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I had a set of keys stolen from my house. One of them was an electronic key that controls the door locks on my car. I want to change the locks on my car to protect it against another theft. Who should pay for this? Would the my home insurance policy pay or would my personal car insurance policy cover changing the locks?
Since this case involves both the home insurance policy and the car insurance policy, each contract needs to be reviewed.
Since locks are a part of your car (as opposed to items left inside your car), a standard home insurance policy will not pay for their replacement. The policy excludes articles specifically insured under other insurance policies, such as car insurance. The key is covered under your car insurance.
Your personal auto policy (PAP) pays for "direct and accidental loss" to your covered autos and equipment. Presuming that the keys are part of the auto or its equipment, PAP will pay for the loss of the keys. However, there's an exclusion on the physical-damage section of the policy that excludes coverage for "electronic equipment that reproduces, receives or transmits audio, visual or data signals" unless such equipment is necessary for the normal operations of the auto. For example, if the ignition keys and the electronic device are linked together as part of one indivisible item, that entire item is necessary for the operation of the car, and its loss would be covered by your auto policy.
But you're out of luck when it comes to changing the locks. Your policy pays for direct and accidental loss to a covered auto. This is not consider a direct or accidental loss, it's more of a safety measure. Therefore, your car insurance policy will not pay for changing the locks.
It makes sense that you want to protect your property from a possible future loss, but the insurance contract is not meant to apply to such activity.
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