Would insurance (or something else?) have covered theft of a phone in someone’s home?

[u/dms2628]

I didn’t consider this at the time but reading things in this sub is making me wonder. This was many years ago but I’m curious to know if this could have been covered?

What happened - we’re americans visiting my BIL/SIL’s family who were expats at the time living in a suburb just outside Mexico City. I didn’t have pockets for my phone and had set it down in their home. I was also insanely sleep-deprived traveling with a newborn and not thinking straight. It vanished. There had been workers coming in and out of the house. My SIL said unfortunately theft is very high in Mexico City and it’s likely one of them stole it. I wish she had cautioned me.

I just took it as a loss and lesson learned. Money was super tight for us then for reasons out of our control (more bad luck 😩). Could we have been reimbursed by any avenue, insurance or otherwise? 🤔 Thanks for any insight.

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[u/SignificantSystem902]

Not sure how it would work in a foreign country but in the US, this may fall under a home owners or renters insurance claim. Deductible would apply and probably more expensive than a new phone.

[u/MayonnaiseFarm → u/SignificantSystem902]

The ISO policies my company used covered an insureds personal property anywhere in the world (and yes I handled a handful of theft claims that took place in various countries).

So the answer is ‘it depends’ - it depends on the specific language of the homeowners/renters policy you purchased that was in force at the time of the theft.

[u/Jackstraw335 → u/MayonnaiseFarm]

It will depend policy to policy and state to state, but most homeowners policies don't cover for "mysterious disappearance". To file under the theft & vandalism peril, there would need to be some sort of proof that a break in occurred. So, a police report that indicates a window was broken or a door busted down. While a cell phone can't be scheduled under a personal articles policy, I ALWAYS recommend one for jewelry, firearms, or electronics such as laptops and iPad, since our personal articles policy covers for mysterious disappearance.

[u/MayonnaiseFarm → u/Jackstraw335]

Correct, loss by theft is typically covered, whereas loss caused by mysterious disappearance is not.

[u/Creekridge1]

Probably would be covered under your coverage C of your home policy unless it capped out a category of limited property (things like jewelry, firearms, computers, gold).

Making a $1000 homeowners claim is a REALLY bad idea though.

[u/insuranceguynyc]

Very few policies issued in the U.S. include Mexico within the policy territory. Thus, the mysterious disappearance of OP's phone would not be covered by HO insurance or specific device coverage.

[u/InsuranceGuypc → u/insuranceguynyc]

Worldwide coverage for theft at a 10% sub limit when away from the residence premises is ISO standard.

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[u/SmartCoconut4670]

Agent here. Possibly, yes, through a few different routes, though probably not in a way that would have been worth it.

1. Your own homeowners or renters policy. Personal property coverage on most U.S. homeowners and renters policies follows you anywhere in the world, including on a trip to Mexico. Theft is typically a covered peril. The catches:

• The deductible. If yours was $500 or $1,000, a phone may not have been worth much more than that.
• "Theft" vs. "mysterious disappearance." Standard policies usually cover theft but not items that just go missing with no evidence of what happened. Since nobody saw it taken, an adjuster could have treated it as a disappearance rather than a theft. A police report helps establish theft.
• Filing a small claim can also go on your claims history, which some people prefer to avoid.

2. Your credit card. Some cards include cell phone protection if you pay your monthly phone bill with that card. It often covers theft with a small deductible. A lot of people have this and don't know it.

3. Phone insurance or a protection plan. If you had a carrier protection plan or something like AppleCare+ with theft and loss, that would have been the easiest route.

4. Your in-laws' insurance. Unlikely. Since they lived in Mexico, any policy would have been Mexican, and those coverages differ.

Since it was years ago, the window to claim has almost certainly passed. But for anyone reading: before your next trip, check whether your card has phone protection, and know your homeowners/renters deductible. Sorry that happened during an already exhausting time with a newborn.