camera insurance

Check with your home insurance policy, mine is covered all risks in and out of the house
 
Home insurance here too!

My household policy is far from the cheapest but my camera gear is covered "All Risks" so long as it does not leave planet Earth.

My kit is quite valuable so the "Camera" insurers will only give me Professional insurance at over £600, whereas my house insurance covers me for all my gear at rather less than £500 - oh yes my house and contents are covered too!
 
johnf3f said:
Home insurance here too!

My household policy is far from the cheapest but my camera gear is covered "All Risks" so long as it does not leave planet Earth.

My kit is quite valuable so the "Camera" insurers will only give me Professional insurance at over £600, whereas my house insurance covers me for all my gear at rather less than £500 - oh yes my house and contents are covered too!
Click to expand...

Does it cover commercial use?
 
I know its not the most efficient way but I prefer separate insurances. My thinking is if I have to claim for 10K worth of camera gear on my camera insurance it shouldn't affect my home premium, Or vice versa.
 
seriosuly? do you people cover 8 thosuand pounds worth of camera gear on home insurance for breakages and stealing away from the house ?
 
mattyg said:
I know its not the most efficient way but I prefer separate insurances. My thinking is if I have to claim for 10K worth of camera gear on my camera insurance it shouldn't affect my home premium, Or vice versa.
Click to expand...

Unfortunately, that isn't always the case. (not disagreeing with you about having the right cover for yourself though)
 
KIPAX said:
seriosuly? do you people cover 8 thosuand pounds worth of camera gear on home insurance for breakages and stealing away from the house ?
Click to expand...

Why not, if it covers what you need?
 
KIPAX said:
seriosuly? do you people cover 8 thosuand pounds worth of camera gear on home insurance for breakages and stealing away from the house ?
Click to expand...


No I cover up to £25K + of camera gear via my house insurance for damage/theft etc.
 
Most home insurance requires specific items over a certain value to be listed separately and there can be a limit on the value of any one valuable item. Also would home insurers cover equipment for professional use? I prefer to use Photoguard.
 
When I asked a couple of insurers regarding covering gear on house hold insurance the same question was asked, any single item over X amount (think X was 2000 or 2500) so as soon as I said yes they were either unable to quote of the insurance went up a significant amount which meant I would not save anything over dedicated camera insurance with all its perks.
 
johnf3f said:
No I cover up to £25K + of camera gear via my house insurance for damage/theft etc.
Click to expand...

so if you took 25k of gear out and it all got nicked or stolen from your car or stolen while on site somewhere accross the country.. you could claim on your housee insurance for 25k of equipment....

you may want to read the small print :)
 
KIPAX said:
so if you took 25k of gear out and it all got nicked or stolen from your car or stolen while on site somewhere accross the country.. you could claim on your housee insurance for 25k of equipment....

you may want to read the small print :)
Click to expand...

Yup! It is also covered when I am on holiday abroad for up to 60 days a year. Naturally some destinations are not covered - but they are not advisable for me either!

I had to list my 1DX, 300 F2.8 L IS and 800 F5.6 L IS but they were not interested in the rest of my gear, just the total value of what I might take.

This is far from the cheapest home insurance policy I could have got but it was cheaper than any other camera insurance (for non professional use) and covered my house and contents as well. So it was a choice of £600+ to cover my camera gear (amateur made no difference due to value) or rather less for house and contents (unlimited) as well - note there is a £250 excess. Bit of a no brainer really?

P.S. Sorry I should have said that I am insured for replacement cost not "New for old".
 
Last edited:
Aaduki are good. Had a chat with them at the Photo Show in Birmingham and they offer both New for Old or Replacement policies.
Worth looking into if you want to keep your policy separate from your home insurance.
 
KIPAX said:
Why not indeed... however methinks you missed the point :)
Click to expand...

I have 'unlimited' new for old cover for contents on my household insurance, including accidental damage and loss.

