Musical Instrument Insurance

Jojo_the_Tightfisted

We've got a few instruments at home - keyboard, few acoustic guitars, percussion, bass, etc - and until now my household insurance was pretty much sufficient to cover them.

However, I've started playing bass in a club (for fun - nowhere near good enough to be paid for the pleasure!), which means that -

a) I'm performing, albeit for free.
b) I'm carrying around £750 worth of bass, gig bag, strap, strings, tuner, batteries, leads, small toolkit, books and three IKEA pencils on a London bus at night.

and the home instrument collection is getting bigger all the time. At present, I'd guess it would be around £700.

So I spoke to the household people and they are not certain if they would include each item in with the general contents, start applying limits to the instruments and associated paraphenalia (books, CDs, etc) as a single set or just decline to cover. And I would have to take out accidental and All Risks cover for everything if I wanted my bass to be insured when waiting for the bus.

Helpful, huh?


They also mentioned that as my laptops (a mac and a windows one) contain music software (studying for an OU degree specialising in music), they will probably include allmy computer equipment in with the instruments they can't confirm are covered in the first place, as well as my phone, as that is used for recording short excerpts, such as the head of a tune.


So, the logical solution seems to be to get specialist insurance where some of the gear is at home all the time, and some is taken out and about for performances.

I should say that there is very little of value in my house (which is newbuild with fancy locking/multiple bolts built into the doors) other than the music gear. In fact, the TV & stereo, speakers, etc, probably come to around £1500 at a push. I'm also generally pushed for cash, as these OU modules don't pay for themselves (well, not yet - they might once I've graduated, though )

Can anyone offer any advice?

dacouch

You can get cover from Music Guard.

If you are not a professional / semi professional and are genuinely an amateur eg you do not receive any type of payment. then your home insurance should cover your instruments etc providing you have the correct cover eg Accidental Damage and cover away from home. If you are an amateur, I would suggest you send your Home Insurers outlining the situation, what items you have etc and send it by recorded delivey

Jojo_the_Tightfisted

OK. The household are now saying that, because there are different items which may or may not be classed as a set, may or may not be under valuables, may or may not be taken outside the house, that I may be using them outside the scope of cover (what? Like playing the things?) it is best to assume that they aren't covered at all.

Can anyone advise where to go next?

Annisele

Jojo_the_Tightfisted wrote: »

OK. The household are now saying that, because there are different items which may or may not be classed as a set, may or may not be under valuables, may or may not be taken outside the house, that I may be using them outside the scope of cover (what? Like playing the things?) it is best to assume that they aren't covered at all.

Are they saying this in writing or over the phone? If over the phone, write to them as Dacouch suggests. If in writing, I'd make a complaint about their inability to tell you what is and is not covered under the policy - that should focus their minds.

dacouch

Jojo_the_Tightfisted wrote: »

OK. The household are now saying that, because there are different items which may or may not be classed as a set, may or may not be under valuables, may or may not be taken outside the house, that I may be using them outside the scope of cover (what? Like playing the things?) it is best to assume that they aren't covered at all.

Can anyone advise where to go next?[/QUOTE

Sounds like the person you spoke to does not understand the policy the company they work for properly.

The policy should define what is classed as a valuable (It will list them).

Which Insurer are you with and I'll do their job for them and read the relevant part of the policy and point out whether they are classed as a valuable and thus need to specified or not

Cappsy

Try Musicians Insurance Services. I'm covered by their sister company Brass Band Insurance Services and it is very cheap, about £1 per £100 of instrument value. A no brainer for piece of mind when you're carting valuable kit around. Not sure that MIS rates are the same but would give them a call.

Jojo_the_Tightfisted

The household is with the co-op. Just in process of looking round MU, Allianz, Music Guard and will try any others. Seems like it might not be worth taking the risk of their saying 'ah, but you were performing' if something happens. Would be a different matter if I were actually good enough to get paid for this lark!

Thanks for your help.

dacouch

If you're with CIS, their definition of "Valuables" is very clear, for them to define an item as a "Valuable" it would need to be one of the following

"Valuables:
means jewellery, watches, articles of gold, silver and other precious
metal, furs, curios, stamp or coin or medal collections, pictures and other
works of art"

There is no mention of musical instruments or computer equipment

http://www.co-operativeinsurance.co.uk/images/pdf/HS100.pdf page 6

Their definition of "High Risk" items is equally clear and is only the following

"
High Risk Items:
means computers (including components and accessories) other than
Office Equipment, televisions, audio and video equipment, DVD
equipment, digital receivers and recorders, photographic equipment
and Valuables"

Page 5

Their definition of Personal Possesions eg items that would be covered away from home if you have selected this over is equally clear

Personal Possessions:
means personal items and clothing, normally worn or carried outside the
Home, including pedal cycles, wheelchairs, invalid carriages and their
accessories, sports equipment and mobile phones, but not
(a) animals, aircraft, boats, jet skis, windsurfers, sailboards,
mechanically propelled or power assisted watercraft, sub aqua
equipment, mechanically propelled or motorised vehicles
(other than electric or motorised wheelchairs or invalid carriages
not designed or intended for journeys by road), caravans, trailers,
and their parts and accessories
(b) any item which is used for professional, trade or business purposes
(c) property more specifically insured
(d) contact lenses
(e) china, glass, pottery and similar fragile items
(f) camping equipment
(g) frozen food which has defrosted
(h) household goods and satellite receiving equipment

Page 6

Note they exclude cover under this section for professional equipment "(b) any item which is used for professional, trade or business purposes
"

If you look under the actual cover for Unspecified Personal Possessions there is this

"(a) £2,000 for any one article, pair, set or collection

This is a limit in the policy for cover under this section

So basically CIS are talking out of their proverbial, if the total value of yor instruments is £2000 or less they would be covered provided you do not ever recieve any type of payment as a musician

tbs624

You may want to also have a look at E&L Insurance for musical inst cover

ViolaLass

I'm with Allianz Cornhill (paying about 0.5% of value per year) and can recommend them.

dacouch

tbs624 wrote: »

You may want to also have a look at E&L Insurance for musical inst cover

You should not look at E&L to insure anything as they are one of the worst Insurers and should be avoided at all costs