Insurance Self Coverage

There is a lot of misinformation today about consumer electronics and how it is treated by insurance companies. Most people I talk to think that if they have homeowners or renters insurance, their consumer electronics are covered.

But they usually find out that their assumptions aren’t true…at claims time.

Sure, some of the property is covered. But there are a bunch of limits and exclusions that will surprise you if you have a loss and file a claim.

Don’t wait until claim time to learn about this important coverage. Read this article carefully and make good decisions about your coverage.

Twenty years ago, consumer computer usage and ownership was not all that common. If you owned a cell phone, you carried it in a bag the size of a small purse. There were few home fax machines. Answering machines were pretty common, but voicemail was still on the horizon. Scanners were non-existent. Printers and copiers were huge and expensive, and you didn’t see them in most homes. If you were the rare person who had satellite TV, the dish was about eight feet across and sat out in the back yard. And Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs) and MP3 players had not been invented yet.

But today….

In our home we have:
o two desktop computers with monitors
o four laptop computers
o four printers
o one stand-alone fax machine
o one combination fax, scanner, copier
o three TVs
o two VCRs
o one digital video camera with tripod for our home recording studio
o one audio mixing board, one microphone, one amplifier, two external soundcards, and a 500GB hard drive, all for our home recording studio
o two DVD players
o two cell phones, one smartphone, each with voicemail
o one satellite TV system with a 24″ dish on the roof
o two Ipods

Your home may not have that amount of electronics, but then again, you might have more. The way that consumer electronics prices have tumbled over the years makes ownership much easier for more and more people.

But…is it covered? Does your homeowners or renters insurance cover your electronics?

We run three separate businesses out of our home. Most of our electronics are used in our businesses.

Do you have a home business? There are millions of home businesses…everything from home daycare to a service business to multilevel marketing businesses. Many times, those entrepreneurs own office electronics for their home business. Do you use your computers and other electronics for any kind of home business? Even if you’re answering office email on your home computer, it could be considered “business use.”

Are they covered by YOUR homeowners policy?

Are they covered if they are business-related?

What happens if your desktop or laptop computer is stolen, either from home or away from home? Is the theft covered by your homeowners insurance policy?

If you’re carrying your laptop through an airport anywhere in America, your laptop is at huge risk for theft. (See more below) What if your laptop is stolen while you’re in the airport?

Here is the answer to those questions…

MAYBE!!

In the Homeowners or Renters Policy, Coverage C, Contents, there are special limits of $2,500 for “property, on the residence premises, used primarily for business purposes.” The policy says there is a $500 limit for “property away from the residence premises used primarily for business purposes.” Of course, you will have a deductible to pay first, so if your deductible is $500 or more, you won’t get ANY money from the insurance company for this loss.

Are your personal electronics covered? Yes, but only for the following perils:

o Fire or lightning
o Windstorm or Hail
o Explosion
o Riot or Civil Commotion
o Aircraft (not in aircraft, but if aircraft fall on your stuff.)
o Vehicles (not in vehicles, but if vehicles crash into your stuff.)
o Smoke
o Vandalism or Malicious Mischief
o Theft
o Falling Objects (stuff falling onto your stuff)
o Weight of Ice, Snow or Sleet
o Accidental Discharge or Overflow of Water or Steam
o Sudden and Accidental Tearing Apart or Bursting (of a steam or hot water system).
o Freezing
o Sudden and Accidental Damage from an Artificially Generated Electrical Current
o Volcanic Eruption

As I said above, the policy limit for business electronics at the residence is $2,500.

If your laptop or other portable electronics are stolen from your car, there is no coverage under your Auto insurance for the theft.

Also remember, that under Coverage C, Contents, payment is made on an Actual Cash Value basis, not Replacement Cost Value. The only way to get RCV is to add the Contents Replacement Cost endorsement to your policy. It’s not automatic, you have to request it.

How about other kinds of damage that your computer might sustain?

o Accidental damage, such as dropped equipment, falls, liquid spills and auto collisions.
o Water damage

Those kinds of damages are not covered under your homeowners or renters policy.

And what about the software and sensitive data in your computer? Is that covered, too?

Not likely. In the Homeowners and Renters policies, under the “Property Not Covered” section, “business data, including data stored in computers and related equipment” is not covered.

So, to be fully covered, you’ll need to buy some additional coverage.

COMPUTER AND PERSONAL ELECTRONICS INSURANCE

The leading company in the world for computer and portable electronics insurance is Safeware Insurance. They have programs for students, individuals, small and large businesses and schools at very competitive rates.
Read the rest of this entry »