Personal Property Coverage: What Counts as "Stuff"?

 

Personal Property Coverage: What Counts as "Stuff"?



Personal property coverage — Coverage C on a standard homeowners policy — pays to repair or replace your belongings after a covered loss like fire, theft, or windstorm. Most insurers set the limit at 50%–70% of your dwelling (Coverage A) amount, so a $300,000 home typically carries $150,000–$210,000 in contents coverage. Inside that total limit, though, several high-value categories are capped much lower.


What's Covered — and What's Capped

Coverage C applies broadly: furniture, clothing, electronics, appliances, sporting goods, and kitchenware are all included, whether they're in the home or temporarily off-premises. Off-premises property — stolen from a car or a hotel room — is still covered, but usually capped around 10% of the total Coverage C limit.

High-value categories are the exception. Jewelry, cash, firearms, and silverware each carry their own "special limit," commonly in the $200–$2,500 range depending on the category and insurer. A $150,000 overall limit does nothing for a $10,000 engagement ring once that jewelry sub-limit is hit.

The Fix Adjusters Recommend: Schedule It

Ask about a denied jewelry claim and the answer is almost always the same: the piece was never scheduled. A scheduled personal property endorsement insures a specific, appraised item at full value, often with no deductible. Blanket coverage does the same for an entire category — "all jewelry," say — without itemizing each piece.

ACV vs. RCV: The Choice That Changes Your Payout

Coverage C also pays out differently depending on how the loss is valued. Actual cash value (ACV) subtracts depreciation, so a 10-year-old TV is reimbursed at its depreciated worth, not today's replacement price. Replacement cost value (RCV) pays to buy a new equivalent instead, usually for a modest premium increase.


ACV is the default on many policies precisely because it's cheaper to write. No "replacement cost" line on your declarations page means assume ACV.

A 2026 Change for Wildfire Survivors

California's SB 495 raised the no-inventory contents payout for wildfire total-loss survivors from 30% to 60% of the Coverage C limit, up to $350,000, effective January 1, 2026. Homeowners with a documented inventory can still claim up to 100%.


The law raises the floor for people without an inventory — it doesn't replace one.

A documented home inventory — photos, serial numbers, receipts — remains the fastest way to prove a claim, and the only way to reach your full Coverage C limit instead of stalling at a sub-limit. Start with the free, regulator-backed NAIC Home Inventory App this weekend, before a claim forces the question.

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