Info Photographic Equipment Insurance - considerations and providers

Insurance claims and renewing

So I made my first claim after 20 years of insurance and got a brand new 400 2.8 mk3 (retail over £13k) to replace my old original 400 worth about £2k I was dreading the quote for renewel which is due in June


2 Million Public liability cover
10 thousand equipment breakdown cover
25 thousand portable equipment cover

Last years insurance pre claim £367.92
This years insurance post claim £367.92

Everyone said wait until you see how much it goes up? well it hasnt even gone up for inflation let alone claims :)

PolicyBee/Hiscox So anyone worried about claiming and premiums going up... not to worry :)
 
lindsay said:
We photographers invest sometimes ridiculous sums of money in kit. Not all of us, but most people, I suspect, after doing this as a hobby (never mind the pro’s) for a few years, will have suffered from GAS (Gear Acquisition Syndrome) at least to some degree. There may be some amongst us with remarkable and enviable self-control (or scary partners) who resist, but I think a majority of photographers who actively engage in the hobby will have at least a DSLR and a couple of lenses which would cost a couple of thousand pounds to replace as-new. A lot of us have much less control and you can add an extra nought and then some!

So, we ought to look at insurance for this kit. Many people, perhaps most, will take a view that it’s covered on their Household Contents policy, and that may well be the case when it’s at home, insuring you against being stolen in a burglary or lost in a fire, or even maybe when the partner throws it against a wall on learning what we spent. However, I’ve not come across a Household Contents policy that covers you for All Risks, when out and about ‘togging; I found this out to my own cost a couple of years ago when my car was broken into and a camera bag taken – car insurance cover was risible, after excess; household cover was only for items specified on the policy, and I hadn’t updated it with all of my current list of kit. That is when I started looking at specialist insurance cover. By the way, if you claimed for a DSLR and lens that fell in a river, on your household contents policy, how does that affect the next years renewal of that policy? It may not be the most cost-effective solution, putting all of your eggs into one insurance basket. Again, something I have learned from bitter personal experience.

There are some things to consider when buying insurance to cover camera kit:
  • Does the insurer require you to provide proof of original purchase with any claim, and must the purchase be from a UK business?
  • What is the excess on the policy? This can be a dealbreaker in the case of some claims being perhaps not worth it.
  • Theft & Accidental Damage – this is probably fine for kit if it never leaves home, but if you are out and about with a bagful of gear, home insurance rarely provides appropriate cover, so look at specialists. Would your policy cover, for example, a cracked lens element after a fall?
  • Will your insurance provider replace old with new, ie a new lens to replace the broken old one, or a new equivalent?
  • Does the policy cover theft from your vehicle (providing you’ve locked it)? It may be an extra-cost clause, but probably the best thing you ever did if you want to avoid what happened to me.
  • Does the policy cover the cost of hiring replacement equipment whilst awaiting repair or replacement, for example whilst on a photographic holiday? Does the policy also cover any hired equipment?
  • Does the policy cover the travel you plan to do, eg EU, worldwide, including USA?
  • Does the policy cover a tablet or laptop as well?
  • If you vlog, does it cover video kit and accessories?
  • Does it cover a drone?
  • Are there options for public liability cover, especially if you use a drone?
I’ve pulled together a list of specialist photographic equipment insurers, to give TP’ers a head-start in looking for such cover. This implies no preference or endorsement of any of these companies, this is simply meant as a resource for members on this site. Premium rates mentioned are gleaned from ads and cannot be relied on, but are indicative.

Eversure Insurance

Covering all levels of photographic activity, with good underwriting backup. Policies easily amended by phone or email. New for Old, £100 excess on theft, loss and accidental damage, Feefo Trusted Service Award, prices start at £19.99 pa.

Ripe Photography Insurance

Aimed at all levels of photographer and videographer, with flexible options for cover including accessories like tripods, studio gear, phones and tablets and public liability. Prices appear to start from £33 pa.

Photoguard Insurance

Covering all levels of activity and offering a high total cover value if you have expensive kit but optional low excesses. Pro cover can include “associates” such as second shooters. Can cover hire of equipment. Prices appear to start from £33 pa.

LoveIt CoverIt

Aimed at amateurs, with some restrictions on what can be covered and needing UK VAT receipts in the event of claims. Single item value limited to £3k. Prices appear to start from £65 pa.

The Insurance Emporium

Aimed at all levels of photographer, with a lot of flexibility and high total value of cover, including various options to add on for pro’s including public liability. Standard excess is £110. Prices appear to start from £28 pa.

