Luke Gelineau, Author at Equipment & Production Insurance

The Process for Filing an Insurance Claim

August 5, 2025 by Luke Gelineau

I’ve been blogging about production insurance for a long time, and I can talk about insurance premiums and coverage types until I’m blue in the face. At the end of the day, the insurance claim is where the rubber meets the road. It’s the part of an insurance policy that nobody wants to talk about, but it’s obviously the only reason that insurance exists in the first place!

What if something goes wrong or somebody gets hurt? What if you damage some production equipment or it gets stolen? You would need to file an insurance claim, so let’s talk about how we do that.

Submitting an Insurance Claim Does Not Admit Fault

The most important part about filing an insurance claim is to remember one thing – You are NOT admitting guilt when you file a claim.

I have clients tell me all the time that something happened on set, but it’s not their fault. They don’t feel they should file the claim. They want to wait around for the other party to handle it. I understand this thought process. However, all that you are doing when you file a claim is alerting your insurance company that there has been an issue. We can tell them when we submit it that you weren’t at fault and they will go after the at-fault party directly. They will understand. It’s their job to fight for you and your company. They want to make sure you get treated fairly, so why not let them know as soon as possible so they can join the process early on?

Keep Your Documents

Once you report the claim, you will have to answer quite a few questions from the adjuster. They will want to see your records.

Proofs of Purchase
Receipts
Pictures
Invoices
Police Reports
Medical Bills
Any Other Documentation on File

If it is a claim for damage to rented equipment, they are going to ask to see a copy of the certificate of insurance and a rental contract. Make sure you keep all of this stuff on file somewhere, because you never know who’s going to need it!

Once the insurance company has all of the information they need, they start investigating the incident to determine who was at fault and who gets paid. This process can sometimes take a while. It could take around 30 days from first notice to final payout. Some claims even last longer if it turns into a protracted legal battle. Nobody enjoys handling insurance claims. They are almost never easy, and they usually take longer than you want, but it’s the most important part of an insurance policy, so we all want to make sure it gets handled correctly.

Remember that you should never be ashamed or bashful to report an incident to your insurance agent. Keep in mind that it’s one of your responsibilities as the insured to report claims to your agent promptly. If you are filing a report on something that happened a few months ago, it might be difficult for us to explain the tardiness to the insurance company.

It’s my goal as an insurance agent to make the claims process as quick and painless as possible. If you need more information on film production insurance, check out Important Information on Insurance for Film Equipment Rental Houses.

Luke Gelineau Insured Productions on short-term production insurance

Here at Equipment and Production Insurance, you can count on us to give you the honest answers and quick service for all of your production insurance needs. We want to help you see your business succeed. Contact Us Today with any questions you have, and let us help you choose the insurance that is right for you!

Happy 4th of July From Insured Production & United Agencies!

July 1, 2025 by Luke Gelineau

On behalf of all of us at United Agencies, wishing you a day of fun and happiness as you celebrate with family, friends and loved ones.

May your July 4th holiday be filled with joy and prosperity!

Enjoy and please stay safe!

We want to help you see your business succeed! Contact us anytime with any questions you have, and let us help you choose the coverage that is right for you.

Why Homeowners Insurance Is Not Enough: Spotlight on Production Equipment Insurance

June 14, 2025 by Luke Gelineau

Most of my clients would like to know how to save money on their production equipment insurance premium. I get where you’re coming from! You already paid a lot of money for your expensive production equipment. Why wouldn’t you want to know if you can cover it without spending a bunch more money?

Does Your Homeowner’s Policy Cover Production Equipment?

One of the most common questions I get on this topic is whether or not it’s possible to cover production equipment under your homeowner’s insurance or renter’s insurance policy. After all, those types of policies cover the items inside your house, like your furniture, television, etc., so why can’t they cover your production equipment?

Unfortunately, the answer is “no.” Your homeowner’s or renter’s insurance policy can not properly cover your production equipment. There are several reasons why.

It’s the Wrong Type of Insurance

Your homeowner’s or renter’s policies are known as “personal insurance policies.” They only cover the items that you own or operate for personal use. This would include homes, apartments, and cars, among others. These policies are NOT meant to cover the things that you use for your business. If you had a vehicle that you rented out to studios, or if you used a grip truck for your productions, then there’s no way that GEICO, Allstate, or any of those other companies would want to insure it. The same goes for your production equipment.

Homeowner’s Insurance Only Cover Items INSIDE Your Home

Even if you are able to find a personal insurance carrier willing to cover your production equipment, your homeowner’s policy only covers equipment permanently located inside your home. It is a homeowners policy, after all. This type of policy does not extend to items used outside of your home. It might cover items used primarily in your home but momentarily taken out. However, that would not apply to your production equipment.

