Loss of Personal Belongings cover

If you’re a car-owner, having your car stolen is probably one of your worst nightmares. And this situation can be even worse if a lot of your possessions have been stolen along with your car.  

When you have an Own Damage or Comprehensive Car Insurance policy, you might be able to find some comfort, as your insurance will have your back and help you by covering the value of your vehicle.  

However, you might be wondering “What about all my personal belongings that were left in the car when it was stolen?”. Will a bag of clothes or footwear left behind in the car be covered by your car insurance in the case of a theft? Well, if this is something you are asking yourself, read on to find out more:

Irrespective of you having a comprehensive policy, standalone own damage policy or a third-party car insurance policy, you won’t be covered for theft of personal belongings from the vehicle unless you have availed the add-on cover of loss to personal belongings. 

*Having at least a Third-party insurance is mandatory in India as per the Motor Vehicles Act.

To see how exactly this works, let’s look at two situations:

While a personal belongings cover might come at a small additional premium, there are a lot of benefits of having this cover.

• Protect your Things: Get protection for  Personal Belongings you carry around in your car in the case of physical damages and theft
• Ease your financial burden: If the worst happens and your personal belongings are stolen or damaged, you know that you will be financially don’t end up spending anything extra from your pocket 
• Peace of Mind: This add-on will help you ensure that you have some peace of mind even after you have already had an unpleasant experience and lost your things  

However, you should keep in mind that your possessions won't be covered in some situations, such as: 

• if they are lost due to your own negligence (like if your car’s doors and windows were not locked)  

• the incident was not reported to the police in time  

• Any loss or damage to personal baggage of a consumable nature. 

If you're ever in a situation where your vehicle has been stolen, we understand that you’ll be in shock; but you must start the theft claims process as soon as you can: 

Here is what you need to do:

• Step 1: File an FIR at the nearest police station
• Step 2: Inform your insurer of the theft.
• Step 3: Inform the regional Road Transportation Office (RTO) that your vehicle has been stolen. They will need to transfer ownership of your vehicle. 
• Step 4: Make sure you have all the relevant documents, like the copy of the FIR, your policy documents, the claims form, your driving license, your car’s registration certificate (RC), and the transfer papers from the RTO. 
• Step 5: Get a “no-trace” report from the police to show that your car is still missing.
• Step 6: Transfer the RC of the stolen vehicle, the keys, and the original invoice to your insurance company. 
• Step 7: And that’s it! Your insurance company will then reimburse you with the approved amount.  

If your car hasn’t been stolen, but someone has broken in and taken your belongings, you still need to follow a similar car insurance claim procedure. 

However, instead of contacting the RTO, you will need to document any damages to your vehicle and your belongings and submit that to your insurer. 

Now that you know whether or not your car insurance covers the theft of personal belongings, hopefully, it will help you protect yourself better against any situations where they can be stolen. 

And after all, you have a car insurance just for such times, so that you don't have to cover the expenses all on your own. Your insurance will help you to make everything a whole lot more bearable as it will have your back! 😊