Would my laptop be covered under my existing home or motor vehicle insurance?
It may be possible to claim your stolen laptop under your home contents insurance policy. A laptop can be added to your policy under your contents items, depending on the type of policy you have in place.
You can also add individual specified valuables for full replacement coverage should you choose to. Keep in mind that if your laptop is a ‘business’ laptop, it may need to fall under a business insurance policy and may not be covered under your personal home insurance policy.
It’s important to ensure you have vehicle insurance in place so that you are not left out of pocket should something happen to your vehicle during a theft. This could be as simple as replacing a damaged interior, broken windscreen, or a few stolen items, or as serious as replacing your whole vehicle if it is destroyed in a theft.
Our comprehensive car insurance policy allows our customers to claim up to $1,000 for personal property damaged in or stolen from your vehicle. This includes your laptop where it is not used to earn an income. The comprehensive policy covers you if your personal laptop has been damaged in an accident, or if it has been stolen from your locked car. This policy also covers items such as baby capsules which are damaged during a theft, and trailers.
It’s up to you and dependant on your personal needs what type of policies you take out for your vehicle and your home. However, do remember that you can only claim for the theft of your laptop on one of these policies, not both.
What to do if your laptop is stolen
If your laptop is stolen, there are a few things you can do quickly to minimise the fallout:
- Report the theft to police and make sure to note the report number down. You will need this police report to lodge an insurance claim.
- Access your accounts from a different source and change your passwords and login details. This includes emails, social pages, and bank sign in. This will help to prevent identity theft and theft of your funds and information if the thief is able to log into your computer.
- Lodge your insurance claim. Have on hand your policy number, police report, and any proof of ownership such a receipt and photos.
Preventing theft of your laptop
If you have a laptop right now, consider engraving this so that it is more difficult to on-sell should it be stolen. Keep a copy of the receipt and serial number. And remember not to leave any valuables inside your vehicle, especially not within sight. If you must leave your laptop in the car, ensure to put it inside your boot out of sight before you arrive at your destination so an observant thief doesn’t know it’s there.
If you’d like to find out more about Home Contents insurance and insurance for your laptop, contact CGU today on 13 24 81.