There are some restrictions though, which is what I am assuming you are referring to:
  • No single item of > £15,000 unless specifically named on the insurance schedule.
  • Covered worldwide providing that the items are normally stored at the home address, and have not been out of said address for more that 60 consecutive days - So no holidays longer than 2 months!
both of which are just fine for me, now for the ones that do matter...
  • Theft from unattended vehicle is limited to £5000; there are no conditions on how the items are stored, other than the vehicle being locked and the items out of sight (a previous company required them to be in a separate lockable area not accessible from the passenger compartment - a bit of a bugger with a hatchback!), but clearly £5000 is a lot lower than unlimited. Again not a problem for me since moving from Canon to Fuji, but something to be aware of.
  • Loss of unattended baggage of £10,000 - this is an odd one and I queried it at the time of renewal. Accidental loss is unlimited, but not unattended baggage.
I quote here:

This provides cover for items which have been accidentally lost. We define an accident as something which happens suddenly, and which is unexpected and unintentional – such as having your wedding ring slip off your finger, losing an earring from your ear or leaving a bag on a train that cannot be recovered.

Worldwide cover is unlimited, with the exception of unattended bags and luggage away from home which are covered up to £10,000.
Click to expand...

I ran through some scenarios - and the gist of it being if you intentionally leave bags unattended - the limit is £10K; if you forget a bag, leave it at a restaurant or on a train for example, it's accidental loss.

Business use is also excluded (apart from home office activities, which are clerical / admin in nature).

So, in my circumstances home insurance is perfectly fine - I just have to work within it's limits which is not to onerous for me. If I'm out and about, I can leave a a few lenses / spare body in the car boot, and carry the rest etc, but as you suggest - the devil is in the detail.
 
Simon Kitt said:
Aaduki are good. Had a chat with them at the Photo Show in Birmingham and they offer both New for Old or Replacement policies.
Worth looking into if you want to keep your policy separate from your home insurance.
Click to expand...

I have been with Aaduki for the past 3 years. The cover is all encompassing (well for me it is) and is very competitively priced. I've yet to make a claim (and hope I don't have to) but from my contact with them they seem very efficient and I have seen no reason to change. It's a big [emoji106] from me![emoji16]

Andy
 
Furtim said:
I have 'unlimited' new for old cover for contents on my household insurance, including accidental damage and loss......
Click to expand...
That sounds like a pretty good policy. Certainly much better than mine. I'm sure I'm not the only one here who would like to know who it's with, if you don't mind saying...?
 
StewartR said:
That sounds like a pretty good policy. Certainly much better than mine. I'm sure I'm not the only one here who would like to know who it's with, if you don't mind saying...?
Click to expand...

It's with Hiscox; just their standard buildings and contents policy I think.
 
Has anybody had dealings with Photoguard? their deal seems reasonable.
 
Aaduki for me. Very reasonable comprehensive cover for my entire kit and MacBook. Try to go for a pro policy too, as they have cheaper premiums than those for hobbyists :cool:
 
I am researching into this at the moment as I want to get my gear properly covered, separately to the house insurance. I have been recommended Photoguard and seen decent reviews for Adduki too. Anyone else got any other recommendations of where we should look for insurance, and also specifically any experience about claims you have made with such companies and how they went?
 
MalcolmF said:
Has anybody had dealings with Photoguard? their deal seems reasonable
Click to expand...
antc said:
and also specifically any experience about claims you have made
Click to expand...
As I said above, I use Photoguard for some years and have made one claim for accidental damage in that time. The claim was settled in as long as it took to get the paperwork submitted and verified.
All insurance firms may seem great, but the proof is when it comes to making a claim!
 
When I made claim for my flash that melted, I simply sent the form, the receipt (proof of purchase), photo of the damage, and my invoice from Canon for the repair.

I had already fixed it when i claimed. I got the money back minus the excess, which was like £50 or something.
 
If I have say a Canon 5Dii and new for old cover, if the camera gets stolen would the insurers replace it with a 5D iii as they are still available? What about 1D ii replacement?
 
Archie747 said:
If I have say a Canon 5Dii and new for old cover, if the camera gets stolen would the insurers replace it with a 5D iii as they are still available? What about 1D ii replacement?
Click to expand...
Ask your insurer. But if it really is a new-for-old policy with nothing in the small print restricting the age of the old equipment or the upgrade price differential, then off the top of my head I'd expect them to go for a 5D III and a 1D X II.
 
Archie747 said:
If I have say a Canon 5Dii and new for old cover, if the camera gets stolen would the insurers replace it with a 5D iii as they are still available? What about 1D ii replacement?
Click to expand...
I once claimed for a netbook under new for old, and I had to pay the difference between the new version and the old. Stands to sense, since a fundamental principle of insurance is that you cannot benefit from a loss, only expect like for like in cash value.
 
