The short answer
Musical instrument insurance protects instruments and related gear against theft, damage and loss, at home and away. A home or tenant policy may cover a hobby instrument as ordinary belongings, often with limits, while instruments used for paid work frequently need scheduling or a separate policy. Rentals, touring and gear left in vehicles or venues each bring their own conditions. A licensed broker can match the cover to how the instrument is played.
- Parents renting or buying a band or orchestra instrument for a student
- Amateur players with a few good guitars, a piano or a drum kit at home
- Gigging musicians who load gear into a car for bars, weddings and festivals
- Music teachers and session players whose instruments are tools of the trade
- Players who fly with an instrument for tours, auditions or summer programs
4 licensed brokers in the network handle this. In Alberta, Canada, a request for musical instrument insurance can be offered to up to three of them, chosen because they are licensed for this line and place. They are test brokers while we are in demo.
See the brokers → Outside Alberta, Canada you can prepare and save a request today; sending opens place by place. Brokers answer with their own quotes. Broker.insure does not quote, advise or take commission.
01 / What it covers
The parts worth understanding
Cover under a home or tenant policy
Instruments kept for enjoyment are usually treated as contents, sometimes with special limits for theft or certain kinds of property. Check whether a limit applies per item or to all instruments together.
Scheduled or floater cover
Listing an instrument with its value on a schedule, often called a floater, can broaden what is covered, such as accidental damage, and extend cover outside the home.
Professional use
Many personal policies exclude or sharply limit property used to earn income. If you are paid to play, teach or record, ask whether a working musician's policy or a business endorsement is needed.
Rented and borrowed instruments
A rental contract may make you responsible for loss or damage. Ask whether your own policy covers property you rent or borrow, and compare that with any damage waiver the rental shop offers.
Travel and touring
Whether cover follows an instrument abroad, onto a flight or into a hotel, and what happens if an airline damages a checked case or a courier loses a shipment.
Vehicles, venues and rehearsal spaces
Theft from an unattended vehicle and gear left overnight at a venue or shared rehearsal room are common exclusions or conditions. Ask exactly what is required, such as a locked trunk or attended loading.
Amplifiers, cases and accessories
Amps, pedals, PA systems, bows, cases and recording equipment can be added to a schedule or blanket limit. Leaving them out can leave a gap after a break-in.
02 / Get ready
Bring this, and expect these questions
Gather
- A list of each instrument with maker, model, serial number and year where known
- Receipts, appraisals or valuation letters from a luthier, technician or dealer
- Photographs of each instrument, including labels, serial numbers and any distinctive wear
- The rental contract or school program agreement for any rented instrument
- How much of your income comes from playing, teaching or recording, if any
- Where the gear is kept: home, a rehearsal space, a studio or a vehicle
- Your travel plans, including flights, tours or long stays outside Canada
- Who owns shared band gear, such as a PA, a drum kit or other backline
- Your home or tenant policy wording on instruments, business property and special limits
A broker will ask
- What instruments and gear do you own, and what is each one worth today?
- Do you earn any money from playing, teaching, recording or renting out gear?
- Is anything rented or borrowed, and what does the contract say about loss?
- Where is the gear kept overnight, at home and when you are away?
- Do you leave gear in a vehicle, even for a short stop?
- Do you fly with instruments, and are they carried on or checked?
- Is any of the gear owned jointly with band mates?
- When was each valuable instrument last appraised?
Not sure of an answer? Leave it. "Not known yet" is a fine answer, and a broker will help you fill it in.
03 / Build your request
Answer a few questions. Get your own list.
Pick what fits. Your answers shape the list beside them, and they are saved to your request as plain facts a broker can read. "Not sure yet" is always a fine answer.
04 / Three situations
See which one sounds like yours
A parent renting a clarinet for school band
A grade six student starts school band in September and the family rents a clarinet through a local music store. The rental form offers a damage waiver, and the parents are unsure whether their home policy already covers a rented instrument that goes to school every day.
First steps. Read the rental agreement for who pays if the clarinet is lost, stolen or dropped. Ask the broker whether your home policy covers rented property away from home, and compare that answer with the store's waiver before signing.
A wedding band guitarist with a car full of gear
A guitarist plays about forty weddings and corporate events a year, carrying two guitars, a pedalboard and an amplifier in his hatchback. After a gig he often stops for food on the way home with the gear still in the car.
