Does my Home Insurance cover my guitars?
Most of us have home contents insurance, but do you know what it covers? If the worst happened and you suffered a flood, fire, theft or other disaster would you house contents insurance cover your precious guitars, amps and effects?
Most homeowner’s insurance policies cover musical instruments up to a certain limit. This limit is usually less than $2,000 total. So if you have a single guitar, amp or other bit of music kit valued at more than this then you should consider special musical instrument insurance.
Even if your home contents insurance covers items away from the home they may not pay up if the guitar is stolen or damaged when being used (or travelling to) in a paid gig. The insurance company would consider this to be business use and if a loss happens while being paid for a performance, your homeowner’s policy is unlikely to pay out.
Homeowner insurance policies may also not pay for a musical instrument breakage due to bumping, falling, dropping etc - typical minor accidents that befall guitars
Does the total value of your musical instruments get deducted from the Personal Property part of your policy? If so, you need to be sure that the value is sufficient to cover both your musical instruments and your other personal property. If you have a collection of guitars, amps and pedals you might find that the total value is more than you expect!
