Homeowners insurance does not guard against porch pirates

‘Tis the season of the porch pirate, as consumers report that millions of packages are stolen off porches and doorsteps as they rely on internet shopping more and more.

A study from InsuranceQuotes.com released this month found 8% of respondents in a nationally representative survey of more than 1,000 people have had packages stolen.

The question from MarketWatch.com readers on Monday is timely: Does homeowners insurance cover the stolen goods?

Most basic apartment and homeowners insurance policies do not cover package theft, a spokesman for InsuranceQuotes told MarketWatch. “While consumers can add riders to protect high-value items like a specific set of china, valuable art, or wedding rings, the value of packages is constantly changing so it’s difficult to insure against them. This changes if you have a small business, however,” MarketWatch reported.

There are some ways to manage the risk, according to MarketWatch.

One way to combat porch pirates is “to choose a delivery option that requires a signature, track the package, and contact neighbors and ask if you can leave the package with them,” according to MarketWatch, which also suggests homeowners use lock-box services like Amazon Key, Box Lock and Landport for delivery workers.