Odds are that if you own a home most people also have an Oklahoma home or Texas homeowners’ policy in place to protect their investment. If you own a gun, diamonds, art, or expensive furs I’d wager the opposite. Curious why? Because figuring out what is and is not covered on your homeowner’s policy. Many people assume that all these things are covered under your home insurance coverage. So many often devastated when they go to file a claim, just to find out it’s not.
Are These Covered Under a Homeowner’s Insurance Policy?
Simple answer is YES and NO. While on most Home insurance there is minimal coverage for jewelry, furs and guns, what usually prevents people from getting paid out is the reason for filing the claim. Unless it is missing due to a covered reason under the homeowner’s policy like tornado, fire, theft, or the others that apply then there is no coverage. Why is this a problem? 95% of the claims we see are for jewelry that has been lost. Mysterious disappearance is not a covered loss under the homeowner’s policy.
How Should I Insure My Jewelry, Art Collection, or Other Collector Items?
Most people are aware of a policy that covers their home and personal belongings, but most people are unaware of an insurance called Personal Articles also known as a Personal Floater policy. Personal Articles insurance adds to the coverage for expensive items like a diamond engagement ring, your grandfather’s pocket watch, artwork, or a collector gun that has been passed through the family at the specified amount that it’s worth. These policies will specifically list out these treasured items and what they are insured for. While most homeowner’s policies have dollar and kind of loss limits, Personal Articles insurance can give you with the protection you need for your most important things in the case of theft, accident, or natural catastrophe. The coverage is broader, meaning that many things not covered under a homeowner’s policy when it comes to your jewelry are covered here. This coverage is also typically worldwide coverage, meaning that if you lose a diamond earring while diving in Bali, many policies will have coverage.
Do You have to Have a Personal Articles Policy?
Why, you might wonder, is it necessary to have a personal article policy? Furniture, clothing, and appliances are all covered under the personal property coverage given by a conventional homeowners’ policy. Additionally, it only covers up to a certain amount and certain claim reasons when it comes to jewelry, silverware, furs, and guns. However, it may not cover some types of losses that are significant to you, such as a stone dropping out of your diamond ring or a heart attack because of discovering it’s gone missing. In fact, most homeowner’s insurance policies have cash limits on the amount of coverage provided for valuables like jewels or furs (typically only up to $1,000), weapons (up to $2,000), and silverware (up to $2,500). The advantage of this type of coverage is that you can insure anything that is valuable to you for the full amount that it requires. Not to mention that they’re quite inexpensive, starting at just a few dollars per month.
If you have questions or would like an Oklahoma or Texas home insurance quote or personal articles or floater quote text or call 405-373-2977 or email us at info@eciagency.com
