Events and production

Film equipment and kit insurance

Reviewed by the Apex broking team · Last reviewed 2026-10-29

Film equipment insurance covers loss of or damage to cameras, lenses, lighting, sound and grip kit you own or hire in, usually on an all risks basis. It matters because hire agreements commonly make you liable for the full replacement cost and lost hire charges.

Part of: Events and production insurance

Owned and hired-in equipment are different risks

Film and photography kit is usually insured on an all risks basis, meaning loss or damage from any cause not excluded. The key decision is what you are insuring: kit you own, kit you hire in, or both.

Hire companies commonly ask for a certificate showing hired-in equipment cover, sometimes with their interest noted. Read the hire terms: some make you responsible from collection to return regardless of fault, and for hire charges while the item is out of use. Cover is subject to the insurer's acceptance and the policy terms. See all risks vs named perils.

Theft from vehicles: the claim most often disputed

Theft from vehicles is one of the commonest equipment losses, and the one where conditions matter most. Policies commonly say kit left in an unattended vehicle is covered only if:

• the vehicle is locked, with windows and roof closed;
• the kit is out of sight, often in a locked boot or a load area with no windows;
• there is visible evidence of forced entry;
• it is not left overnight, or between set hours, unless the vehicle is in a locked building or secure compound.

Some wordings exclude theft from unattended vehicles altogether, or apply a lower limit or higher excess. Check before a shoot that involves hotel stays or long drives.

The Insurance Act 2015 limits how strictly insurers can apply some of these terms. Under section 11, where a term is designed to reduce the risk of loss of a particular kind, at a particular location or at a particular time, the insurer cannot rely on a breach to refuse the claim if you show the breach could not have increased the risk of the loss that actually happened. It does not help where the breach was relevant, such as leaving kit visible in a car overnight when it was stolen overnight. See terms not relevant to the actual loss.

Illustrative claims

These examples are illustrative, not real claims.

1. Kit stolen from a van overnight. A camera package is taken from a crew van parked on a hotel car park overnight. The policy excludes theft from unattended vehicles overnight unless the vehicle is in a locked building, so the claim is likely to fail. The hire company still invoices for replacement and lost hire.
2. Drop on location. A lens is knocked off a tripod during a set-up and the glass cracks. An all risks policy commonly covers accidental damage, less the excess, if the lens is on the schedule or within the hired-in limit.
3. Theft from a locked boot. A drone and controller are stolen from the locked boot of an estate car during a lunch stop, with the window smashed. Forced entry is clear and the kit was out of sight, so the claim is more likely to succeed.

Sums insured, average and transit

Insurers usually expect the sum insured for owned kit to reflect the full replacement value. If it is too low, some policies reduce claims in proportion under an average condition; see underinsurance and average. Keep an up-to-date list with serial numbers, and add new purchases as you buy them.

• Territory. Policies may cover the UK only, Europe or worldwide. Check before filming abroad.
• Air travel. Checked baggage often carries restrictions or exclusions for fragile or high-value items.
• Couriers. Kit sent by courier may need goods in transit cover; see goods in transit insurance.
• Single high-value items. A single article limit can cap a claim for one expensive camera body or lens unless it is listed.

What equipment policies usually exclude

• wear and tear, gradual deterioration and cleaning or adjusting;
• mechanical or electrical breakdown, unless caused by an insured accident; see electronic equipment insurance;
• theft from unattended vehicles outside the conditions above;
• unexplained disappearance or shortages found at stocktaking;
• loss of data or footage, which usually needs a separate faulty stock or data section in a production package;
• drones in flight, which commonly need specialist hull and liability cover; see drone insurance.

Under the Insurance Act 2015, a business must make a fair presentation of the risk before cover starts. Tell the insurer how you store kit overnight, whether you hire it out to others and where you film.

Equipment insurance inside a production package

For a single production, equipment cover is often one section of a wider production package, alongside props and sets, third-party property, liability, cast and errors and omissions. Owner-operators and kit hire businesses more often buy a standalone annual equipment policy, sometimes with public liability. If you hire your kit out to other people, tell the insurer: many policies exclude kit while it is hired out unless that has been agreed.

See film and TV production insurance for the full package and media errors and omissions for content cover.

How Apex helps

Apex arranges insurance for events and film and TV production. A broker reads each enquiry and comes back with options, with no fee for a quote; cover is subject to the insurer's acceptance and the policy terms. To quote we need your business activities, turnover, location and claims history, plus an equipment list with values, the maximum value of hired-in kit, how kit is stored and transported, where you film, and whether you hire kit out.

See also our events and production insurance page.

Sources

• Insurance Act 2015, section 11 (legislation.gov.uk)
• Insurance Act 2015, contents including Part 2: the duty of fair presentation (legislation.gov.uk)

Frequently asked

Apex Insurance Brokers Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Registered in England and Wales, company number 07014570. This page is general information, not advice on your individual circumstances, and it does not guarantee that cover will be available or on what terms.