Somewhere Neutral for a While

A collection is safest when nothing is happening. During a renovation there are strangers in the house daily. During a move it is in a vehicle. During a dispute it may be somewhere neither party trusts. These are the periods with the highest risk and the least planning.

Insurance is the part that most often lapses during a transition. A policy covering items at a residence may not follow them into temporary storage, a move or somebody else's house, and the gap opens precisely during the period the items are most exposed.

• Renovation, when contractors have daily access to the property.
• A move between homes, especially interstate.
• A sale in progress, with viewings by prospective buyers.
• A dispute where both parties need to know where it is.
• An extended absence, particularly a seasonal one.

A renovation means trades in the property daily, doors propped, alarms disabled while work proceeds, and a changing group of people who have legitimate access. It is the highest-risk period a house has, and it lasts months.

It is also entirely predictable, which makes it the easiest risk to plan around. Moving valuables out before the work starts costs very little relative to the project.

1. 01Take in on a documented inventory with photographs.
2. 02Hold for as long or short a period as you need.
3. 03Release only on the authority you set, in writing.
4. 04Log every access, and provide the log on request.
5. 05Return on a documented condition check.

If a South Florida home is closed for the season, that is exactly the period to move a collection out. An empty property is the least supervised it will ever be, and it is also when the insurer's conditions are most likely to be technically unmet.

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