Most Collectors Assume They’re Covered. Many Aren’t.
A standard home and contents policy is built for furniture and electronics, not a genuine art collection. If you’ve never checked the actual sub-limit on your policy for art and collectables, there’s a good chance it’s far lower than you’d expect.
Standard Contents Policies Cap Out Fast
Based on published insurer information, standard contents policies typically cap art and valuables cover well below what a genuine collection is worth: AAMI at $2,500 per item or set, NRMA at $2,500 total, Budget Direct at $5,000 per item, Honey at $2,000 per item, QBE at $20,000 per item, and GIO/Suncorp between $10,000 and $200,000 depending on tier. A single decent painting can exceed most of these limits on its own.
Where the Gap Usually Is:
- Check your actual sub-limit, not just whether you have “contents insurance.”
- Get a proper valuation if you haven’t had one in the last few years — values move, cover often doesn’t.
- Ask whether specialist fine-art cover is a better fit than a home-policy add-on.
- Understand what security conditions, if any, are attached to your current cover.
The Difference Between Home Insurance and Fine Art Insurance
Specialist fine-art insurers and Lloyd’s-backed capacity — accessed in Australia through brokers such as Aon, Howden, One Underwriting and others — exist specifically because standard home insurance isn’t built for real collections. Chubb, for example, offers dedicated fine-art cover for both private collectors and institutions.
Real Fine Art Cover Exists — and Security Affects It
Security Is Part of How Insurers Price and Assess Risk
Whichever insurer or broker you use, the security you have in place is something they’ll weigh — both in setting your premium and, if you ever need to claim, in assessing what happened. Genuine, properly installed security is a real factor in that conversation, not a formality.
What We Actually Do About This
We Don’t Sell Insurance
ArtworkSecurity is a security technology company. We don’t sell, arrange or advise on insurance — see Security & Your Policy for how the two actually relate under Australian law.
We Do Check Your Physical Security
A free assessment tells you honestly where your current setup stands against what a specialist insurer would expect to see.
We Fix What’s Missing
Sensors, CCTV, alarms, access control, vaults, panic rooms — whatever your collection actually needs.
You Take It From There
Once your security is genuinely sorted, that’s a stronger position to take to your own broker or insurer — we don’t get involved in that conversation.
Conclusion
The first step isn’t switching insurers — it’s knowing where you actually stand. Book a free security assessment to find out.