Holiday insurance for camera gear, do you use household ins or does anyone know of a company that will provide cover just for the holiday trip?
Cheers
Tim
Pic of exuvia, would have been good to get the damsel emerging on the back of the dragon.
Posted by Paul Hillion on June 27, 2007 at 5:28 AM
For my last trip (which was most of last year so not your normal 2 week holiday) I used Photoguard, it proved very expensive and so now I have all my equipment added to my house insurance - much cheaper! It's covered for any eventuality home or away, cost me an extra £50 to list all my equipment, all I had to do was specify any items that were worth over 2K.
It is all well and good having your eqiupment on your home insurance however IF you do have to make a claim and IF your insurance company has any reason to suspect that you do use your equipment AT ANY TIME for professional purposes (i.e. you make money from it) then they may well have the right to decline a claim.
There was a recent case of someone who lost or damaged equipment (I can't recall which) that was insured on their household policy. However, the insurance company found out that they marketed themselves via their own website (i.e. sold prints or whatever) and therefore successfully claimed that their client was a professional photographer and this invalidated their insurance cover.
Great photo by the way Tim although your website looks a bit "squiffy" on a widescreen monitor
I would be very careful if you are tempted to go down the home insurance route.
I did exactly this a few years ago. I listed all of my gear providing serial numbers, receipts and paid a hefty additional premium to cover me at home,outside the home, on holiday and accidental damage.
But, when some scrote broke into my car and stole a camera body, lens and flash the insurance company refused to pay out the full amount of the loss. They drew my attention to one sentence of a 68 page policy document which said whilst in a vehicle the claim limit was £1500 which would not even cover the cost of replacing the body. Despite making a complaint to the Ombudsman that such an exclusion was unfair given the cover I had asked for and thought I had the insurance company won and £1500 is all I was given.
Also during the many "discussions" I had about this issue it was pointed out that if I had made a claim for accidental damage that they could argue was caused by neglect then they would not payout- for example you are away on holiday and get sand in a lens or body they would argue that you should not have taken the camera out of the bag in those conditions.
Squiffy? Are you implying my site looks pissed Barrie? Even at this time of day? Which bit, the front page? That's me trying to be arty, oh well I'll build a sober one sometime when I'm sober.
Points taken re home insurance route that's why I asked, I wondered if some company did cover for a short break.
Scares me Africa, thinking of making a will as well.
The problem I have with a large display is that the page of the website starts to repeat itself on the right. I'll try and do a screen shot to show you what I mean.
Do not go down the home insurance route if you act in any way as a Pro/Am (i.e. make a few ££).
If you do go down the home insurance route read the small print very very very carefully especially with respect any details that pertain to theft from a motor vehicle and the maximum that will be paid of any one theft.
Ask specific questions regarding how, where (and in what) the equipment must be stowed in the car and what type of car is not covered. Is your friends car covered when you are in it? What happens past the hours of 9pm and before the hours of 6am? What security devices need to be fitted and who needs to install them if not factory fitted? Where the car is allowed to be parked (i.e. is off the road in the hills in some layby, especially out of sight, and you gone for hours OK, as you never carry all your kit when you are away?
What about Hotels, BB, self-catering places? Check the excess and is it per item or per claim?
If this appears a bit anal, I got stung to the loss of £10K out of pocket, on these conditions from a pucka photo-insurance firm about three years ago when my kit was pinched from a car
I am now with Glover and Howe as the small print is minimal and the policy straight forward.
Glover & Howe also don't cover loss from carboot after 9pm and before 6am.
Good discussion and has got me checking the small print on my home insurance with well-known company dealing with those a certain maturity...
Cheers Peter
Yeah I'm worried about mine now.... Good replies here. They were all a bit too keen to take on my camera and kit for minimal outlay, so I am going to phone them I think and give them the "Tom_W" treatment!!.
I like the 3 sticks you've captured! Those blinkin' bugs get everywhere
agree re house insurance, also PHOTOGUARD SUCK so don't go with them with a specialist policy. it looks like the insurance industry has gone the route of wording everything so tightly you dont get any chance of making a claim, they will just word
themselves out of it.
i did see an ad somewhere recently that ADMIRAL do a one trip policy, might be worth checking that one out
inspiring image by the way. where's sigourney weaver?
m
Posted by Andrew Stagg on June 28, 2007 at 4:47 AM
Tim,
I have used Norwich Union home insurance in the past (they took over the company that I had had home contents, with camera cover for the past ten years). I had my 1DS MK1 and all lenses stolen from my house, which they covered with no argument. However once that had happened, they refused to cover me further unless I had an alarm put in, refused in-car cover and would not cover accidental or away from home cover. Since then I have gone more or less professional and have had to source insurance elsewhere. I now have a policy with E&L who cover me for UK, Europe , in-car, at home, in the office/studio and up to 30 days worldwide. I have a 1DSII, five L lenses and miscallaneous others. The £28 a month premium is for cover of £10K and includes things like hiring cameras whilst without one and other items that really make the policy worthwhile. They also give me £2M public liability insurance, which would help if I accidently dropped a 1DS on someones foot whilst photographing them
I think for the money, they are good value, they were easy to deal with on the interweb and on the phone.
