It’s the most wonderful time of the year, but sadly, that also means it’s the time of year when theft increases. From bank robberies and shoplifting, to car break-ins and porch piracy, the holiday season always sees an uptick in theft. If you’ve been the victim of one of these crimes, you might be wondering: Does my insurance cover this?

Let’s take a look at a few different scenarios that happen to people every year.

My car was broken into while I was out shopping and purchases I had already made were stolen from it.

Every year, over $1 Billion of property is stolen from parked cars, and a good chunk of that happens during the Christmas season. The FBI puts the average amount stolen at over $1000, although if you just bought something small and expensive, like jewelry or high-end electronics, that amount could easily be higher.

You might wonder if your car insurance offers any coverage for this. Unfortunately, the answer here is no. Your auto insurance policy provides coverage for many different situations, depending on what you have selected, such as damage to the vehicle, theft of the vehicle, and bodily injury to others (and even yourself depending on the policy, click here to learn more about that.) but it doesn’t cover belongings stolen from your vehicle.

In this case, you would need to go through your homeowners or renters policy to cover this loss. It might sound weird, but most home and renters policies have coverage for property kept away from premises. This can include property you just bought, although it would be smart to keep copies or receipts or credit card statements showing proof of the purchase. In addition, a police report showing that the crime has been committed and has at least been acknowledged by the authorities, if not solved, would usually be required to pay a claim for theft.

Coverage for property kept away from premises is 10% of the contents coverage on your home or renters policy. If you have $100,000 in contents coverage, then you have up to $10,000 in coverage for property away from your home. You also would have your deductible to pay. If you have a $1000 deductible, then your responsibility for the claim would be $1000, and the insurance carrier would pay the rest, up to the limit of coverage.

I had a package stolen from my front porch.

Porch Pirates, as they’re often called, are people who steal recently delivered packages from people front doors, driveways, and anywhere else they see an unattended box. It’s a simple crime of opportunity, but has impacted over half of Americans in the last couple of years.

A package that has recently been delivered is your property, so it would be covered under your home or renters policy. However, as above, your deductible will apply in this situation. Since the package was not away from the premises, the amount of coverage will not be limited to 10% of your contents coverage, however, the reality is that most losses to porch piracy probably fall under your home or renters insurance deductible.

My house was broken into and my Christmas gifts were stolen.

Sadly, burglaries increase around the holidays too, as criminals expect to find more high-value items easily during this time of year. A burglary at any time of year is bad enough, but if you come home to find all the Christmas presents you bought for your family stolen, along with whatever else the thieves felt like taking, you might be wondering what your insurance can do for you.

This situation is similar to the one above. Gifts in your home are your property, and would be covered by your homeowner’s policy like anything else you own, however, it’s important to note that your deductible will apply, and for certain items, there will be limits to how much the policy pays. The most obvious and common example is jewelry. Most homeowners policy have a sublimit on jewelry, around $2,500, which is the maximum the policy will pay for a loss to jewelry that is not scheduled on the policy. If you have purchased any expensive jewelry, or other expensive items as gifts, such as furs, antiques, collectibles, firearms, even fine silverware or musical instruments, you should have it added right away as a scheduled piece of property to make sure its adequately insured.

Scheduled just means that the piece of property has been added by name and description to your policy so it can be insured for a higher value. Usually, a recent appraisal or a receipt from your recent purchase will be required to establish the item’s value, and then you will pay an additional premium on your homeowner's policy. The premium is quite low compared to the value of the item and the total premium on your insurance policy, most likely less than a couple hundred dollars for several thousand dollars of coverage.

So, what should I do?

The best cure is prevention, so if you haven’t suffered a loss from theft, here are some tips to keep you and your property safer.

1. Do not leave valuable merchandise in your car in plain view. If you are going to several stores to shop, bring something to cover your purchases up with while you’re not with your car so that someone looking through your windows is less likely to be able to see what you have.

2. Park in well-lit areas if shopping after dark.

3. Retrieve your packages as quickly as possible from your front door. If no one will be home when your packages are delivered, see if you have a neighbor you trust who can pick up your package for you, or at least take it around to the back of your house where it is less visible.

4. If you don’t have home security cameras, consider adding them. They are much less expensive than they used to be and can be a great deterrent, especially if you have a sign that says video surveillance is in use. Doorbell cameras are a great option, especially since they will also usually notify you that a delivery has been made and they are a very obvious form of video monitoring that may dissuade criminals from making you their target.

5. Don’t leave out large boxes after Christmas that show the products you bought. TVs, Game consoles, and other expensive gifts may come in a very obvious box that shows exactly what was bought. Thieves looking for their next opportunity use empty boxes at the street to lead them to expensive items. Either break down boxes so they are not easily observed from the street, or wait to place them out until the morning of your trash pick up so they are exposed for less time.

But what if I’ve already been robbed?

If you’ve already been the victim of theft, then you will need to make a decision about whether or not it is worth it to file a claim on your insurance. To make this decision, the first thing you need to know is your deductible. If its $1000, then your loss would need to be enough over that amount to be worth starting the claim. Deductibles can be less or more so check your policy or talk to your local agent, if have one.

Then you need to consider that filing claims will most likely cause your insurance rates to go up at your next renewal. If you’ve filed enough claims in the past, then you could even get non-renewed, and have to find coverage elsewhere when your policy expires, which could also cost you a lot more. Usually, it is advisable not to file claims for small losses, even if they are slightly over your deductible. This is again a situation where you can ask your agent for their advice, but you must decide the amount of loss you’re willing to accept and at what point you use your insurance. After all, you buy it for a reason.

If you don’t have an agent you can talk to, give us a call or email. We’ve been serving the Lowcountry for over 40 years and will be glad to share our experience with you when you have a question or concern.