What is Personal Effects Coverage?
Personal effects coverage is insurance covering the loss of personal property from a rented car. This is a very important type of coverage for several reasons. When renting a car, people often do not take into account their personal belongings and do not realize that items such as cell phones, children’s toys and luggage will be all lost if their rental car is stolen or damaged.
Your individual car insurance may not cover loss of property resulting from damage or theft involving a rental car. That’s why it is very important to understand the individual components of your rental agreement and ensure that personal effects coverage is part of the rental insurance coverage. If it is not part of the rental insurance, is it a component that can be purchased separately?
Also, most homeowner’s insurance policies will not cover anything that is stolen or damaged outside of the home, so it is still important to shop around and find the best personal effects coverage before going on that long trip to the other side of the U.S. or out of the country.
Some homeowners policies or renters insurance do cover items stolen from the car, minus your deductible. The best thing to do is to contact your insurance company and ask for the specifics on your policy. The cost of personal effects coverage when purchased separately can differ depending on the individual’s credit and driving history and in some cases can even be denied. This is why planning is of the utmost importance prior to renting your car.
This content is offered for educational purposes only and does not represent contractual agreements. The definitions, terms and coverages in a given policy may be different than those suggested here and such policy will be governed by the language contained therein. No warranty or appropriateness for a specific purpose is expressed or implied.