Renewal policy changes checklist for agencies

Published 16 October 2026. Updated 16 October 2026.

When a commercial renewal lands on your desk, the question is not whether the carrier changed something. It is where. This checklist groups the changes by type so you can work through a renewal in a fixed order and know you looked in the right places. Use it with whatever comparison method you prefer.

How to use this checklist

Go through the renewal once per category below. For every hit, write down what changed, the page in the expiring policy, the page in the renewal, and whether the client needs to be told. Anything you cannot read or cannot place goes on a separate list for a second look.

If you want a method for lining up the two documents first, see how to compare policy wording at renewal.

1. Added exclusions

An added exclusion takes away cover that the expiring policy gave. It can arrive as a new endorsement, as a new line in an existing exclusions list, or as a narrower exception to an existing exclusion.

• Is there a new endorsement on the forms schedule whose title contains "exclusion", "limitation" or "amendment"?
• Does any existing exclusion have a new sentence, or has an exception to it been deleted?
• Does the expiring policy contain any equivalent wording? An exclusion is new only when it is not in the expiring policy in some form.
• Which of the client's operations does the new exclusion touch?

Be careful about the word "added". A reworded exclusion that says the same thing is not a new exclusion. Read both sentences.

2. Removed exclusions and broadened cover

Not every change is bad news. A removed exclusion, a restored exception or a higher limit is worth telling the client about, partly because it is good news and partly because it may explain part of a premium increase.

• Is an endorsement on the expiring forms schedule missing from the renewal?
• Was an exclusion that appeared last year deleted?
• If an endorsement was removed, was the cover it gave built into the base form, or has the cover disappeared?

3. Limits and sub-limits

Limits live on the declarations page, but sub-limits often do not.

• Compare every limit line, and for each record whether it applies per occurrence, per claim or in the aggregate.
• Look inside new endorsements for sub-limits that cap a specific type of loss. These may not appear on the declarations page at all.
• Check whether each sub-limit is part of the main limit or in addition to it. The form that creates the sub-limit says which, often in words such as "part of, not in addition to", and forms differ.
• For property, compare the valuation basis for each location. A move from replacement cost to actual cash value changes what a claim pays.

4. Deductibles and retentions

A deductible change is easy to miss because the number may sit in a different place from last year.

• Compare each deductible figure and what it applies to: per claim, per occurrence, or a percentage of a value.
• Watch for a change of basis, such as a flat amount becoming a percentage. The two cannot be compared by looking at the numbers alone.
• Check for separate deductibles for specific perils or locations that did not exist before.

Write both the amount and the basis, for example "$500 per property damage claim" and not only "$500".

5. Conditions and endorsements

Conditions say what the insured must do for cover to respond. They are the quietest category.

• New notice requirements, such as a shorter window to report a loss or an incident.
• Coinsurance percentages, and any change to them.
• Protective safeguards or security requirements for premises.
• On a claims-made policy, compare the retroactive date and the extended reporting period wording. A retroactive date that moves later at renewal takes away cover for claims arising from events between the old and the new date.
• Cancellation and nonrenewal conditions, which are often changed by a state amendatory endorsement. Compare the state endorsements on both sides, not only the base condition.

6. Premium and fees

• Compute the premium difference in dollars and as a percentage of the expiring premium. Do not rely on the carrier's own summary figure.
• Check whether the premium includes taxes and fees in both documents, or only in one.
• Check whether the exposure basis changed (payroll, sales, values). A premium change can come from exposure rather than rate, and the client should hear which.

7. What you could not read

Close the checklist with the unreadable items:

• Scanned pages with no text layer.
• Forms referred to by number but not attached.
• Schedules that say "on file with the carrier".

Note them and chase them. A gap you listed is one you can close; a gap you did not notice stays open until a claim.

Quick reference

How RenewalRedline does this step

The six tags RenewalRedline uses match sections 1 to 6 of this checklist: added exclusion, removed exclusion, limit or sub-limit change, deductible change, condition or endorsement change, and premium change. You upload the expiring policy and the renewal, and code lists which forms were added, removed, edited or unchanged by form number. An AI model reads the passages that differ and lists each change under a tag, quoted with its page in both documents, or marked as absent from one of them. Code checks each quote against its page and computes figure differences, such as the premium change in dollars and as a percentage.

Pages with no readable text are listed as not read, with their page numbers, because RenewalRedline does not read scanned pages yet. Those you check yourself, as in section 7. A second, stronger AI model reviews every result, fixes what it can, and lists what is left for you to decide. Results are model output checked by code and by a second model; they are not verified by a person. Read each change against its citation. It is a comparison aid, not legal advice or a coverage opinion.

A renewal is 25 credits, with no subscription. Sign up to run your next renewal through it.

Questions

Which renewal changes are easiest to miss?

Changes that sit outside the declarations page: a sub-limit inside an endorsement, a narrowed definition, or a new condition. The declarations figures tend to get checked first, so the quiet changes survive.

Does a lower premium mean the coverage is the same?

No. A premium can fall because coverage narrowed, a deductible rose or a limit dropped. Compare the wording and the figures before reading anything into the price movement.

Do I need to check changes the client asked for?

Yes, briefly. Confirm the renewal reflects the change as requested, and that nothing else moved with it. A requested limit increase can arrive with a new condition attached.