Tinhat Insurance

Aimed at amateurs, and limited to items purchased in the last year and maximum item value of £1k. Prices appear to start from £53 pa.

Aaduki Insurance

Aimed at all levels of photographer but very flexible cover, with quotes generated by an advisor on a call instead of online, so ideal for non-standard situations where a broker can work on your behalf to find the best solution. Prices appear to start from £90 pa.

Infocus Insurance

Aimed at all levels and associated with Hiscox for business insurance including professional indemnity and public liability. Prices appear to start from £199 pa based on total value of kit.

Towergate Insurance t/a Camerasure

Aimed at professional photographers and videographers, or maybe semi-pro’s, covers computer breakdowns and data loss as well. Members of the RPS get a discount.

Photoshield

Aimed at pro’s and semi-pro’s. Flexible cover can include a lot of different types of item and pro insurance requirements. Prices appear to start from £99 pa.

I hope this info and review help to save some TP'ers time searching in Google and ultimately provide compensation should disaster strike.

Glover and Howe

Covers Amateur and Semi-Pro, claim handling appears to be very good based on feedback below.
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Thank you for the list of insurers. As I am returning to photography after a lengthy lay off, insurance is something I need to consider as I'm getting out and about so much more now with my camera. The other reason for my needing insurance is, I drive a mobility car and have been advised contents are not covered.
 
lindsay said:
It's a fair point Martin, and an approach I take to some other insurances (pets, phones being the main ones). However in my case, when I go out on a togging trip (not often admittedly in the recent past). I'll have eith £4k of Nikon gear or £5k of Olympus gear, plus at least two vintage film cameras with lenses, all in the car, and having been burned once in the recent past, I'm anxious about it because both my cars have keyless entry which cannot be disabled for all practical purposes. Keyless entry is great for thieves and just a laziness option for car owners, and that's the cause of this issue for me.
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I totally agree that keyless entry is great for thieves, and yes it is a lazy option for car owners. I have a new vehicle with keyless entry, which I hate, well the keyless entry part anyways. The vehicle in question is a mobility vehicle, so options where somewhat limited. When I first enquired and test drove the vehicle I asked if they could order me a version without keyless entry. Sadly the answer was a resounding no. As a precaution I keep my key fob in a faraday pouch to minimise my risk of theft. The other issue is I transport a mobility scooter in the boot which makes items in the boot visible to those who care to look in. Although not a perfect solution I do cover valuables with a blanket or a jacket.
 
I'm with you keyless entry is not required, how hard is pressing a button on a fob for goodness sake. Since it is all so electronic why not make it so that the car cannot be driven until a code is entered
 
I recall one car I hired years ago, where you had to place the key fob into a particular receptacle in the dash before you could start the engine. Seemed like a good idea. Doesn't deal with the risk of access to the boot though if you are within a certain distance of the car or the scrotes have cloned your RF access code
 
Considering moving my camera gear over to a specialist policy as the home insurance renewal has gone up from £1000 to £1600 (got a couple of contents claims in the last 5 years, one of which was last year, which I'm suspecting has put the price up so much).

What would you expect a quote for around £30Ks worth of gear (camera and computers) to work out around? Only had the one from Eversure for around £280, which doesn't seem too dissimilar, or adds a little bit more to the uplift this equipment makes to my home insurance.

Google has not been my friend when it comes to finding photographic equipment insurers - in fact as search engines go, Google is pretty awful these days! So thanks for this post!!

Also, always had my more expensive camera gear as specified items on the home insurance, but noticed my provider has a gadget cover section so I thought I'd try adding it to that to see what it did to the price.... £2200.... and I hadn't finished adding stuff! So.... I don't quite get the point of gadget insurance!
 
I'm currently insured with Hiscox and renewal time is approaching soon.

I've had an approach from Morgan Richardson who I spoke to last year, but said I was happy with Hiscox. The Morgan Richardson quote has come in lower, so wondered if any of you chaps have had any dealings with them and what your experiences are. Over the years, I've come to understand that it's not just about premium cost, but also about customer service, dealing with claims etc

Thanks in advance
 
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nigpd said:
I'm currently insured with Hiscox and renewal time is approaching soon.

I've had an approach from Morgan Richardson who I spoke to last year, but said I was happy with Hiscox. The Morgan Richardson quote has come in lower, so wondered if any of you chaps have had any dealings with them and what your experiences are. Over the years, I've come to understand that it's not just about premium cost, but also about customer service, dealing with claims etc

Thanks in advance
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I can't answer that but can tell you that when I worked with an equipment supplier we were often approached by insurers, following a claim. Without exception, they wanted confirmation of the value of the goods damaged or stolen, and we know that they always paid out the full amount. There were, at that time, a lot of forum posts slagging off some named insurers, but these "poor reputation" insurers were just as good as the others.

