Photography gear insurance suggestions!!

**dneira29** · 07-08-2021, 10:12 AM

Just a question. Does anyone have any experience with photography gear insurance? Any insight and recommendations would be much appreciated. As someone who travels a lot I would really like it if anyone could offer me any help oriented in that aspect! Thanksss!!!

**BarryE** · 07-08-2021, 12:14 PM

The UK is probably different, but the following concept is probably true: I stupidly insured my gear for All Risks at a price, say 10,000. It was expensive. The next year I got a much cheaper deal from the same insurer, because I insured for 3,000 All Risks and a total of 10,000. I reasoned I'd never take everything out of the house, so set the insurance up differently - 10,000 overall, but a limit of 3,000 when out of the house.

**ramseybuckeye** · 07-08-2021, 12:48 PM

Originally posted by dneira29

Just a question. Does anyone have any experience with photography gear insurance? Any insight and recommendations would be much appreciated. As someone who travels a lot I would really like it if anyone could offer me any help oriented in that aspect! Thanksss!!!

You can get a rider on homeowners insurance, check with your agent.

**Mooncatt** · 07-08-2021, 12:51 PM

I'm in the U.S. and insure mine as an additional rider (I think my company technically calls it "specified coverage") on my home owners insurance. This covers my gear away from home, including something catastrophic like someone stealing my bag with all my gear in it. I had to submit photos of anything to be insured and set the insured amount, which then determine my monthly rate. Going through home owners insurance is dirt cheap compared to third party companies like Squaretrade and Asurion.

If you are running a photography business, then you'll need to have separate, business use, policies. That can be a whole other can of worms to get into, but I will say that home owners insurance will not cover something if it's being used in a business.

Last edited by Mooncatt; 07-08-2021 at 12:56 PM.

**BarryE** · 07-08-2021, 01:19 PM

Originally posted by Mooncatt

If you are running a photography business, then you'll need to have separate, business use, policies. That can be a whole other can of worms to get into ...

Too true. What's a business? One definition I heard when I asked my home insurance a few years back was, "if you sell anything". So I asked, "what even in a camera club photo exhibition?" They said "yes". "Even at a charitable event?" Again, "yes". I then asked, "what if I declare some of my equipment as 'professional' and some 'personal'. Is this possible?". Answer, "no". I got various similar responses to this from other insurers. So I gave up and decided to insure all my equipment separately. (I then started actually selling, so the question became irrelevant). However, if I stop the occasional sale/commission,I now get I'll be back where I was, as I'll probably still have a website and I'll have to convince any home insurer that I'm now totally amateur. It's indeed a can of worms ...

**aslyfox** · 07-08-2021, 02:02 PM

contact your insurance company and ask what coverage you have under your home owner/rental and auto coverages and, as mentioned before, ask this type of additional coverage

Quote:

A personal property rider is an amendment, or addition, providing you with additional coverage for your policy. When you purchase a homeowners insurance or renters insurance policy, it’s with the understanding that your possessions are covered — so, when and why would you need additional coverage?
Personal property riders: improve your homeowners ...

Personal property riders: improve your homeowners insurance | Clearsurance

also consider listing your gear with Lenstag.com

Quote:

What is Lenstag?
Lenstag is a project with three main goals:
Prevent the resale of stolen cameras, lenses & video equipment.
Significantly reduce the risk of theft.
Maintain the privacy of users and allow pseudonymous ownership.

How much does it cost?
It's free.

How does it work?
Lenstag works like this:
Sign up & add your cameras, lenses & video equipment to your account. It's free!
Verify that you're in possession of each item by uploading a picture from your phone or computer of each item's serial number or something else that shows you own each item (warranty card, etc.).
If an item gets stolen, immediately flag it as such and we'll create a public page to help you get it back.
Bonus feature: if you sell or give an item to someone else, you can transfer the record to them using Lenstag and save the next person from having to re-verify.

Why should I register my gear before it gets stolen?
The first few hours after a theft are absolutely critical to getting the word out & preventing resale of the stolen gear. If your gear is already registered, then you just have to sign in & flag the items as stolen (and optionally provide additional information).

If you wait until after your gear is stolen, you'll have to add the gear, verify it with something else other than a picture of the serial number and wait a day or two for someone at Lenstag to approve the verification request. By then the gear has probably been pawned or sold and the chances of successful recovery are substantially lower. . .

