Start with the declarations page
The declarations (or 'dec') page is the policy's cover sheet: who is insured, the policy period, the coverage limits, the premium, and any deductibles. Read it first — it tells you what you bought and how much of it, before you wade into the legal text.
Check one thing immediately: the policy period. Many coverage disputes are simply claims filed after the period ended.
Then read the exclusions — not the coverage
Counterintuitive but essential: every policy promises broadly in its insuring agreement and then takes back ground in its exclusions. The exclusions section is where coverage actually lives or dies.
Look for exclusions described in general terms ('arising out of', 'in connection with') — broad language there can swallow more than you expect. Also check for endorsements: add-on pages that modify the base policy, sometimes adding coverage and sometimes removing it. The endorsements override the body of the policy, so they win.
The conditions that trip people up
Claims are denied over conditions far more often than over coverage itself. Missing a notice deadline can void a perfectly valid claim.
- Notice requirements — how quickly you must report a claim, and in writing.
- Proof of loss — what documentation you owe, and by when.
- Duties after a loss — protecting property from further damage before the adjuster arrives.
- Cancellation and non-renewal — the grounds on which the insurer can end the policy.
How AI makes this practical
Upload the policy to the free summarizer to get a plain-language overview of what is covered, what is excluded, and the key conditions — in seconds instead of an evening.
The data extractor pulls the fields that matter into clean lines: policy number, period, limits, deductibles, premium. With an account, you can go further and ask direct questions of the document ('is water damage excluded?') and get answers drawn strictly from the policy text.
That turns a fifty-page policy into a checklist: verify the dec page, scan the exclusions, calendar the conditions.
When to involve a professional
AI gets you oriented; it does not replace a broker or attorney for high-stakes coverage questions. Use it to prepare: walk into the conversation already knowing where the exclusions are and what the policy says.