Do any of the Canadians here have any suggestions for a good photo equipment insurance company? I am not a professional, but I am starting to get a lot of equipment and will be using it for a job in the summer, so the insurance people would probably consider that professional use.
Any tips?
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Photo equipment insurance - Where to buy
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by MarkK on May 6th, 2004, 6:13 am
I don't know if they allow it up North but I keep my equipment in a special line under my homeowners insurance. Kinda freaked out the other half when she saw the replacement cost for everything as it equated the contents of the rest of the house.
- MarkK
- Photographer
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- Joined: April 2nd, 2004, 11:38 pm
- Location: central NY
by Vince on May 10th, 2004, 7:46 pm
Hey Mark,
Haven't checked in to the forum recently so just reading your post now.
Most insurers will cover your gear with a rider on your homeowner's policy. The risk of being found out that you charge for photo services can make the rider null and void if and when making a claim. You also have no professional liability coverage when shooting. (ie the client trips over your tripod leg and falls into a plate glass window). The odds of this happening may be high but the risk of losing all your wordly possessions is worth the cost of proper coverage. Also most of these policies do not have "all risk" protection. Meaning they will only replace equipment covered if it is destroyed in a fire or stolen during a burglary.
There are three options as I see it. First you can check with your homeowner's underwriter and see if they have a basic business policy to cover you for commercial use.
Second, you can join PPO and have a rider for there master policy written for you. I did this years ago and saved nearly 3 times the membership fee in reduced premiums. Since you are not a full time pro, you would have to join as a "sustaining" member. At the time the sustaining membership fee was about $250 annually but I saved almost $700 on my annual insurance premium. Don't let the high numbers fool you. I am running a fully equipped custom framing shop and photography studio and I also own the building.
Thirdly, there is an Insurance company in Markham that underwrites a policy specifically for photo professionals. The policy can cover not only all risk on your equipment, but also professional liability, resale value of stock images, business interruption, signage, etc., etc. This is my present method of coverage. The company is Unionville Insurance Brokers, 120 South Town Centre Blvd., Markham, L6G 1C3, 800-267-6670 OR 905-479-9164, and talk to Carol Tucker.
Hope this help you.
Haven't checked in to the forum recently so just reading your post now.
Most insurers will cover your gear with a rider on your homeowner's policy. The risk of being found out that you charge for photo services can make the rider null and void if and when making a claim. You also have no professional liability coverage when shooting. (ie the client trips over your tripod leg and falls into a plate glass window). The odds of this happening may be high but the risk of losing all your wordly possessions is worth the cost of proper coverage. Also most of these policies do not have "all risk" protection. Meaning they will only replace equipment covered if it is destroyed in a fire or stolen during a burglary.
There are three options as I see it. First you can check with your homeowner's underwriter and see if they have a basic business policy to cover you for commercial use.
Second, you can join PPO and have a rider for there master policy written for you. I did this years ago and saved nearly 3 times the membership fee in reduced premiums. Since you are not a full time pro, you would have to join as a "sustaining" member. At the time the sustaining membership fee was about $250 annually but I saved almost $700 on my annual insurance premium. Don't let the high numbers fool you. I am running a fully equipped custom framing shop and photography studio and I also own the building.
Thirdly, there is an Insurance company in Markham that underwrites a policy specifically for photo professionals. The policy can cover not only all risk on your equipment, but also professional liability, resale value of stock images, business interruption, signage, etc., etc. This is my present method of coverage. The company is Unionville Insurance Brokers, 120 South Town Centre Blvd., Markham, L6G 1C3, 800-267-6670 OR 905-479-9164, and talk to Carol Tucker.
Hope this help you.
Vince Herchmer
http://muslin.studio1.net
http://muslin.studio1.net
- Vince
- Newbie
- Posts: 2
- Joined: April 2nd, 2004, 4:47 pm
- Location: Welland, Ontario
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