Common endorsements
Coverage-adding
- Law and ordinance (code upgrades)
- Scheduled personal property (high-value items)
- Identity theft
- Water backup / sewer backup
- Service line coverage
- Earthquake
Coverage-reducing
- Mold / fungi sublimit
- Cosmetic damage exclusion
- Wind / hail exclusion
- Limited water endorsement
- Roof surfacing payment schedule
- Roof age restrictions
Coverage-modifying
- Higher deductibles for specific perils
- Named-storm vs. hurricane deductible
- Actual cash value roof endorsement
Reading endorsements
Location
- Declarations page lists endorsements by name
- Each endorsement is a separate form
- Often at end of policy packet
Key elements
- What it adds / removes / modifies
- Effective date
- Any conditions or limitations
- Interaction with base policy
Common language traps
- "In lieu of" replaces base coverage
- "In addition to" supplements
- "Subject to" adds conditions
Why endorsements matter at claim time
- Missing endorsement = lost coverage
- Applied endorsement = reduced payout
- Endorsement interaction = complex coverage analysis
- Annual review captures changes