.

What is a declaration page for renters insurance

What Is A Declarations Page And Why Does My Landlord Want To See It?

Elsewhere on your declarations page, however, you’ll see that you have either “replacement cost coverage” or “actual cash value” coverage.  Ideally, you want to see replacement cost.  If you see that, it means you’ll get enough money to buy new property at retail to replace what suffered the loss.

If you only see actual cash value coverage, you should consider adding replacement cost.  The actual cash value of personal property is the depreciated cost based on how long you’ve owned it and what condition it’s in.  If someone stole your laptop that you’ve had for three years, the depreciated value of that laptop is nowhere near enough to go buy a new computer.  You certainly don’t want to replace your laptop by shopping on Craigslist, do you?

That’s why you should see replacement cost coverage on your declarations page.

You’ll see other forms and endorsements there, as well.  For example, you’ll commonly see the HO-300 endorsement.  This doesn’t cost you anything, but it shows up on your declarations page.  The HO-300 is just a state-specific supplement that modifies the standard policy document to comply with the requirements of your particular state.  It’s not optional, and it doesn’t generally change the cost of the policy.

If you have roommates endorsed onto your renters insurance, you’ll see them on the declarations page as well.  You may see them on an amended copy if you bought the policy and then added them, because the original copy was already on its way.

Why Does My Landlord Want To See My Declarations Page?

Remember how we mentioned that your declarations page is where forms and endorsements appear?  Their details appear here as well.  Adding your landlord as an additional interested party is actually an endorsement to the policy.  That just means it adds a document that modifies the policy so your landlord gets notification of changes in policy status.

Your landlord wants to see this document for two reasons.  First, they want to verify that you have the coverage you claim to have.  It’s probably a requirement of your lease, as a matter of fact.  In addition, they want to verify that you’ve listed them as additional interest.

Your landlord wants to be an additional interest because you’re required to have renters insurance.  Unfortunately, there are some people who would show a declarations page and then cancel the policy, or who would let the policy cancel for nonpayment.  Those situations are the reason why your landlord wants to see the document.  You wouldn’t do such a thing, of course, but there are many people out there who would.

Are There Privacy Concerns With Giving My Landlord The Declarations Page?

No.  There are no privacy concerns with giving your landlord the declarations page.  There is nothing on there that your landlord doesn’t already know!  You’ve told him that you have Chula Vista, CA Renters Insurance, of course, so he already knows that.  The levels of coverage are very much his concern, since there’s a lease requirement that you have a certain amount of liability.

And let’s face the facts here.  Your landlord knows where you live.  Your address is largely private, but not when it comes to a conversation with the person who rents that home to you.  By the same token, your landlord should know if you have roommates so having them endorsed onto the policy is not exactly revealing private information.

One very limited exception might if you’ve endorsed valuable items such as jewelry onto your renters insurance.  If you have a ten thousand dollar Rolex, that might not be any of the landlord’s business and you might want to keep that information private.  In that case, just call Effective Coverage and ask for a certificate of insurance that does not contain that information.  It has most of the same data as your declarations page, but it won’t include valuable items coverage so you can keep that private from your landlord.

What you pay for your renters insurance is also really not private information. The landlord already knows that the average cost of renters insurance in California is around fifteen dollars a month.  The landlord also really doesn’t care what you pay for the coverage.  That information doesn’t reveal anything about you or your finances, especially since you probably underwent a credit check to qualify for the apartment.  You can safely give your landlord a copy of the declarations page without revealing any personal or private information to them.

The easiest way to buy renters insurance is to call (800)892-4308 or click to get covered - whether you need Chula Vista, CA renters insurance quotes online or coverage anywhere else!

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