Insurance for Kit - Help (1 Viewer)

Evening all,

I wonder how the thousands of birders out there insure their kit so that if their car is broken into, they are mugged etc., they are covered. For many birders, kit comes to well over £1000 and currently my car contents insurance does not cover beyond this, whilst my house insurance, well, covers the items whilst they are under lock and key... Do I insure the items separately on a new policy, or pay premiums to extend house / car policies... Confusedly,

Ben

benmacdonald said:

Evening all,

I wonder how the thousands of birders out there insure their kit so that if their car is broken into, they are mugged etc., they are covered. For many birders, kit comes to well over £1000 and currently my car contents insurance does not cover beyond this, whilst my house insurance, well, covers the items whilst they are under lock and key... Do I insure the items separately on a new policy, or pay premiums to extend house / car policies... Confusedly,

Ben

Click to expand...

I have an all risks addition to my household policy for named items which provides cover away from the home. Not sure how much it adds to the policy tho'.

Perry

I think what you would need to do is to ask your insurance company what are the relative premiums for a 'stand alone' policy, or for extending your household/car contents policy. A phone call should do it.

Usually adding an all risks to a house contents policy is the cheapest option. I have always had this in my policy, and to be honest I thought all had it. There is usually an upper item value limit, and there may be an overall amount.
All risks means just that, accidental damage, loss, theft, anytime anywhere. Would also cover the better half's jewellery!

Sid

Agree with everyone else about adding it on as extra named items on your insurance, although some companies may not charge extra for this as they are under a certain amount.

About 10 years we were at Abernethy Forrest and our locked and alarmed car was broken into and our camera bag with all the contents about £900 [minus the 1 camera and bins we had with us were stolen]. Our car insurance only covered to £250 contents [fully comp as well] but thankfully Ian's employers had a travel insurance scheme which he paid into so we were able to claim everything on that. Ever since then we have put it on our house insurance so it is covered home and away.

I think that many people will have the idea that their fully comp car insurance will cover them, as in a lot of cases you are probably spending more on that than your house and contents insurance put together [we are]. It may add about £40 to your home insurance policy but it is worth it.

Just a tip before you ring the insurance write all the camera items ,make and price [even your binos]....make sure you remember them all though as it will be a cop out for them if you forget

Yep, household contents is the only way to do it. As to fully comp car insurance (they're the thieving b*stards really) it takes over 2 months just to get a settlement after an accident that wasn't even your fault....so for them to cough up for things in the car, pah! Travel insurance companies are even worse as they always bullsh*t you by hiding specifics in small print (ie £1500 personal effects in bold, but only £100 per item when you delve deeper, how useful!)....quick enough to take your money but giving it out is another matter!!

be your own insurance company, charge yourself 50$ a month and stick in a savings account

Be sure to check on your household policy what the stance is to goods being inside a car that is stolen.

My policy covers me for everything such as accidental damage, theft, theft from car etc. But when I checked the small print I was informed that I would not be covered if my goods were in the vehicle if the car was taken. apparently this can only be done if the item is insured separately or under your car insurance.

Thanks very much guys for all these useful replies. Going on the consensus, I will:
1- insure items on home contents
2 - either by naming them individually or covering them against all eventualities, including car break-ins and car theft, which is, after all, the most likely scenario for losing a scope and bins.

Ben

I have been 'risking it' for months now and (my camera gear and bins spend almost as much time in my car as they do at home), on the strength of this thread have just phoned my insurers (NFU).
For an annual increase of ~£50 on my buildings and contents insurance I have added Personal Belongings to a total of £5,000 with £1500 coverage of single items.

I'd suggest you get a separate stand alone personal article policy for your gear and do not place it as a rider on your home owner insurance policy or any other policy...why? This is for US residence...can't speak for other countries, but probably similar rules though. Just something to think about.

1. There's no deductible
2. If you ever make a claim for your gear, it goes against your house policy, which here in the US goes on your CLUE report for all insurance companies to see (they use this to rate you for insurance), which can make you a higher risk and cause your home owners insurance rates to increase, or not be renewed, or worse insurance companies don't want to touch you.

I'd suggest you really talk to your agent and don't believe nothing they say about coverage...only go buy what's in the policy terms and conditions...'cause most don't know all the terms.

I have a policy with State Farm separate from my household insurance at a rate of $1.20 per $100 of coverage. It covers everything but normal wear and tear.

Al