Documenting jackets for insurance purposes

[Flos]

Hey all, I was thinking the other day of what might happen if fire, theft, or some other disaster were to happen and I lost/damaged all of my leather jackets. I have 10 at the moment, and some were bought new and others secondhand -- but all are in excellent condition.

So, I'm just trying to figure out a good way to document them to present in a homeowners insurance claim for a worse case scenario so that I'd get the maximum value reimbursed.

Has anyone done this for certain expensive clothes or jackets? If so, do you recommend a combination of photos, videos, and spreadsheet? Better yet, does anybody on here work in homeowners/renters insurance and have any specific recommendations?

Thanks!

 

[Zoltan]

You will need a specialist broker

 

[Flos]

You will need a specialist broker

Interesting. I thought it would just qualify as personal property.

 

[Guppy]

Your homeowner's policy will cover up to a certain amount of personal property, but for various categories there will be limits. It's important to know what those are and then discuss with your insurer, to see whether they can provide additional coverage. It's likely that they can, but it will add cost to the policy, and may not be worth it. It can end up being like you're paying the insurance company to buy your own collection over the course of a few years. And considering that each jacket is a unique piece and that vintage pieces are basically irreplaceable, getting some money back for them if they're lost in a fire may not be worth the cost of the added premium.

 

[powersci]

I asked my insurance about this. They told me I had to have each jacket professionally appraised before they’d add a rider to my plan. I asked if I could give them the purchase receipts. They said only professional appraisal is allowed.

Without the rider, the default is one jacket up to a certain limit. They classified it under “furs and jewelry.“

 

[Zoltan]

Interesting. I thought it would just qualify as personal property.

My wife has a number of shoes, handbags and custom clothes, same with me, shoes, boots suits, my bike gear and helmets (I have £5000 worth of gear), all insured separately. As someone said they were appraised separately. Original invoice, pictures etc provided. Insurance insisted on a monitored house alarm installed professionally as a condition. Now days easy to do with a wireless system. Normally house hold insurance has a limit of £20000 or more coverage on personal belongings. When you start looking and adding up you will be surprised how much will cost to replace everything. A flood, fire could really wipe you out. Check the small print in your insurance policy and see what it says. If not clear call them.