Guide · Updated 10 October 2026
Is my gear covered by homeowners or renters insurance?
Most musicians assume their homeowners or renters policy has their gear covered, until they need it. The answer depends on a few things: what it's worth, whether you get paid to play, and where it goes. Start with the value below.
Check where a typical policy stops.
Your gear
$3,000
Your current policy
Where a typical policy usually stops
Say whether music pays you or where your gear goes, and the answer shows here.
THE RULES
What a standard homeowners, renters or condo policy says about music gear.
The checker above picks the rules below that fit your answers. All of them describe the standard ISO forms; insurers on their own forms can differ.
By policy type
- HO-3
- Homeowners, for a house you own
- HO-4
- Renters
- HO-6
- Condo owners
All three cover your belongings, Coverage C, the same way: anywhere in the world, for the same named causes, with the same special limits, at actual cash value unless replacement cost is added. Property used mainly for business is limited to $2,500 at home ($3,000 in the 2022 edition) and $1,500 away. A storage unit gets 10% of the personal property limit, or $1,000 if that's more ($1,500 in 2022).
The 16 named causes of loss
- 1Fire or lightning
- 2Windstorm or hail
- 3Explosion
- 4Riot or civil commotion
- 5Aircraft
- 6Vehicles
- 7Smoke
- 8Vandalism or malicious mischief
- 9Theft
- 10Falling objects
- 11Weight of ice, snow or sleet
- 12Accidental discharge or overflow of water or steam
- 13Sudden and accidental tearing apart of a heating, cooling or water system
- 14Freezing of a plumbing, heating or cooling system
- 15Sudden and accidental damage from artificially generated electrical current
- 16Volcanic eruption
Accidental damage, such as a drop, a knock or a spill, isn't one of them.
At home
Drops, knocks and spills usually aren't covered.
The standard homeowners form (HO-3) covers your belongings only for 16 named causes of loss, such as fire, theft, vandalism and water from a burst pipe. A dropped guitar, a stand that tips over or a drink spilled into an amp isn't one of them.
Some homeowners policies (the HO-5 form, or an open-perils endorsement for belongings) cover accidental damage too.
Look for Perils Insured Against, Coverage C · Named perils or open perils for personal property
Actual cash value pays less than a new one costs.
The standard forms pay actual cash value for belongings: what the item was worth when you lost it, after depreciation. Paying what a new one costs takes a replacement cost endorsement (ISO's HO 04 90) or a policy that includes it.
How actual cash value is worked out varies by state and insurer, especially for used and vintage gear.
Look for Loss Settlement · Personal Property Replacement Cost (HO 04 90)
Source: ISO HO 00 03 05 11, Homeowners 3 – Special Form; Texas Department of Insurance, “Home insurance policies: replacement cost or actual cash value”
Your deductible comes off each loss.
One deductible applies to each loss, however many items it covers. With a $1,000 deductible, a stolen $900 pedalboard pays nothing.
Look for Deductible, on the declarations page
Away from home
The standard forms cover personal property “while it is anywhere in the world”, for the same named causes as at home. There's no general 10% limit away from home in these forms.
In the car
Theft from a car counts as theft, up to the same instrument cap as at home. Company forms can add their own conditions for a car left unattended.
Look for Coverage C, Covered Property · Theft, and any vehicle conditions · Limit for property at other locations
At gigs, lessons and rehearsals
At a venue, a lesson or a rehearsal room, the same named causes apply as at home, so theft is covered and a knock on stage isn't.
Look for Coverage C, Covered Property · Theft, and any vehicle conditions · Limit for property at other locations
On tour
Tour gear is usually gear used for paid work, so in the standard forms the away-from-home business limit covers all of it together.
Look for Coverage C, Covered Property · Theft, and any vehicle conditions · Limit for property at other locations
On flights
Damage from baggage handling is accidental damage, which a named-perils policy doesn't cover. Theft from a checked bag is a named cause.
Look for Coverage C, Covered Property · Theft, and any vehicle conditions · Limit for property at other locations
In a storage unit
In a self-storage facility, the standard forms pay up to 10% of your personal property limit, or $1,000 if that's more ($1,500 in the 2022 edition). With a $30,000 personal property limit, that's $3,000 for everything in the unit.
Look for Limit for property at other locations, self-storage facilities
Source: ISO HO 00 03 05 11, Homeowners 3 – Special Form; Dan Corbin, CPCU, “ISO 2022 HO Program”
If you earn money from music
Paid music can count as a business.
The standard forms call it a business if music is your trade or profession, even part-time, whatever it pays. A paid sideline isn't a business if you earned $2,000 (2011 edition) or $5,000 (2022 edition) or less from it in the 12 months before the policy started.
Older wording, still in some policies, makes an instrument business property if it's used for business at any time or in any manner, so one paid gig can be enough.
Look for Definitions, “business” · Special Limits of Liability
Source: ISO HO 00 03 05 11, Homeowners 3 – Special Form; Dan Corbin, CPCU, “ISO 2022 HO Program”; ISO HO 00 03 04 91, Homeowners 3 – Special Form (1991 edition)
Gear used mainly for paid work has a small limit.