For example, if you had a TV and you took it to your friend’s house, damaging it in transit, then it might be covered by your personal policy. However, that is because you primarily use your TV inside your home. You cannot say the same for your camera or your lights.

Personal Insurance Carriers Don’t Understand the Entertainment Industry

Suppose you do find a personal insurance carrier that is comfortable insuring production equipment. (I’ve never heard of one!) You also have to make them understand the entertainment industry. Very few insurance carriers, even commercial insurance carriers, are comfortable insuring the entertainment industry. The concept of studios or production companies renting your equipment and covering it under their insurance is foreign to them. Also, the idea of you renting from others by putting it under your insurance is just foreign. They understand the concept of you using your own items, but when you start introducing other companies, other insurance policies, and a bunch of rental contracts, it gets way too confusing for them.

You Need Production Equipment Insurance

I understand the desire to save money, but you have to make sure that you are properly insuring yourself at all times. Don’t cut costs by using an insurance company that doesn’t understand your needs. Make sure you have the required production equipment insurance to avoid any future problems.

If you have any questions about this topic or want to know how we can help you save money, give me a call!

Myth & Fact: Third Party Property Damage & General Liability

May 5, 2025 by Luke Gelineau

Myth: General Liability Insurance covers damage done to my locations during filming.

Fact: Damage to your locations is NOT covered by general liability insurance. Instead, it falls under Third Party Property Damage.

Over the years, I have heard a lot of statements from customers like this one:

“I’m really only concerned about damage to my locations. So, can you write up a General Liability policy? That way they will be covered.”

I always have to break the news to them that General Liability does NOT cover damage to their locations. What they really need is Third Party Property Damage Insurance.

What is Third Party Property Damage Insurance?

Third Party Property Damage covers damage done to locations over which you have the care, custody, or control. For example, if somebody is letting you film in their house, restaurant, or studio, they have given care over to you. Once you have custody and control, you assume the responsibility for any damage.

From my previous blog on General Liability Insurance, you know that it covers damage to third party sites. The difference is subtle, but once you take control of a location, it’s no longer a third party. The building next door to your location would be a third party and covered by General Liability. The locations upstairs or downstairs from you would also be covered by General Liability. However, the actual location where you are filming is NOT covered by General Liability.

Why do locations ask for General Liability if it doesn’t cover damage to their property?

Well, there’s a couple reasons for that.

First, they ask for it because they need coverage for any General Liability claims brought to them because of your filming operations. If somebody is walking by their location and they tripped and fell on an extension cord, they could sue the location themselves for allowing you to film there. Your General Liability coverage would extend to them in this case. If you set up a light outside their window and it falls backward and damages the building next door, that building owner might go after your location owner for damages. It is very important that you provide General Liability coverage for your location.

The second reason that locations ask for General Liability is misinformation. They ask for it because they think it covers their property. The person who owns the home where you’re filming is obviously not an insurance expert, so they just ask for the most popular type of insurance coverage. Most of them mistakenly think that it’s what they need to cover damage to their house.

It’s up to you as the carrier of the insurance to be clear that the policy you’re providing does not cover damage to their location. They might ask that you add the coverage, which you can. The cost is actually very small. Once you do, sit back and rest easy knowing you own the proper coverage.

Call me and let me show you how you can add Third Party Property Damage to your General Liability policy.

Luke Gelineau

Do THEY Have Adequate Insurance Coverage?

April 6, 2025 by Luke Gelineau

I’ve written quite a few blog posts at this point, and most of them are talking about how YOU need to make sure that you have adequate insurance coverage.

I’ve gone over everything from Workers Comp to Third Party Property Damage and everything in between. However, we haven’t talked about an important aspect of insurance: Making sure OTHER PEOPLE have adequate insurance coverage.

Read the Fine Print on the Insurance Certificate

I have a client who operates a rental house so he can rent his film equipment to others. He does some film productions of his own but the rental house business generates some nice side income. We cover his insurance needs for both businesses so he has what he needs. However, we can’t control the insurance policies of everyone that rents his equipment.

Unfortunately, he recently rented out his equipment to somebody whose policy contained an exclusion known as the “Unattended Vehicle Exclusion.” This exclusion states that the insurance policy doesn’t cover equipment kept in an unlocked car or that’s left unprotected. The bad thing was that my client didn’t know that he needed to ask about that. He had no idea that the exclusion was going to come back to haunt him later. He figured that he got a proper certificate and that’s all that’s needed, right?

I’ve already written a blog post about what rental houses should look for in a certificate. In there, I explain why it is essential that you’re on top of what your client’s insurance policy says. In this case, my client was thankfully insured by his own policy. But now his insurance company is paying out almost $80,000, and they are not going to be renewing his policy due to the increased claims.

Need More Information on Insurance Coverage?

Make sure you carefully review certificates and have a strong rental agreement, or you could be out $80k as well! Feel free to call me with any questions on insurance certificates and rental house insurance.