Understanding Your School’s Property Schedule

Your property schedule is one of the most important—and often overlooked—documents in your insurance program. While it may look like a simple list of buildings, values, and locations, this schedule plays a critical role in how your coverage responds when a loss occurs.

For schools and districts, where campuses evolve constantly and replacement costs continue to rise, an inaccurate or outdated property schedule can lead to coverage gaps, delayed claims, or unexpected financial exposure. Understanding what your property schedule is, what it should include, and how often it should be reviewed is a key part of effective risk management.

What Is a Property Schedule?

A property schedule is a detailed inventory of the buildings and assets insured under your property policy. For schools, this typically includes:

• School campuses and instructional buildings

• Administration offices

• Gymnasiums, cafeterias, and auditoriums

• Portable classrooms

• Maintenance buildings and transportation facilities

• Specialized structures such as stadiums, field houses, and fine arts facilities

Each entry usually lists the building’s location, description, square footage, construction type, year built, roof type, roof age and insured value. This schedule is what your insurer relies on to determine premiums, establish limits, and respond appropriately when damage occurs.

Why Your Property Schedule Matters

When a loss happens—whether from hail, wind, fire, or water damage—your claim is adjusted based on what is listed in your property schedule. If something isn’t scheduled correctly, it may not be covered as expected.

Common issues we see include: 

• Buildings that were added but never reported

• Demolished or sold structures that remain on the schedule

• Values that no longer reflect today’s replacement costs

• Incorrect square footage or building descriptions

• Missing ancillary structures such as portables or storage buildings

• Vacant or temporarily unused buildings not properly identified

Even small inaccuracies can have big consequences when it comes time to file a claim.

The Impact of Inaccurate Values

One of the biggest risks tied to property schedules is undervaluation. Construction costs have increased significantly in recent years, and schools are not immune to those trends. If building values haven’t been updated to reflect current replacement costs, districts may face:

• Coinsurance penalties

• Insufficient limits to fully rebuild after a major loss

• Budget strain from unexpected out-of-pocket expenses

On the other hand, overvalued buildings can also be an issue, potentially leading to higher premiums without added benefit. 

When Should You Review Your Property Schedule?

Your property schedule should be reviewed at least annually, but additional reviews are recommended when changes occur, such as: 

• New construction or campus expansions

• Renovations or major upgrades

• Demolition or sale of buildings

• Changes in building use (e.g., storage converted to classrooms)

• Installation of high-value equipment or specialized facilities

• Relocating ancillary structures to different locations (such as portables)

Aligning your property schedule review with budgeting or capital planning cycles can help ensure accuracy and consistency across departments.

Who Should Be Involved?

Maintaining an accurate property schedule is not a one-person job. The most effective reviews involve collaboration between: 

• Business and finance offices

• Facilities and maintenance teams

• Risk management

• Your insurance and risk management advisor

Facilities teams often have the most up-to-date knowledge of building changes, while finance teams understand long-term planning and capital investments. Bringing these perspectives together helps ensure nothing is missed.

Questions to Ask About Your Property Schedule

 If you’re not sure where to start, consider asking:

• Are all buildings currently in use listed on our schedule?

• Do values reflect today’s construction and material costs?

• Are portables, auxiliary buildings, and specialty structures included?

• Have recent renovations been accounted for in the values?

• Does the schedule match what’s reported to insurers and risk pools?

 If the answer to any of these is “I’m not sure,” it’s likely time for a review.

The Bottom Line

Your property schedule is more than an administrative document—it’s the foundation of your property coverage. Taking the time to understand and regularly update it helps protect your district’s financial stability and ensures your insurance responds as intended when it matters most.

A proactive review today can prevent costly surprises tomorrow.