The standard forms cap property “used primarily for business purposes” at $2,500 at home in the 2011 edition, $3,000 in the 2022 edition, and $1,500 away from home in both. Each limit is for all of that property together, per loss.
Some insurers sell an endorsement that raises these limits (ISO's Increased Limits on Business Property, HO 04 12).
Look for Special Limits of Liability, property used for business · Increased Limits on Business Property (HO 04 12)
Source: ISO HO 00 03 05 11, Homeowners 3 – Special Form; “Business” property limitations, exclusions and endorsements recap, ISO HO 00 03 03 22; Maine Bureau of Insurance, “Insuring Your Home Business”
Teaching at home needs its own cover.
The standard forms exclude liability that comes from a business, so a student hurt at a lesson in your home may not be covered. Insurers sell an endorsement for a small business run from home (ISO's Permitted Incidental Occupancies, HO 04 42), which also lifts the business property limit for that business.
Look for Section II exclusions, “business” · Permitted Incidental Occupancies (HO 04 42)
Source: ISO HO 00 03 05 11, Homeowners 3 – Special Form; “Business” property limitations, exclusions and endorsements recap, ISO HO 00 03 03 22
Gear you rent out isn't covered while it's out.
The standard forms don't cover property rented, or held for rental, to others while it's away from your home. Gear you keep to sell can count as business property.
Look for Property Not Covered · Special Limits of Liability, property used for business
A schedule may not cover paid performances.
A schedule lists each instrument with its own amount, usually covers it for accidental damage as well as named causes, and isn't held to the special limits.
The standard schedule's musical instruments class adds a condition: “You agree not to perform with these instruments for pay unless specifically provided under this policy.”
Look for Scheduled Personal Property, musical instruments class · Any condition about performing for pay
Source: Scheduled personal property form, musical instruments class
01 HOW IT WORKS
Your gear is covered like your other belongings.
Homeowners, renters and condo policies cover musical instruments as personal property, the part of the policy called Coverage C. Most insurers start from the standard forms written by the Insurance Services Office (ISO): HO-3 for a house, HO-4 for renters and HO-6 for a condo. All three treat your belongings the same way.
Those forms cover your belongings anywhere in the world for 16 named causes of loss. Theft, fire, vandalism and water from a burst pipe are on the list. Accidental damage isn't, so a dropped guitar or a cracked headstock from a stand that tipped over isn't covered.
They pay actual cash value, which is what the item was worth after depreciation, unless your policy adds replacement cost.
02 THE $2,000 CAP
Instruments are typically capped at around $2,000.
Standard homeowners and renters policies typically cap musical instruments at around $2,000 unless you add a rider. The cap is for all your instruments together, not for each one, so a $3,000 guitar and a $1,000 violin share the same $2,000.
To cover more, you add a rider, also called a scheduled personal property endorsement, which lists each instrument with its own amount. A specialty gear policy is the other way to cover gear worth more than the cap.
If you play for pay, the cap on that gear is often lower, as little as $200 to $1,500 away from home. Check your own policy's limits, or ask your agent.
03 GIG MONEY
When paid music turns gear into business property.
The standard forms call music a business if it's your trade or profession, even part-time, whatever it pays. A paid sideline isn't a business if it paid you $2,000 or less (2011 edition) or $5,000 or less (2022 edition) in the 12 months before the policy started.
Property used mainly for business isn't excluded, but it has a small limit: $2,500 at home in the 2011 edition, $3,000 in the 2022 edition, and $1,500 away from home in both, for all of it together. The forms don't define “mainly” (the wording is “used primarily for business purposes”), so a guitar you play for yourself and take to the odd paid gig is decided claim by claim. Many policies set this limit lower, as little as $200 away from home.
Older wording is stricter. The 1991 form limits property used “at any time or in any manner” for business to $250 away from home, so one paid gig can be enough, and some insurers still use it. Maine's Bureau of Insurance gives the example of taking instruments to a performance: the away-from-home business limit applies, whatever the gear is worth.
| Edition | At home | Away | Counts as business when |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | $2,500 | $250 | Used at any time or in any manner for any business purpose. Paid sideline threshold: None: any trade, profession or occupation. |
| 2000 | $2,500 | $500 | Used primarily for business. Paid sideline threshold: $2,000 in the 12 months before the policy began. |
| 2011 | $2,500 | $1,500 | Used primarily for business. Paid sideline threshold: $2,000. |
| 2022 | $3,000 | $1,500 | Used primarily for business. Paid sideline threshold: $5,000. |
- 1991 edition
- $2,500 at home, $250 away. Used at any time or in any manner for any business purpose. Paid sideline threshold: None: any trade, profession or occupation.
- 2000 edition
- $2,500 at home, $500 away. Used primarily for business. Paid sideline threshold: $2,000 in the 12 months before the policy began.
- 2011 edition
- $2,500 at home, $1,500 away. Used primarily for business. Paid sideline threshold: $2,000.
- 2022 edition
- $3,000 at home, $1,500 away. Used primarily for business. Paid sideline threshold: $5,000.
04 AWAY FROM HOME
In the car, at gigs, on flights and in storage.