First steps. List each item with serial numbers and current values, and describe a typical gig week. Tell the broker the work is paid, then ask whether a musician's policy covers theft from a locked vehicle and what conditions apply to gear left at a venue.
A band sharing a rehearsal room
Four musicians share a rented rehearsal room in an industrial bay, where they leave a drum kit, a PA, keyboards and three amplifiers between sessions. The drummer owns the kit, the PA was bought together, and nobody knows whose policy would respond to a break-in.
First steps. Make a single inventory showing who owns each item, and get a copy of the lease for the rehearsal space. Ask the broker whether jointly owned gear can sit on one policy, and how cover works for property left away from home overnight.
05 / Words you will hear
The jargon, in plain words
- Floater
- A policy or endorsement that covers movable property, such as instruments, wherever it goes, usually with each item listed and given a value.
- Business property exclusion
- Wording in personal policies that removes or limits cover for items used to earn income, which can catch paid musicians and music teachers.
- Damage waiver
- An optional fee in a rental contract that reduces what the renter owes if the instrument is damaged. It is not insurance and carries its own terms.
- Unattended vehicle condition
- A policy rule limiting theft cover for gear left in a parked car, often requiring it to be locked and out of sight, or excluding overnight periods.
- Luthier
- A craftsperson who builds and repairs stringed instruments. A luthier's written valuation is often what insurers look for on a valuable guitar, violin or cello.
- Backline
- The amplifiers, drum kit and other stage equipment a band uses behind the performers. Shared or rented backline raises ownership questions at claim time.
06 / Common mistakes
What trips people up
- Assuming the home policy still covers an instrument once you start playing paid gigs or teaching.
- Leaving gear in a parked car on the way home from a show.
- Insuring a vintage instrument for what you paid decades ago rather than what it would cost to replace today.
- Signing a rental agreement without reading who pays when the instrument is lost or damaged.
- Forgetting the amp, pedals, bow and case when listing what you own.
- Checking an instrument onto a flight without first asking what the policy says about air travel.
Ready when you are
Turn this into one clear request.
Save it, add what you know, and choose when to send it. A licensed broker who handles musical instrument insurance takes it from there.
07 / Questions people ask
Straight answers
Does home insurance cover musical instruments?
Often, for instruments kept as a hobby, though the limits and the causes covered vary. Some policies cap certain items, and many exclude or limit property used to earn money. Cover away from home may also be restricted. Read the contents section and any special limits, then ask a broker whether scheduling or a separate policy fits how you play.
Do I need different insurance if I play professionally?
It is worth asking. Many personal home and tenant policies limit or exclude property used for business, and getting paid to play, teach or record usually counts. Working musicians often look at policies built for players, which can include gear in vehicles, at venues and on tour. A broker can compare what each option covers and leaves out.
Who pays if a rented instrument is damaged?
Often the person who signed the rental agreement, unless the contract or a damage waiver says otherwise. Waivers can have their own limits and exclusions, such as theft from a vehicle. Your home policy may or may not cover property you rent. Read the agreement and ask a broker before school starts or the first lesson.
Is my instrument covered when I fly or tour?
It depends on the policy. Some scheduled or musician policies cover instruments worldwide, including in transit, while home policies may limit cover away from home or outside Canada. Airlines set their own rules and liability limits for damaged baggage. Before a trip, ask the broker for the travel terms in writing and keep photos of the instrument and case.
Do I need an appraisal for my instrument?
For valuable or vintage instruments, a written appraisal from a qualified luthier, technician or specialist dealer gives the insurer a clear basis for value. Prices for some instruments rise over time, so an old appraisal can leave you underinsured. For everyday instruments, a receipt and photographs may be enough. Ask the broker what each insurer expects.
Is gear stolen from my car or a venue covered?
Sometimes only with conditions, and sometimes not at all. Policies may require the vehicle to be locked with gear out of sight, exclude overnight theft from an unattended vehicle, or limit cover at venues and rehearsal spaces. Tell the broker exactly how you load in, travel and store gear between gigs, and ask which conditions apply.
General information, not insurance advice. Broker.insure is a directory and request service: it is not an insurer and does not quote, bind or advise. Policy terms, availability and what is required where you live depend on your situation and on licensed professionals. Updated 2026-10-31.