Household insurance for dolls?

I have home insurance, but it has limits on specific things. For example, you can have $10,000 in computers, but this policy will pay out only $5000 for computers. Your insurance will not protect you from all monetary loss, but it should protect you from catastrophic loss.

ASK your insurance people about your collection(s). Some people will need "riders" for their stuff.
I talk to my home owners' insurance agent every so often, asking for clarification on various things. It's quite weird what they will and won't pay for. (Earth movement or flood? They won't pay a dime! And you specifically have to ask for earthquake insurance.)

One of the best proofs of ownership is dated photos. I took photos of my whole place, put it on a thumb drive and put it in a safe deposit box at the bank. If you don't want to rent a safe deposit box, keep your documentation at work or at your parents', etc. It won't do you much good if your proof/documentation goes up in flames with your stuff!

The cheaper the insurance, the less it covers. Please check a company's complaint record before signing up with them.
And may you never have to file a claim!

 

^That, pretty much. You'd do best to ask your insurance company, but if you rent, you need renter's insurance. Past a certain value your collection may or may not be covered, or might need special riders, so it's worth talking to your insurance company to see how that works for them, and then you can make informed decisions.
I really need better coverage on my stuff.

 

Resurrecting this thread as I am thinking about getting insurance. My dolls are honestly the most valuable thing I own and at this point I don't already have my own insurance plan for, well, anything. Should I just get separate collector's insurance? What does renter's insurance cover and does it work if you are constantly moving around? Would getting collector's insurance mess with any policies my parents' might have, even if I am not living with them most of the time? I just don't want to jump into a policy and have it be a mistake and I am kind of new to this.

 

Such a great idea, I didn't really think of separate insurance, I just assumed homeowners would take care of it. Going to look into it now, thanks!

 

@iamkathybrown I would not rely on renters insurance to cover your dolls, or any collection for that matter, collectibles are almost always explicitly excluded.
The same can be said with most homeowner insurance policies. My collection is covered with Collectibles Insurance Services (CIS) | Collect Insure they even sell policies that cover inbound shipments which cover lost or damaged packages mailed to you.
My policy is not limited to one location but I must explicitly list any and all locations separately. You do not need to keep an inventory list of what is stored where but it is recommended.
They also sell one-time moving policies that are really amazing, they will cover your entire collection as it is being moved from one location to another, I purchased this more than once and it is extremely affordable.

 

I live in the UK and unfortunately work in the insurance industry.

Most home policies have a set limit for valuable items as standard within the general contents sum insured. As an example a contents policy with a standard £50,000 could have a valuables limit of up to 20% of the total contents sum insured, so the valuables limit for the purposes of this example would be £10,000.

You would need to check what inner limit applies to your policy and also check the policy wording to check the definition of valuables.

The valuable limit as part of the general contents sum insured, will only cover items within the home, so if you are likely to take your dolls out with you, you can add personal possessions (or all risks cover), to cover a certain amount for unspecified items away from the home.

You can also add specified items under the personal possessions section if you feel that you need the extra security. To specify the dolls as a collection or individually you will need to speak to your insurer or broker.

In the event of a claim insurers will require proof of purchase for any items that are damaged or stolen so make sure you keep detailed records.

I hope that helps!

 

I have my collections included in my home and contents insurance but mine is set up on what each collection of stuff is worth as a whole as my partner has certain collections aswell but ive never had to claim thank god

 

I live in Louisiana, and at the moment, we're facing some pretty scary weather headed our way in the next couple of days. It got me to thinking about wether collectors held insurance policies for their doll collections?

I'm not sure if I am weird for thinking this. Some of you all have some pretty beautiful, large and EXPENSIVE collections. Is it a part of your insured items in case something happens to them?

I'm literally on the edge of my seat praying we are spared from (another) flood incident.

 

I need to make an inventory for my insurance company but I haven't done it. Just wondering about how to go about doing it.

 

I considered it but it was all just very complicated.
I have other hobbies that would have to be insured too which would make inventory/providing receipts insane.
Maybe in the future I'd revisit the idea.
Luckily I live in a place where natural/weather related problems don't really happen - it would more be theft or fire that would be a concern.

 

Yea, I was confused about how to go about it as well; it can be a lot of work...especially if you're renting. Either way I think you have to keep an itemized list, but you're right on receipts for items you've had a long time. I have homeowner's insurance so we were able to guesstimate the value of our belongings and then pick a policy that worked for us.

 

I have a general home insurance that is high enough to cover a loss.
But to be honest, a lot of the stuff that would go missing has a value (to me and in general) you can't really specify with numbers. Stuff that is rare or by an artist that doesn't sell anymore, creations from friends in the hobby, a doll that might not be rare but I am emotionally attached to and so on.
Money couldn't fix that and it's partly the reason I have no interest in going through a complicated extra insurance process.
I wouldn't be able to rebuy that stuff or experience, so why bother. Pretty sure I would not bother trying to rebuild that collection anyway.
Maybe not completely stop the hobby but still

 

We’ve got renters insurance but it only covers so much. I’ve been wanting to get “property” insurance for them, but I just keep forgetting.

You’d think I would get in it since we have yearly fires and earthquakes here.

 

You can add insurance riders for jewelry, other valuables, and of course your dolly or other collections. Home owners insurance does not take into account the sentimental value so for ease of mind it can be such a relief. If you are in an apartment of course renters insurance can have stipulations, so it's always good to think about and read the fine print.

 

What Ara said. Several of my dolls are irreplaceable due to - well, the companies not being in business anymore, due to emotional attachment, there's the one that's basically a "two-off" (as in: there's two of those heads worldwide) because it's a minimee head done after my own design, some just aren't important enough for me to try to replace them, others I love due to things like the face-up, and the artist isn't taking commissions anymore. The one I'd replace would be the one my aunt gifted me (if possible - it's a limited full-set), so that I'd at least have the one, but with all the others - not sure which ones I'd try to get again. There's PLENTY of money inmy doll collection but, as Ara said, it's not really about the money.

 

I also live in Louisiana but my collection is small enough to not warrant additional insurance. Homeowners/rental insurance is probably enough for a small collection. If I had to evacuate I’d probably just bring my dolls with me since I only have four.

Stay safe, I hope you’re not in a coastal parish!

 

I have renters insurance up to a high amount but I need to make an inventory and specifically insure some items.

Check around. Allstate has a "locker" you can use to ensure more expensive items are catalogued!

Also good luck and stay safe! I hope you and those around you stay safe with no incident

 

You definitely want to check and see what your policy actually covers. Never just assume something is covered. Random but related: I used to work at a rug store, where we also did restorations. You’d think a rug would be covered under home insurance but nope! It would require a separate policy. You’d also need the rugs appraised so the insurance companies would actually cover what it’s worth instead of paying out for the cheapest option they can.

Obviously dolls aren’t hand-knotted rug expensive, but the idea is the same. Keep your receipts, make sure you know your policy BEFORE you need it, and insure what your basic home insurance does not automatically cover.

 

I know you can get a separate policy for high end collectibles. According to my friend your homeowners or rental insurance doesn't cover most collectibles. They have an additional policy on top of the homeowners insurance. It cost more but if god forbid something happens it's protected.