The standard forms don't have a general 10% limit for belongings away from home. Your gear is covered anywhere in the world, up to the same instrument cap and for the same named causes as at home.
- In the car: theft from a car counts as theft, up to the same instrument cap as at home. Some insurers' own forms add conditions for a car left unattended.
- At gigs and rehearsals: theft is covered. A knock on stage or a drop during load-out is accidental damage, which isn't.
- On flights: damage from baggage handling is accidental damage. Theft from a checked bag is a named cause.
- In a storage unit: the standard forms pay up to 10% of your personal property limit, or $1,000 if that's more ($1,500 in the 2022 edition).
- At another home of yours, such as a second home: the same 10% limit applies to belongings usually kept there.
05 PAYOUT
What a claim pays.
Actual cash value is the item's value when you lost it, after depreciation. Replacement cost is what a new one costs, and takes an endorsement (ISO's HO 04 90) or a policy that includes it. How actual cash value is worked out varies by state and insurer, especially for used and vintage gear.
Your deductible comes off each loss, however many items it covers. With a $1,000 deductible, a stolen $900 pedalboard pays nothing.
06 SCHEDULING
Scheduling an instrument, and the condition that comes with it.
A scheduled personal property endorsement, also called a floater or rider, lists each instrument with its own amount. Scheduled items aren't held to the special limits and are usually covered for accidental damage as well as the named causes.
The standard schedule's musical instruments class carries a condition: “You agree not to perform with these instruments for pay unless specifically provided under this policy.” If you're paid to play, ask whether your schedule allows it.
07 SPECIALTY POLICIES
What to ask about a specialty gear policy.
Specialty instrument policies are written for gear that travels and earns money. Before you buy one, ask these questions.
- Does it cover professional use: gigs, teaching, sessions and tours?
- Does it cover accidental damage, and theft from a car left unattended?
- Does it cover your gear worldwide, in transit and on flights?
- Does it pay a value you declare for each item, or actual cash value?
- What's the deductible, and does it apply per item or per claim?
08 DOCUMENT IT
Record your gear before you need to.
Whatever covers your gear, a claim goes faster with a record made before the loss. Musicians who've made claims say serial numbers and photos are what make a theft claim workable.
- Photograph each item front and back, and the serial number.
- Write down the make, model, year and serial number.
- Keep receipts, and appraisals for vintage or valuable pieces.
- Store copies somewhere other than your home, such as cloud storage.
- Update the list when you buy or sell gear.
SOURCES
What this guide is based on.
This guide describes the standard forms. It isn't advice about your policy: your policy's wording and your state's rules decide what's covered.
- ISO HO 00 03 05 11, Homeowners 3 – Special Form
Copy hosted by the Maine Bureau of Insurance. Read 10 Oct 2026.
- ISO HO 00 04 05 11, Homeowners 4 – Contents Broad Form (renters)
Copy hosted by the Maine Bureau of Insurance. Read 10 Oct 2026.
- ISO HO 00 06 05 11, Homeowners 6 – Unit-Owners Form (condo)
Copy hosted by the Maine Bureau of Insurance. Read 10 Oct 2026.
- ISO HO 00 03 10 00, Homeowners 3 – Special Form (2000 edition)
Sample hosted by the Insurance Information Institute. Read 10 Oct 2026.
- ISO HO 00 03 04 91, Homeowners 3 – Special Form (1991 edition)
Posted by an insurer in October 2024. Read 10 Oct 2026.
- Dan Corbin, CPCU, “ISO 2022 HO Program”
PIA blog, 14 May 2021. Lists every special limit in the 2022 forms, old and new. Read 10 Oct 2026.
- “Business” property limitations, exclusions and endorsements recap, ISO HO 00 03 03 22
riskeducation.org, October 2022. Read 10 Oct 2026.
- Scheduled personal property form, musical instruments class
Massachusetts Property Insurance Underwriting Association, following the ISO classes. Read 10 Oct 2026.
- Maine Bureau of Insurance, “Insuring Your Home Business”
Consumer guide, January 2017. Read 10 Oct 2026.
- Texas Department of Insurance, “Home insurance policies: replacement cost or actual cash value”
Updated 24 Jan 2024. Read 10 Oct 2026.
FAQ
Common questions
Yes, as personal property, for named causes such as theft and fire, but not for accidental damage. Standard homeowners and renters policies typically cap musical instruments at around $2,000 unless you add a rider. If you play for pay, the cap on that gear is often lower, as little as $200 to $1,500 away from home.
The standard renters form (HO-4) covers your belongings anywhere in the world, for the same named causes as at home. Gear in a storage unit is limited to 10% of your personal property limit, or $1,000 if that's more.
It can be, with a smaller cap. The cap on gear used for paid work is often lower than the usual $2,000 instrument cap, as little as $200 to $1,500 away from home. Older wording counts any business use.
In the standard forms, theft from a car is covered like other theft. Some insurers add conditions for a car left unattended, so check your policy.
Not under the standard HO-3, HO-4 or HO-6 forms, which cover belongings only for named causes. A scheduled instrument or a specialty gear policy usually covers accidental damage.
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