Insurance On Home Theater Hardware (1 Viewer)

[Stan T]

I'm not sure which forum to put this in so I'll post it here. I know alot of you have really nice home theater equipment. Does your regular home owner's or renter's insurance policy cover your equipment or do you have to get a special policy to cover your electronics? It seems most regular policies have a limit on the amount of electronic equipment that is covered. Can someone recommend a good insurance company that maybe specializes in electronic equipment coverage or doesn't have a limit on the amount covered for electronics?
Forgive me if this is posted in the wrong forum. I wasn't sure where to ask this question.

 

[Tim Hoover]

My homeowner's policy has a limit of $100K on interior possessions. I pay a little more so that is boosted to $150K and that will pay for the normal stuff (furniture, clothes, etc.) and still provide ample room for the HT and all my musical gear.
This is probably a "Well, duh!" statement, but I definitely suggest taking pictures of all your gear, writing the model and serial numbers on back, and giving them to your insurance agent. Of course, that is not a good idea if your agent is a known house thief

 

[Geoff L]

This is a touchy are. Be sure to ask a bazillion question.
Many do not replace equipment dollar for dollar with standard policys. That thing called, time equates to loss of value.
Some Insurance Companys find new replacements for you, [no check cut to you],if available and if not, because model no longer avail, they take ageing into thier equasion. Most of the time you take a screwing. So be carefull and ask lotsa questions. To be sure you come out of a bad situation ok, fire, theft, flood, etc ~ you may want to check into full replacement options.
Understand what your buying and how it works!
Happy hunting
Geoff

 

[Ted Lee]

I definitely suggest taking pictures of all your gear, writing the model and serial numbers on back...

in addition to that, i actually took my camcorder and took "live" pictures of all my gear. i have about 800 cds in my collection and wanted to be sure to include all that stuff too.
actually, i think i went room to room and just shot what was in each room. just another way to "prove" what i owned. i then gave the tape to my sister who, of course, lives in a different house. i figured it would be kind of silly if my proof burned up in a fire.

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You step in the stream,
But the water has moved on.
This page is not here.

 

[Chris S]

Geoff has a good point. Make sure you find out exactly how the company handles replacement issues. As for documenting my equipment I took pictures of all of my gear and uploaded them to my web server which is in California (I think). Chris
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Home Theater: http://www.hometheaterhost.com

 

[Eric Samonte]

Home owners insurance usually has a cap on this. Like the previous other post, just make sure the amount covers everything. As for proper documentation, if u've got an HT site, hey..that already documents everything right?
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Eric Samonte
Dito sa Pilipinas..may Hom Tiyeter rin kami!

 

[Marc S Kessler]

As far as I know, all home owners (renters) policies have a replacement value option. IMO it is money well spent. Most electronics and furniture depreciates very quickly and you'ld be very disappointed on how much you get on a claim.
If an ins. company doesn't offer replacement value I'ld go elsewhere.

 

[Jeremy Hegna]

Answering your question as to "which ones specialize?" I don't know if you'll find someone specifically for HT or high-end electronics....
However, I've had great luck with AllState. We do all of our business through them and have for 10 years (home, car, etc.). I did have to provide each serial number for my guns and appraisals for her jewelry, but as far as my HT gear...they said no problem. No need for Serial #s just be aware of the cap. I, too, have a $150,000 cap and it costs about $30/month. Not bad....$350/yr for peace of mind.
It is a good idea to have documentation of your belongings, but in a serious fire, earthquake, natural calamity...it may not be possible to retrieve your film or documentation.
This is my reason for going with one of the "big boys" (i.e. AllState, State Farm, Geico, etc.) instead of one of the cut-rate insurers with a ton of small print. If you've worked with a particular agent for a while, a trusting (or non-trusting) relationship should be established....if it's the latter...move on, IMO.
Jeremy

 

[John Morris]

I carry a special rider on my insurance which covers me only on all my computer equipment and electronics up to $60K. I don't think it costs all that much more over my other home owners, car and umbrella policy.
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Take Care,
merc
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DFAST, 5C, DVI, HDCP, SafeAudio, Macrovision and Lewinski!!!

 

[DanC]

I just had my home broken into and everything was taken. My insurance company (State Farm) had me got out to Circuit City and get a bill for all of my replacements and my insurance comapny just wrote me a check for the complete amount. It was a lot eaiser that way because I was able to get almost all of my shopping done in one place. I've never had any problems with State Farm before and this time was no different.