Insurance for your gear............

[Misfitlimp]

Sooooo Im looking to Insure all my gear. I did a quick search on here because I didnt want you guys to think I was just being lazy. I found a thread about it and it was very Informative. I have since had my gear Insured through my renters Insurance. Now my question is to you guys, Is there Insurance I can get for all my gear that would cover damage like drops and what not? Because as far as I know and the way my insurance guy explained it to me was that my renters insurance covered me at home and if I left I was also covered but heres the catch. Im only covered for theft. So if I happen to say have my camera on my boat and happen to drop it in the water and my gear incurs some damage, guess what? Im SOL. So if anyone knows of some kind of insurance I can get that would cover me id appreciate the help.
O and another question. would I have to have receipts for everything I own to get reimbursed? because some of my lenses have been purchased from craigslist and cash transactions usually dont come with receipts.

 

[Misfitlimp]

I know you guys got something!

 

[pbelarge]

Photograph all of your equipment and put it in a file that is safe.

 

[KmH]

Yes, you can get insurance that will cover your gear if you drop it or it gets damaged in some other way.

You can get insurance for just about anything, and any situation.

I'd say you need to find a insurance agent that knows what they are doing.

Oh, that type of insurance will cost you a couple of dollars more than you currently are paying.

 

[Mbnmac]

You may find the premium is high as it's for if YOU damage it, and of course, you could always decide 'hey I want some new gear' and "drop" it.

It should be automatically covered in the case of being stolen, keep proof of purchase, and take some quick pics of it

 

[KmH]

Record the serial numbers too, because you need that for the police report.

 

[NateS]

If you drop it in a pool...you never dropped it in a pool....you dropped it in your tub at home.

That work?

I'm actually kidding and don't condone dishonesty. I do agree that it would probably be high since they have no garuntee that you didn't damage it on purpose just to get it replaced. I'd be more worried about theft if I was you and just take precautions to prevent damaging it. I've never damaged mine because I'm always very careful with my equipment.

 

[Phranquey]

Ask your agent about a separate rider specifically for your photographic gear. I am not familiar with getting a rider with renter's insurance, but I have one with my home owner's.

Costs may vary, but I pay $181 annually for $15,000 worth of gear (roughly $12 per $1000 value), and it is covered no matter what happens to it.... dropped, drowned, run over, whatever.

 

[Overread]

I am no expert here but I have heard some bad things about getting riders for photography gear and some good things. One thing I have heard is to watch out on making claims side of things - because if you get a rider on (say) homeowners insurance and then make a claim on your DSLR gear (lets say you drop a 1K lens and it needs repairs) you suddenly have your overall premium on your whole home insurance go up because you've made a claim. Not only that but make several claims and suddenly you're blacklisted because you've claimed on your homeowners insurance (insurance companies don't like people who make claims ).

I've no direct experience so its something you want to check out and make sure that any claims in riders arn't going to start affecting your overall rates and also affect your overall claims history

 

[Misfitlimp]

All very Informative. I have been talking to my Insurance guy and he has been working on a policy that would cover me for liability and for damages for a business. All would be separate from my renters policy. It will be a little expensive but hopefully not to much. Ill keep you guys posted.