Lenstag - Free theft protection and monitoring for cameras, lenses and video equipment

[ Lenstag is not an insurance company ]

**DWS1** · 07-08-2021, 05:37 PM

My homeowners policy covers personal property away from home as if it was at my home against theft, fire, vandalism, acts of God, etc. It does not cover accidental damage.

**dneira29** · 07-08-2021, 10:16 PM

Originally posted by DWS1

My homeowners policy covers personal property away from home as if it was at my home against theft, fire, vandalism, acts of God, etc. It does not cover accidental damage.

Awesome! Definitely will look into that. Dont own a home yet but will quote these places anyway haha

**Mooncatt** · 07-09-2021, 12:24 AM

Originally posted by dneira29

Awesome! Definitely will look into that. Dont own a home yet but will quote these places anyway haha

If you rent and have renters insurance, it can go on that as well.

**GeeEmm** · 07-09-2021, 03:20 AM

Originally posted by DWS1

My homeowners policy covers personal property away from home as if it was at my home against theft, fire, vandalism, acts of God, etc. It does not cover accidental damage.

Here (in Oz) I list all my camera gear as 'specified portable valuables' in my home contents policy, and am fully covered inside and outside the home. My gear resides in my camera bag, and it is possible that this could be lost or damaged causing a claim for one body and four or five lenses, never mind dropping the K1 plus lens off a boat or some such. I must ask next time I renew how much of my premium is attributable to this coverage, but when I just added my 31Ltd it was only a few bucks for the remaining 9 months of the policy.

**aslyfox** · 07-09-2021, 05:55 AM

Originally posted by BarryE

Too true. What's a business? One definition I heard when I asked my home insurance a few years back was, "if you sell anything". So I asked, "what even in a camera club photo exhibition?" They said "yes". "Even at a charitable event?" Again, "yes". I then asked, "what if I declare some of my equipment as 'professional' and some 'personal'. Is this possible?". Answer, "no". I got various similar responses to this from other insurers. So I gave up and decided to insure all my equipment separately. (I then started actually selling, so the question became irrelevant). However, if I stop the occasional sale/commission,I now get I'll be back where I was, as I'll probably still have a website and I'll have to convince any home insurer that I'm now totally amateur. It's indeed a can of worms ...

never rely on what the sales person - the insurance agent says about coverage

read the contract - the policy - the terms of the policy controls not the words of the sales person

**Mooncatt** · 07-09-2021, 10:13 AM - **2 Likes**

Originally posted by aslyfox

never rely on what the sales person - the insurance agent says about coverage

read the contract - the policy - the terms of the policy controls not the words of the sales person

Even still, business insurance can be quite specific. For example, my home owner's policy is a blanket coverage for everything. For a business, you could have multiple coverages that you have to specifically sign on to. Loss coverage, theft coverage, accident coverage, client damage coverage, your own liability coverage (I.e. If you cause a client to be injure at a shoot), etc. I haven't looked at photography specific business insurances, but I have learned some about it in general as it relates to my job, and basically you need the attitude of take nothing for granted. If you want a certain situation covered, you have to get that itemized in the business policy.

**WideVistas490** · 07-11-2021, 02:15 PM

My camera gear is covered by a "valuable articles rider" on my homeowners insurance. I provided written details for each item and may have had to provide a copy of a sales receipt or other proof of value. The items are insured for their claimed initial value (original purchase price or perhaps appraisal) and the amount of coverage doesn't change each year - - it's not adjusted for inflation or depreciation.

**GeeEmm** · 07-11-2021, 05:19 PM

One of the issues not mentioned here is the size of the excess. In my case it is $500, which means that I have to have a fairly big claim to make it worthwhile, especially since after making a claim the premium for renewal will increase. I could make the excess bigger, that would reduce the premium, and dropping it will make the premium increase, it is a balancing act. For me it is mainly disaster insurance, meaning I would have to lose/destroy the camera and say one of my DFA lenses before I would claim - in AUD terms a loss of $4-5k.. Below that threshold the choice to claim or not would become more difficult.

07-08-2021, 10:12 AM	#1
dneira29 Site Supporter Join Date: Oct 2020 Posts: 535	Photography gear insurance suggestions!! Just a question. Does anyone have any experience with photography gear insurance? Any insight and recommendations would be much appreciated. As someone who travels a lot I would really like it if anyone could offer me any help oriented in that aspect! Thanksss!!!

