I’m using a moving company – do I have coverage for my stuff?

This is a great question and has to be answered with a little policy jargon, but I’ll interpret as we go. Your home is insured for “all risks” subject to the exclusions in the policy, such as earthquake and flood. This is why you have to buy a flood policy separately, or add earthquake if you want it.

However, your Personal Property is covered on a “named perils” basis. This means that only the specifically named perils (causes of loss, like fire or theft) will provide coverage for losses. And this is where using a mover gets tricky.

If your mover takes a lunch break and someone steals your stuff, then that would be covered because “Theft” is a named peril. But if they are driving their van and get in a wreck that destroys your stuff you could have a problem. “Collision” is not a named peril for Personal Property under the majority of insurance policies. The greatest possibility for loss by a mover is either collision or breakage, neither of which is named as covered perils under most policies.

So the answer is this: Call us first. Some high-end policies will cover Personal Property for “all-risks”, even collision, but most do not. But before you roll the dice, give us a call at 800.681.2025, or click here to learn more.