You run a popular YouTube channel dedicated to paranormal investigation. You and your crew travel with Pelican cases full of high-end gear: full-spectrum DSLRs, REM pods, thermal imaging cameras, and digital audio recorders. The equipment totals over $15,000.
For your next video, you decide to investigate an abandoned, famously haunted 19th-century asylum. At 2:00 AM, while filming in the basement, you hear a crash upstairs. You run up to find the back door kicked in. Thieves watched your flashlights from the road, broke in, and stole the Pelican cases containing $10,000 worth of thermal cameras and lenses. You file a theft claim with your renters insurance.
The Brutal Truth: Why Standard Policies Deny This Claim
You are violating two of the most heavily enforced exclusions in property and liability insurance: the Business Pursuits Exclusion and the Illegal Acts Exclusion.
First, because you are filming this for a monetized YouTube channel, the equipment is considered commercial property. Standard HO-4 Renters Policies exclude personal property used for business.
But even if it was just a hobby, the location destroys your claim. Investigating an abandoned asylum without explicit, written permission from the property owner or the city is Criminal Trespassing. Insurance policies absolutely will not cover losses (theft, injury, or property damage) sustained while the insured is committing a crime. If you were trespassing, your gear is uninsurable.
The Platform Promise vs. Reality
If you think YouTube’s Creator support or a Patreon insurance tier will help you, think again.
YouTube is merely a hosting platform. Their Terms of Service explicitly require creators to obey all local laws. If they discover you are monetizing content gained through illegal trespassing, they are more likely to strike your channel and demonetize the video than they are to reimburse you for stolen thermal cameras. You are entirely on your own.
How to Actually Protect Yourself (The Fix)
“Urban exploration” and ghost hunting are high-risk activities. You must treat this like a legitimate commercial film production.
- Get Written Permission (Location Releases): You must obtain written, legally binding permission from the property owner to be on the premises. If you have a signed location agreement, you defeat the Illegal Acts/Trespassing exclusion.
- Buy an Inland Marine (Equipment Floater) Policy: To cover $15,000 of highly mobile electronics used for income, you need a commercial Equipment Floater. This covers the gear anywhere in the world, against theft, drops, and mysterious disappearance.
- Secure Commercial General Liability (CGL): If you are running around an abandoned hospital and one of your crew members falls through a rotted floorboard, you will be sued. A CGL policy protects your LLC from bodily injury claims on film locations.
The Claims Adjuster’s Secret
If you file a claim for stolen gear at an “abandoned” location, we will ask for the police report. To legitimize a theft claim, the police must be involved. If you refuse to file a police report because you are terrified the cops will cite you for trespassing, I will deny the insurance claim for Failure to Cooperate. You cannot claim theft without notifying the authorities.
The Verdict (TL;DR)
The Risk Level: High (Taking expensive gear into unsecure, abandoned buildings guarantees theft or damage). The Solution: Secure commercial equipment floaters and never enter a location without a signed property release. Estimated Cost: $200 to $400 annually for a commercial inland marine policy.
Ghosts can’t steal your cameras, but trespassers will; insure your gear commercially and get the permits.