Are Laptops Covered Under Home Insurance

Are Laptops Covered Under Home Insurance?

If you lose your laptop, you can file a claim with your homeowner's or renter's insurance company. Your laptop is covered by your policy's personal property section.

Every year, hundreds of thousands of laptop computers are lost or stolen in the United States, with only about 5% of them being recovered. Airports are a popular "Twilight Zone" for laptops. According to a Ponemon Institute study, more than 12,200 laptops go missing each week at US airports.

"Just because you can file a claim for a laptop doesn't mean you should," says Dan Weedin, a Seattle-based insurance and risk management consultant. This is where the math comes into play in determining whether or not you should file a claim.

Should I File an Insurance Claim for my Missing Laptop? 

Weedin believes it is not worthwhile to file a claim for less than 50% of the laptop's value. So, if you have a $500 deductible, don't file a claim for a laptop worth less than $1,000. Why? Because all claims become part of your claims history, which influences your insurance rates. As a result, filing a laptop claim may end up costing you more in the long run than the computer is worth.

According to Mark D'Agostino, owner and president of R.F. D'Agostino Insurance Agency Co. in Brockton, Mass., you may not want to file a claim at all, regardless of the value of the laptop. "Any claim could count against you, and the result could be anything from losing your 'claim free' discount to being charged a surcharge or having your policy canceled," D'Agostino says.

6 Ways to Insure Your Laptop 

1. Check out gadget or technology insurance.

Gadget insurance for your laptop is distinct from your homeowner's or renter's insurance policy. Safeware and Worth Ave Group are two companies that specialize in this type of coverage. Premiums differ depending on your location, the age of your laptop, the deductible, and other factors.

According to Weedin, if your employer's laptop goes missing, the company can likely file a claim under its business property policy.

2. Shoulder the burden.

Of course, the best insurance policy for a laptop's loss or theft is good old-fashioned prevention. For many of us, this means safeguarding our laptop computers at the airport.

"The best place for your laptop - and any luggage - is right in front of you," says Matthew Podowitz, an Atlanta-based IT management consultant.

Don't put your laptop down if you need a free hand. Put it in a bag that you can wear over your head and shoulder so you don't have to put it down and risk forgetting or losing it.

3. Be smart about security.

It can be difficult to hold on to your laptop while emptying your pockets and taking off your shoes at the airport security checkpoint. So it's no surprise that your laptop could vanish somewhere between the security line and your destination.

Carol Margolis, an Orlando, Fla., businesswoman who travels 48 to 50 weeks a year with two laptops, uses the following trick to avoid leaving her computers on the conveyor belt at security check-in: Always place your shoes in the bin behind your laptop (or, in her case, laptops).

"I'm pretty sure I'll never forget my shoes," Margolis says.

She also uses this little ditty to help her remember everything:

I need to gather my purse, laptop, liquids, and shoes.

Or else I'll curse and cry myself to sleep.

4. Don’t trust strangers with your laptop.

According to Beth Blair, a retired flight attendant, passengers routinely entrust their laptops and other belongings to complete strangers on airplanes or at airports so they could get a cup of coffee or use the restroom. That's a recipe for disaster. Blair would frequently notice one of these kind strangers dozing off, getting distracted, or rushing off to catch a flight.

Aside from being a target for an unscrupulous passerby, your unattended laptop may be confiscated by airport security, according to Blair.

Even if it is inconvenient, keep your laptop with you at all times so that you can keep an eye on it — not a stranger or a thief.

5. Keep quiet.

According to Robert Siciliano, an ID theft prevention specialist, laptop owners are frequently the victims of airport distraction crimes. He claims that a would-be thief may strike up a conversation on your right side while his accomplice lifts your laptop from your left side.

"That's why you should never look away from your laptop. "Even if only for a second," Siciliano says.

So, if someone questions you about your laptop while you're in the airport or on a plane, Siciliano suggests politely changing the subject and keeping a close eye on your machine.

Remember that bragging isn't always done with your mouth. Just seeing your laptop's screen resolution or manufacturer can be enough to entice a computer thief.

Notebook.com editor Josh Smith suggests hiding your laptop. "You can use a skin to disguise the manufacturer of the machine," he says.

When working in an airport café or gate area, Siciliano recommends tucking yourself into a corner whenever possible, or choosing a location that is not in the path of a lot of foot traffic.

6. Label your laptop.

If your laptop is lost and found, having your name, email address, or cellphone number on it will assist a Good Samaritan in returning it to you. Putting this information on a sticker attached to your laptop or taping a business card to your laptop (or perhaps the laptop bag) will increase the likelihood that your misplaced computer will be returned to you.