The insurance business quickly gets wise to many things and all they would have to do on a home policy is look on Alamy or one of the others and see the name of the insured there to refute any claim on 'professional' grounds.
Discussion
10 repliesCheers
Tim
Pic of exuvia, would have been good to get the damsel emerging on the back of the dragon.
It is all well and good having your eqiupment on your home insurance however IF you do have to make a claim and IF your insurance company has any reason to suspect that you do use your equipment AT ANY TIME for professional purposes (i.e. you make money from it) then they may well have the right to decline a claim.
There was a recent case of someone who lost or damaged equipment (I can't recall which) that was insured on their household policy. However, the insurance company found out that they marketed themselves via their own website (i.e. sold prints or whatever) and therefore successfully claimed that their client was a professional photographer and this invalidated their insurance cover.
Great photo by the way Tim although your website looks a bit "squiffy" on a widescreen monitor
Barrie
I did exactly this a few years ago. I listed all of my gear providing serial numbers, receipts and paid a hefty additional premium to cover me at home,outside the home, on holiday and accidental damage.
But, when some scrote broke into my car and stole a camera body, lens and flash the insurance company refused to pay out the full amount of the loss. They drew my attention to one sentence of a 68 page policy document which said whilst in a vehicle the claim limit was £1500 which would not even cover the cost of replacing the body. Despite making a complaint to the Ombudsman that such an exclusion was unfair given the cover I had asked for and thought I had the insurance company won and £1500 is all I was given.
Also during the many "discussions" I had about this issue it was pointed out that if I had made a claim for accidental damage that they could argue was caused by neglect then they would not payout- for example you are away on holiday and get sand in a lens or body they would argue that you should not have taken the camera out of the bag in those conditions.
Points taken re home insurance route that's why I asked, I wondered if some company did cover for a short break.
Scares me Africa, thinking of making a will as well.
Tim
The problem I have with a large display is that the page of the website starts to repeat itself on the right. I'll try and do a screen shot to show you what I mean.
EDIT: I have emailed it to you.
Barrie
Do not go down the home insurance route if you act in any way as a Pro/Am (i.e. make a few ££).
If you do go down the home insurance route read the small print very very very carefully especially with respect any details that pertain to theft from a motor vehicle and the maximum that will be paid of any one theft.
Ask specific questions regarding how, where (and in what) the equipment must be stowed in the car and what type of car is not covered. Is your friends car covered when you are in it? What happens past the hours of 9pm and before the hours of 6am? What security devices need to be fitted and who needs to install them if not factory fitted? Where the car is allowed to be parked (i.e. is off the road in the hills in some layby, especially out of sight, and you gone for hours OK, as you never carry all your kit when you are away?
What about Hotels, BB, self-catering places? Check the excess and is it per item or per claim?
If this appears a bit anal, I got stung to the loss of £10K out of pocket, on these conditions from a pucka photo-insurance firm about three years ago when my kit was pinched from a car
I am now with Glover and Howe as the small print is minimal and the policy straight forward.
T
Good discussion and has got me checking the small print on my home insurance with well-known company dealing with those a certain maturity...
Cheers Peter
I like the 3 sticks you've captured! Those blinkin' bugs get everywhere
tim,
agree re house insurance, also PHOTOGUARD SUCK so don't go with them with a specialist policy. it looks like the insurance industry has gone the route of wording everything so tightly you dont get any chance of making a claim, they will just word
themselves out of it.
i did see an ad somewhere recently that ADMIRAL do a one trip policy, might be worth checking that one out
inspiring image by the way. where's sigourney weaver?
m
I have used Norwich Union home insurance in the past (they took over the company that I had had home contents, with camera cover for the past ten years). I had my 1DS MK1 and all lenses stolen from my house, which they covered with no argument. However once that had happened, they refused to cover me further unless I had an alarm put in, refused in-car cover and would not cover accidental or away from home cover. Since then I have gone more or less professional and have had to source insurance elsewhere. I now have a policy with E&L who cover me for UK, Europe , in-car, at home, in the office/studio and up to 30 days worldwide. I have a 1DSII, five L lenses and miscallaneous others. The £28 a month premium is for cover of £10K and includes things like hiring cameras whilst without one and other items that really make the policy worthwhile. They also give me £2M public liability insurance, which would help if I accidently dropped a 1DS on someones foot whilst photographing them
I think for the money, they are good value, they were easy to deal with on the interweb and on the phone.
The insurance business quickly gets wise to many things and all they would have to do on a home policy is look on Alamy or one of the others and see the name of the insured there to refute any claim on 'professional' grounds.
Best
Andrew Stagg