Photographic equipment insurance in the UK and abroad

[telenous]

I wanted to ask if any of you have to suggest a good UK based insurance company to insure my cameras and lenses. Googling it I came up with two names: Eandl and Photoguard.

I want to buy a worldwide cover later today, I am wondering if there is any other insurer I have missed or any reason I should steer clear from the aforementioned two.

Many thanks in advance, as always,

 

[sircarl]

My UK household insurance, from HSBC, includes a "Personal Belongings (in and away from your home)" section and I was able to include my cameras under that. Might be a better alternative than buying a special policy for your cameras alone.

 

[telenous]

Thanks Carl. What you 're saying makes sense but unfortunately it doesn't apply in my case. The owner of my flat already has some sort of home insurance. As it is, it will be complicated for me to ask him to extend it to cover my cameras and I don't think it makes much sense for me to buy a second home insurance on top of the first one he already pays.

C'mon guys - I think I will buy the Photoguard one before noon - if you have some insurance horror story to share, this is the time.

 

[sircarl]

Alkis -- The owner of your flat may have building insurance, but I'd be very surprised if he has household contents insurance. Why would he pay to insure your belongings? Even if he does, he might well be willing to have you pay the small extra amount needed to cover your cameras (if they're not covered already under the terms of the policy). And if he doesn't have contents insurance, then you should, and not just for your cameras!

 

[telenous]

Alkis -- The owner of your flat may have building insurance, but I'd be very surprised if he has household contents insurance. Why would he pay to insure your belongings? Even if he does, he might well be willing to have you pay the small extra amount needed to cover your cameras (if they're not covered already under the terms of the policy). And if he doesn't have contents insurance, then you should, and not just for your cameras!

He does have a household content insurance - the owner of the flat is a friend, and the flat is furnished mostly with his own stuff. Extending the cover is a theoretical option but for reasons I cannot go into it would take me ages to have him do it for me.

I am travelling tomorrow for a few days - I 'll hit the button for Photoguard methinks.

Manny, thanks, hopefully I will not need them for a claim either.

 

[gareth]

I insured my stuff on my home contents insurance for buttons.
Photoguard is very expensive.

 

[hitmanh]

Hi, I use Photoguard. Cost me about 90 quid for a years insurance, for camera kit valued at about 3000. I went for the semi-pro 30 days worldwide option as I don't travel abroad much these days. Cheers Matt

 

[sircarl]

£90 to cover camera equipment worth £3000 is robbery. For slightly more than twice that, my household policy covers everything in my house, plus taking my cameras elsewhere! I guess if you need something right away you have no other choice than Photoguard, but you might want to explore getting household contents insurance on your own when you get back. In any case, your friend's insurance will probably only cover HIS belongings in the house, not someone else's, so you may be out of luck if the flat (God forbid) ever gets burgled.

 

[DMG]

Alkis I use CIS to cover all my equipment which also includes 2 x 3 Chip Sony broadcast cams as well, as 20D, Leica, Bronica & lenses..they are very reasonable indeed and cover home and abroad forsuch stupid things as leaving a camera on a train (blush)

 

[hitmanh]

£90 to cover camera equipment worth £3000 is robbery. For slightly more than twice that, my household policy covers everything in my house, plus taking my cameras elsewhere! I guess if you need something right away you have no other choice than Photoguard, but you might want to explore getting household contents insurance on your own when you get back. In any case, your friend's insurance will probably only cover HIS belongings in the house, not someone else's, so you may be out of luck if the flat (God forbid) ever gets burgled.

Eh? I'm supposed to pay over £180 for the same or worse insurance? I'll stick with what I've got thanks 😀
I live in a shared house, and I don't own enough furniture to make contents insurance the better deal.

 

[venchka]

I recently insured my equipment. Here's what I learned:

A. Yes, all of my equipment is covered by my homeowner's policy. Here's the catch: Only specified loss is covered like fire, theft, etc. There is a $1,000 deductable.

B. By listing my equipment on a Personal Articles list with model, serial numbers, etc. and paying $1.35/$100 I get ALL RISK coverage (even if I leave it on a train or drop it in a lake) with NO DEDUCTABLE.

I think if you buy the specialized coverage, you should get similar coverage.

 

[telenous]

Thank you very much for the input.

I have not taken the insurance yet, I am leaving the decision for tomorrow morning, the day of the trip ( a weekend trip to Milan, BTW).

The quote from Photoguard is pretty steep. I contacted them over the phone and they made clear that they cover theft and accidental damage - not loss. I have heard insurance in the US can be literally comprehensive: you can take your equipment and throw it off a cliff - the insurance will still pay. Not so in the EU (and in the UK specifically).

My quote comes down to £25 a month. It's a lot of money but then peace of mind is valuable too.

 

[jesse1dog]

Useful thread this!
Made me ring my household insurers - Frizzel - to see what they would quote.
Accepted £23 for a 10 month period - takes me up to the general renewal date.
I get £2500 comprehensive cover with any one item valued up to £1000.
This gives me full UK cover and up to 90 days abroad. Thinking about it I am sure this was world wide cover and not just EU. However as the only international border I am likely to cross is the Wales/England one I am not too bothered.
How good the cover will be will only be obvious when I have to claim.
However the firm we very reasonable when my clock fell off the wall and needed a repair. They told me it came under accidental damage even though I was out of the house at the time. As the clock had to be cleaned by the repairer before it could be rethreaded, I did rather well. In case you are wondering what type of clock needs rethreading - it is a Vienna Regulator which needed to be taken to pieces to get the gut in!