Insurance had a very bad reputation in the past, but I think that they're all straightforward today, regardless of the premium cost.
 
James Blonde said:
Considering moving my camera gear over to a specialist policy as the home insurance renewal has gone up from £1000 to £1600 (got a couple of contents claims in the last 5 years, one of which was last year, which I'm suspecting has put the price up so much).

What would you expect a quote for around £30Ks worth of gear (camera and computers) to work out around? Only had the one from Eversure for around £280, which doesn't seem too dissimilar, or adds a little bit more to the uplift this equipment makes to my home insurance.

Google has not been my friend when it comes to finding photographic equipment insurers - in fact as search engines go, Google is pretty awful these days! So thanks for this post!!

Also, always had my more expensive camera gear as specified items on the home insurance, but noticed my provider has a gadget cover section so I thought I'd try adding it to that to see what it did to the price.... £2200.... and I hadn't finished adding stuff! So.... I don't quite get the point of gadget insurance!
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Have you researched other home insurance quotes? I used to be with a major provider but they had limits for photographic gear and required me to list quite a few specified items. They also had restrictions on what they would cover when away from home eg they would not cover gear left in a hotel room unless it was in a safe. I then decided to get separate photographic insurance with a specialist provider for a couple of years. I then changed my house insurance to another company who had much more flexible terms for photographic gear which met with my requirements and I ended up paying less.
 
For what it's worth, I went with the same home insurance company, but went with a new, far more comprehensive policy (for less money). their quote system allowed me to have a really good play around, and there was some weird stuff going on (having a burglar alarm cost more than not, £200K contents cost less than £90K, etc)but I need to remember to go in far more prepared next year and do some more legwork on specific photography policies. Price wise, they seemed more expensive than the home insurance route I took, but they'll be far more comprehensive, and given that it's past claims that have made my policy more expensive, I kind of feel spreading the risk has benefits all of its own.
 
Reading this with interest as I had some camera gear nicked recently so considering insurance going forward.

One of the things that makes me slightly nervous about it is the need to prove forcible entry for any claim.

In my case some bags were nicked out of the boot of my car. I got back to find my car unlocked so I must have forgotten to lock it, so probably wouldn't have paid out anyway in that case.

The other thing that I'm dubious about is theft from hotel rooms - eversure say they cover theft from hotel rooms but only if there's evidence of forced entry. A hotel room is accessible to hotel staff however, and theft by them wouldn't be covered.

When I bought my current car I deliberately requested not to have keyless entry for fear of them being able to be cloned.
I had thought I could have locked it, but then accidentally unlocked it again as I put the key in my pocket, but that can't be the case as if you unlock it but don't open any doors, it automatically locks itself again within about a minute. This is actually quite a good feature so I'm quite glad it does this. But obviously if you have been opening doors but then don't lock it, and walk away, it doesn't lock itself.

I wonder now if it's more secure in the car (assuming I remember to lock it) than in a hotel room, as there's no-one else with key access.
 
When I looked 6 years ago the policies varied quite a bit on what was covered. I ended up with Glover and Howe as they weren’t as restricted as some of the others. No idea about their terms.
 
Brentor said:
When I looked 6 years ago the policies varied quite a bit on what was covered. I ended up with Glover and Howe as they weren’t as restricted as some of the others. No idea about their terms.
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Just signed up with them - seem okay. :)
 
sk66 said:
My insurance covers my gear even if I accidentally leave it on a bus or drop it in a river.
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What company are you with please if you don’t mind me asking?
From what I can tell eversure cover the dropped in a river scenario, but left on a bus is excluded as “left unattended”. The only pernicious thing about their loss cover is the example they give is the camera strap “snapping”, subtly implying there has to be some element of gear failure.

I find it difficult to trust insurance companies - I think they try and find a way to get out of some likely scenarios.
 
bjtaylor said:
What company are you with please if you don’t mind me asking?
From what I can tell eversure cover the dropped in a river scenario, but left on a bus is excluded as “left unattended”. The only pernicious thing about their loss cover is the example they give is the camera strap “snapping”, subtly implying there has to be some element of gear failure.

I find it difficult to trust insurance companies - I think they try and find a way to get out of some likely scenarios.
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Sorry, USA based; and my gear insurance is a rider policy with my homeowner's insurance (USAA is the company).
 
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