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📄 '''Causes of loss form''' is a standardized document, most commonly published by the [[Definition:Insurance Services Office (ISO) | Insurance Services Office (ISO)]], that specifies which perils are covered — and which are excluded — under a [[Definition:Commercial property insurance | commercial property insurance]] policy. Rather than embedding peril definitions directly in the policy declarations, insurers attach one of several causes of loss forms, each offering a different breadth of [[Definition:Coverage | coverage]]. The three principal ISO versions are the Basic Form, the Broad Form, and the Special Form, each progressively expanding the range of covered [[Definition:Cause of loss | causes of loss]].

📐 The Basic Form covers a limited list of specifically named perils such as fire, lightning, explosion, windstorm, hail, smoke, vandalism, and certain types of water damage. The Broad Form adds perils like falling objects, weight of snow or ice, and water damage from plumbing systems. The Special Form takes a fundamentally different approach: instead of listing what is covered, it covers all [[Definition:Cause of loss | causes of loss]] unless specifically excluded — effectively creating an [[Definition:All-risk policy | all-risk]] structure. [[Definition:Underwriting | Underwriters]] select the appropriate form based on the [[Definition:Risk | risk]] profile of the insured property, the [[Definition:Premium | premium]] the [[Definition:Policyholder | policyholder]] is willing to pay, and the carrier's own [[Definition:Underwriting guidelines | underwriting guidelines]]. Endorsements can further modify any form, adding back excluded perils or imposing [[Definition:Sublimit | sublimits]] and additional [[Definition:Deductible | deductibles]].

🧭 For anyone working in commercial [[Definition:Property insurance | property insurance]] — from brokers advising clients to [[Definition:Claims adjuster | adjusters]] evaluating losses — fluency in these forms is indispensable. The form attached to a policy often determines the outcome of a [[Definition:Coverage | coverage]] dispute more decisively than any other document, because it controls the [[Definition:Causation | causation]] analysis: if the peril is not within the form's grant, the claim does not proceed. Courts have built extensive case law around the interpretation of causes of loss form language, especially around exclusions for [[Definition:Flood insurance | flood]], earth movement, and ordinance or law. Standardization through ISO forms also creates consistency across the market, allowing [[Definition:Reinsurer | reinsurers]] and [[Definition:Rating agency | rating agencies]] to evaluate portfolios with a shared understanding of what each policy actually covers.

'''Related concepts:'''
{{Div col|colwidth=20em}}
* [[Definition:Cause of loss]]
* [[Definition:Insurance Services Office (ISO)]]
* [[Definition:Named-peril policy]]
* [[Definition:All-risk policy]]
* [[Definition:Commercial property insurance]]
* [[Definition:Policy endorsement]]
{{Div col end}}

Definition:Causes of loss form - Revision history

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