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07-08-2021, 12:14 PM	#2
BarryE Site Supporter Join Date: Jan 2013 Location: Hampshire, UK Posts: 1,653	The UK is probably different, but the following concept is probably true: I stupidly insured my gear for All Risks at a price, say 10,000. It was expensive. The next year I got a much cheaper deal from the same insurer, because I insured for 3,000 All Risks and a total of 10,000. I reasoned I'd never take everything out of the house, so set the insurance up differently - 10,000 overall, but a limit of 3,000 when out of the house.

07-08-2021, 12:48 PM	#3
ramseybuckeye Site Supporter Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Hampstead, NC Photos: Gallery Posts: 17,292	Originally posted by dneira29 Just a question. Does anyone have any experience with photography gear insurance? Any insight and recommendations would be much appreciated. As someone who travels a lot I would really like it if anyone could offer me any help oriented in that aspect! Thanksss!!! You can get a rider on homeowners insurance, check with your agent.

07-08-2021, 12:51 PM	#4
Mooncatt Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: May 2020 Location: Wisconsin Photos: Gallery Posts: 1,372	I'm in the U.S. and insure mine as an additional rider (I think my company technically calls it "specified coverage") on my home owners insurance. This covers my gear away from home, including something catastrophic like someone stealing my bag with all my gear in it. I had to submit photos of anything to be insured and set the insured amount, which then determine my monthly rate. Going through home owners insurance is dirt cheap compared to third party companies like Squaretrade and Asurion. If you are running a photography business, then you'll need to have separate, business use, policies. That can be a whole other can of worms to get into, but I will say that home owners insurance will not cover something if it's being used in a business. Last edited by Mooncatt; 07-08-2021 at 12:56 PM.

07-08-2021, 01:19 PM	#5
BarryE Site Supporter Join Date: Jan 2013 Location: Hampshire, UK Posts: 1,653	Originally posted by Mooncatt If you are running a photography business, then you'll need to have separate, business use, policies. That can be a whole other can of worms to get into ... Too true. What's a business? One definition I heard when I asked my home insurance a few years back was, "if you sell anything". So I asked, "what even in a camera club photo exhibition?" They said "yes". "Even at a charitable event?" Again, "yes". I then asked, "what if I declare some of my equipment as 'professional' and some 'personal'. Is this possible?". Answer, "no". I got various similar responses to this from other insurers. So I gave up and decided to insure all my equipment separately. (I then started actually selling, so the question became irrelevant). However, if I stop the occasional sale/commission,I now get I'll be back where I was, as I'll probably still have a website and I'll have to convince any home insurer that I'm now totally amateur. It's indeed a can of worms ...

07-08-2021, 02:02 PM	#6
aslyfox Seeker of Knowledge Join Date: Aug 2016 Location: Topeka, Kansas Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 24,581	contact your insurance company and ask what coverage you have under your home owner/rental and auto coverages and, as mentioned before, ask this type of additional coverage Quote: A personal property rider is an amendment, or addition, providing you with additional coverage for your policy. When you purchase a homeowners insurance or renters insurance policy, it’s with the understanding that your possessions are covered — so, when and why would you need additional coverage? Personal property riders: improve your homeowners ... Personal property riders: improve your homeowners insurance \| Clearsurance also consider listing your gear with Lenstag.com Quote: What is Lenstag? Lenstag is a project with three main goals: Prevent the resale of stolen cameras, lenses & video equipment. Significantly reduce the risk of theft. Maintain the privacy of users and allow pseudonymous ownership. How much does it cost? It's free. How does it work? Lenstag works like this: Sign up & add your cameras, lenses & video equipment to your account. It's free! Verify that you're in possession of each item by uploading a picture from your phone or computer of each item's serial number or something else that shows you own each item (warranty card, etc.). If an item gets stolen, immediately flag it as such and we'll create a public page to help you get it back. Bonus feature: if you sell or give an item to someone else, you can transfer the record to them using Lenstag and save the next person from having to re-verify. Why should I register my gear before it gets stolen? The first few hours after a theft are absolutely critical to getting the word out & preventing resale of the stolen gear. If your gear is already registered, then you just have to sign in & flag the items as stolen (and optionally provide additional information). If you wait until after your gear is stolen, you'll have to add the gear, verify it with something else other than a picture of the serial number and wait a day or two for someone at Lenstag to approve the verification request. By then the gear has probably been pawned or sold and the chances of successful recovery are substantially lower. . . Lenstag - Free theft protection and monitoring for cameras, lenses and video equipment [ Lenstag is not an insurance company ]

07-08-2021, 05:37 PM	#7
DWS1 Site Supporter Join Date: Aug 2018 Location: Arkansas, USA Posts: 1,169	My homeowners policy covers personal property away from home as if it was at my home against theft, fire, vandalism, acts of God, etc. It does not cover accidental damage.

