Glossary

Valuable papers and records

Property coverage for the cost of replacing or restoring irreplaceable documents, plans and records, normally under a small limit.

Also called: valuable papers coverage, valuable papers and records coverage, records reconstruction coverage

Valuable papers and records coverage pays the cost to replace or restore information on documents for which no duplicates exist: drawings, deeds, manuscripts, account books and similar records. In the ISO CP 00 10 form it is a coverage extension, and the most it pays to replace or restore the lost information is $2,500 at each described premises unless the declarations show a higher limit. The amount is additional insurance, not part of the building or contents limit.

Know what it does not do. It pays to recreate content, not the value of irreplaceable originals such as historical documents. It does not apply to records that exist as electronic data, which a separate provision and cyber policies address. Under the special form, the extension is limited to the specified causes of loss and collapse. And any sublimit this small can be consumed quickly: rebuilding a lost set of client files or project drawings takes staff hours well beyond $2,500.

Offices that hold their clients' papers, such as law firms, accountants, architects and medical practices, should raise the limit by endorsement and keep duplicates off site or in a backed-up cloud system, since a duplicate removes the exposure. Ask whether the policy pays the cost of research and re-creation, and for how much. The guide on commercial property insurance: what it covers and what it doesn't places this extension among the other property coverages, and extra expense covers the added cost of working around the loss.

Last reviewed October 10, 2026

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Related terms

Extra expense Property coverage for the added costs of staying open after a covered loss, such as a temporary location, rented equipment or overtime. Business income Property coverage that replaces net income and continuing operating expenses, including payroll, while a covered physical loss suspends operations. Sublimit A lower cap on what a policy pays for one coverage, peril or item, set beneath the policy's overall limit. Special form (open perils) A property causes-of-loss form covering direct physical loss from any cause not specifically excluded or limited, rather than only the perils it lists. Equipment breakdown Coverage for sudden damage to mechanical, electrical and pressure equipment such as HVAC units and boilers, plus the spoilage and income losses that follow.

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