BrynBoru said:
I once claimed for a netbook under new for old, and I had to pay the difference between the new version and the old. Stands to sense, since a fundamental principle of insurance is that you cannot benefit from a loss, only expect like for like in cash value.
Click to expand...

That doesn't seem to be new for old. Stewart mentions a replacement for a 5Dii is likely to be a 5Diii.

This means you get an equivalent camera equivalent camera in today's terms but it is a better camera, at least to most people. You could argue that an equivalent camera to the 5Dii is something with the same specs which would not be a 5Diii.

As most insurance policies are open to interpretation, I expect this is one reason why you cannot tell how good your insurer is until something goes wrong.

I currently insure my camera equipment under my home insurance which is due for renewal very shortly. I am tempted to get specific camera insurance, not yet convinced.
 
Archie747 said:
That doesn't seem to be new for old. Stewart mentions a replacement for a 5Dii is likely to be a 5Diii. .
Click to expand...

Sorry, it is old for new and it is all about cash value. Don't think I didn't question it at the time. And don't imagine they haven't covered it in the small print.
PS This was a home policy, not my present Photoguard.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
BrynBoru said:
Sorry, it is old for new and it is all about cash value. Don't think I didn't question it at the time. And don't imagine they haven't covered it in the small print.
PS This was a home policy, not my present Photoguard.
Click to expand...

I don't doubt you questioned it, just goes to show that some insurers are better than others. To me current cash value should not be a factor in respect of a new for old claim.
 
StewartR said:
Ask your insurer. But if it really is a new-for-old policy with nothing in the small print restricting the age of the old equipment or the upgrade price differential, then off the top of my head I'd expect them to go for a 5D III and a 1D X II.
Click to expand...

BrynBoru said:
I once claimed for a netbook under new for old, and I had to pay the difference between the new version and the old. Stands to sense, since a fundamental principle of insurance is that you cannot benefit from a loss, only expect like for like in cash value.
Click to expand...
These aren't necessarily contrary points.
A new and improved netbook may well have been much more expensive than the model it was replacing, but generally a next generation camera is the same price or a little cheaper. I certainly got a fair value on my only ever claim (unfortunately the old camera was discontinued so I couldn't do a 'new' version).

As I'm sure Stewart has, I've spoken to insurers to have this confirmed. Including pro insurance that covered new for old even if the old was S/H. I understand that insurance isn't supposed to benefit you, but nor should it inconvenience you. If I needed a bust 70-200 replacing, then the new one is worth a lot more than my ancient example, but that's what 'new for old' means.
 
Furtim said:
It's with Hiscox; just their standard buildings and contents policy I think.
Click to expand...
That's who I have my home insurance with and the terms you quote are what they explained to me.

I never sell photographs, if anyone wants one that I've taken I'll email the file for free if I like them, to ensure I comply with the "no commercial use" requirement. I know others are less scrupulous and try to argue that since it's not their full time job, just a hobby income, that it's not commercial use, but I wouldn't take that risk for several thousand pounds worth of kit.
 
Im currently covered on my home insurance, new for old, accidental damage, limit of £6k out of the house, £250 excess, any item more than £1500 must be notified to them. Ive never had to claim, but I do wonder whether I might be better with a dedicated policy for it. I dont know how much my current cover costs as Ive always had it with this policy so cant compare to a time without it, but I suspect that a dedicated policy with someone like photoguard might be more than my entire household policy. This makes me wonder how my household company can do it so cheaply and if I've missed something important :confused:
 
Madmoggy said:
Im currently covered on my home insurance, new for old, accidental damage, limit of £6k out of the house, £250 excess, any item more than £1500 must be notified to them. Ive never had to claim, but I do wonder whether I might be better with a dedicated policy for it. I dont know how much my current cover costs as Ive always had it with this policy so cant compare to a time without it, but I suspect that a dedicated policy with someone like photoguard might be more than my entire household policy. This makes me wonder how my household company can do it so cheaply and if I've missed something important :confused:
Click to expand...

Specialist insurance always costs more, it appeals to some people who like the reassurance that they're insured by people who 'understand' them, but in reality, your camera is no more at risk than your laptop or jewellery. It's just 'stuff' most people carry about.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top