07-08-2021, 10:16 PM	#8
dneira29 Site Supporter Join Date: Oct 2020 Posts: 535 Original Poster	Originally posted by DWS1 My homeowners policy covers personal property away from home as if it was at my home against theft, fire, vandalism, acts of God, etc. It does not cover accidental damage. Awesome! Definitely will look into that. Dont own a home yet but will quote these places anyway haha

07-09-2021, 12:24 AM	#9
Mooncatt Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: May 2020 Location: Wisconsin Photos: Gallery Posts: 1,372	Originally posted by dneira29 Awesome! Definitely will look into that. Dont own a home yet but will quote these places anyway haha If you rent and have renters insurance, it can go on that as well.

07-09-2021, 03:20 AM	#10
GeeEmm Site Supporter Join Date: May 2010 Location: Canberra Posts: 232	Originally posted by DWS1 My homeowners policy covers personal property away from home as if it was at my home against theft, fire, vandalism, acts of God, etc. It does not cover accidental damage. Here (in Oz) I list all my camera gear as 'specified portable valuables' in my home contents policy, and am fully covered inside and outside the home. My gear resides in my camera bag, and it is possible that this could be lost or damaged causing a claim for one body and four or five lenses, never mind dropping the K1 plus lens off a boat or some such. I must ask next time I renew how much of my premium is attributable to this coverage, but when I just added my 31Ltd it was only a few bucks for the remaining 9 months of the policy.

07-09-2021, 05:55 AM	#11
aslyfox Seeker of Knowledge Join Date: Aug 2016 Location: Topeka, Kansas Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 24,581	Originally posted by BarryE Too true. What's a business? One definition I heard when I asked my home insurance a few years back was, "if you sell anything". So I asked, "what even in a camera club photo exhibition?" They said "yes". "Even at a charitable event?" Again, "yes". I then asked, "what if I declare some of my equipment as 'professional' and some 'personal'. Is this possible?". Answer, "no". I got various similar responses to this from other insurers. So I gave up and decided to insure all my equipment separately. (I then started actually selling, so the question became irrelevant). However, if I stop the occasional sale/commission,I now get I'll be back where I was, as I'll probably still have a website and I'll have to convince any home insurer that I'm now totally amateur. It's indeed a can of worms ... never rely on what the sales person - the insurance agent says about coverage read the contract - the policy - the terms of the policy controls not the words of the sales person

07-09-2021, 10:13 AM - 2 Likes	#12
Mooncatt Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: May 2020 Location: Wisconsin Photos: Gallery Posts: 1,372	Originally posted by aslyfox never rely on what the sales person - the insurance agent says about coverage read the contract - the policy - the terms of the policy controls not the words of the sales person Even still, business insurance can be quite specific. For example, my home owner's policy is a blanket coverage for everything. For a business, you could have multiple coverages that you have to specifically sign on to. Loss coverage, theft coverage, accident coverage, client damage coverage, your own liability coverage (I.e. If you cause a client to be injure at a shoot), etc. I haven't looked at photography specific business insurances, but I have learned some about it in general as it relates to my job, and basically you need the attitude of take nothing for granted. If you want a certain situation covered, you have to get that itemized in the business policy.

07-11-2021, 02:15 PM	#13
WideVistas490 Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Nov 2016 Posts: 18	My camera gear is covered by a "valuable articles rider" on my homeowners insurance. I provided written details for each item and may have had to provide a copy of a sales receipt or other proof of value. The items are insured for their claimed initial value (original purchase price or perhaps appraisal) and the amount of coverage doesn't change each year - - it's not adjusted for inflation or depreciation.

07-11-2021, 05:19 PM	#14
GeeEmm Site Supporter Join Date: May 2010 Location: Canberra Posts: 232	One of the issues not mentioned here is the size of the excess. In my case it is $500, which means that I have to have a fairly big claim to make it worthwhile, especially since after making a claim the premium for renewal will increase. I could make the excess bigger, that would reduce the premium, and dropping it will make the premium increase, it is a balancing act. For me it is mainly disaster insurance, meaning I would have to lose/destroy the camera and say one of my DFA lenses before I would claim - in AUD terms a loss of $4-5k.. Below that threshold the choice to claim or not would become more difficult.