What kinds of items can I schedule on an articles floater in Georgia?
What is a scheduled articles floater and how is it different from standard homeowners coverage?
A standard homeowners or renters policy covers personal property, but it applies sub-limits to specific categories, often as low as $200 for coins or $1,500 for jewelry, regardless of what those items are actually worth. A scheduled articles floater (also called a personal articles floater or endorsement) removes those caps by covering each named item at an agreed value.
What kinds of items can be scheduled on a Georgia policy?
Almost any high-value personal possession qualifies. Items commonly scheduled in Georgia include:
- Jewelry, engagement rings, wedding bands, watches, heirloom necklaces, and estate pieces
- Fine art and original paintings
- Furs
- Firearms and gun collections
- Cameras, lenses, and professional photography equipment
- Musical instruments, from acoustic guitars to grand pianos
- Collectibles, coins, stamps, sports cards, and trading cards
- Silverware, flatware sets, and antiques
Specialty items also qualify. High-end audio equipment, wine collections, and certain memorabilia can often be scheduled when a standard policy's built-in limits fall well short of market value.
How does the scheduling process work and what documentation is required?
To add an item, you provide documentation of its value: a recent appraisal from a qualified appraiser, a detailed purchase receipt, or a certified valuation. The insurer then assigns an agreed value, which is the amount paid in a covered loss without depreciation deductions. Most scheduled floaters cover a broad range of causes of loss, including accidental breakage and mysterious disappearance (losing the item with no known cause), and many carry no deductible.
For example, a Georgia homeowner schedules a $12,000 engagement ring on a personal articles floater. Two years later, the ring is lost on a family vacation. Because the policy includes mysterious disappearance, the insurer pays the agreed value of $12,000. Without the floater, the standard homeowners jewelry sub-limit of $1,500 would have been the maximum recovery.
Why do collectors in Georgia need a floater rather than relying on a base homeowners policy?
The Georgia context matters for certain categories. Coin and stamp coverage under a standard homeowners policy typically caps theft losses at $200 under ISO HO forms, which most carriers follow. A Georgia collector with a $20,000 collection insured only under a base policy receives $200 for a theft claim. Scheduling the collection covers the full appraised amount, and the annual premium for a floater is typically a small fraction of the item's value.
For example, a Gwinnett County resident has a sports card collection appraised at $18,000. A break-in results in theft of the collection. The standard homeowners policy pays $200. A scheduled floater covering the collection at its appraised value would have paid $18,000, minus any applicable deductible.
How often should scheduled item values be updated?
For categories where market prices shift, such as gold jewelry, fine art, and certain collectibles, appraisals can go stale quickly. Updating valuations every two to three years keeps the scheduled amount aligned with actual replacement cost. Not every item needs a floater. The decision turns on whether your current policy's built-in limit covers a realistic replacement cost. A licensed advisor can pull your policy's sub-limits and compare them against your actual inventory. Request a free coverage review at olivecover.com/coverage-review and the team will identify which items belong on a floater and what documentation is needed to schedule them.
For the full picture on scheduling, agreed value, and mysterious disappearance, see the jewelry insurance guide.