Reviewed and approved by Samuel Corso, licensed Texas insurance agent.

Published August 17, 2026 · Updated October 1, 2026

What does personal property coverage cover on Texas home insurance?

A home insurance policy covers more than the building. This guide explains the part of a Texas home policy that pays for your belongings, using Texas Department of Insurance (TDI) consumer pages for the facts.

The short version. TDI's Home insurance guide describes personal property coverage on a home insurance policy in Texas this way: "Personal property coverage pays if your furniture, clothing, and other things you own are stolen, damaged, or destroyed." The same guide says home policies usually pay a percentage of the dwelling coverage limit for belongings, limit what they pay for things like jewelry and art, and that coverages vary by company.

Here's what we'll cover: which risks TDI lists as covered and not covered, how the limit may be set, how a personal property claim is paid, the limits on valuables, how to make a home inventory, and how renters, condo, and mobile home policies fit in. What any individual policy covers depends on its own terms, so use this as a guide to the questions to ask and your own policy for the answers.

What TDI says personal property coverage covers, including theft

Personal property coverage is the part of a Texas home policy that applies to your belongings, and TDI's Home insurance guide lists it as one of six coverages that most home policies in Texas include. TDI's Home insurance glossary defines personal property as tangible property, other than land, that is temporary or movable in some way, such as furniture, jewelry, and electronics.

The guide's table of risks is about home policies in general, covering the house and property together, and TDI introduces it by saying that coverages vary by company and that you should read your policy or talk to your agent to be sure of your exact coverages. With that caveat, the table reads as follows.

Theft appears on TDI's list of risks that most policies cover, next to fire and vandalism, and TDI's one-line description of personal property coverage includes belongings that are stolen. Whether a particular theft loss is covered still depends on the terms of your own policy.

One entry in the second column concerns a vacant house. TDI's table describes it as "Losses that occur if your house is vacant for the number of days specified by your policy". In a separate section of the same guide, on reasons a company may nonrenew a policy, TDI writes: "Your house is vacant for 60 days or more. Most companies stop your coverage if your house is vacant for that long." TDI adds there that companies usually don't stop liability coverage, and suggests talking to your company if you plan to be out of your house for an extended time, to make sure your coverage continues. TDI does not say that 60 days is the number of days in the table row, and each policy states its own number.

How much personal property coverage you have

The personal property limit on a Texas home policy may be tied to the amount of insurance on the house itself. TDI's Home insurance guide explains: "Home policies usually pay a percentage of your dwelling coverage limit to repair or replace your furniture, clothes, and other property. For example, say you insure your house for $100,000 and your policy covers your property at 20% of that. Your personal property would be insured for up to $20,000."

The 20% and the dollar amounts are TDI's example figures and should be read as an illustration only. In a policy built this way, the personal property limit comes from the dwelling amount, so it may or may not match what your belongings would cost to replace.

To find your own figure, look at the declarations page. The same TDI guide describes it as the first page of your policy, with a summary of your coverages, dollar limits, and deductibles. The guide also says each type of coverage has a dollar limit, and that if you don't have enough coverage after a total loss you'll have to pay the difference yourself.

So how much do you actually need?

How much personal property coverage you need on a Texas home policy depends on what you own, and TDI's Home insurance guide points to a list of your belongings as the way to work it out: "A complete list of your property will help you decide how much coverage you need and will make filing claims easier."

TDI's guide does not give a recommended percentage for personal property. In plain terms, the comparison to make is between the personal property limit on your declarations page and your own estimate of what it would cost to replace your belongings. For building that list, the same TDI guide suggests photographing or videotaping each room, including closets, storage buildings, and your garage.

How TDI says personal property claims are paid

A personal property claim on a Texas home policy may be paid in two stages if the policy has replacement cost coverage. TDI's Home insurance guide says the insurance company will make the check out to you when you have to replace clothes, furniture, and other personal items, and then describes the payments: "If you have replacement cost coverage, you'll get two checks. The first will be for the actual cash value of the items. Actual cash value is the cost to replace the item, minus depreciation. After you've replaced the item, the company will give you a check for the rest of your claim amount."

In plain terms, under that description the first payment reflects the depreciated value of the items, and the remainder follows once the items have been replaced. That means you may need to pay for replacements before the second check arrives. The claims section of the same guide advises keeping receipts, because to get full payment you may need to prove to the insurance company that you replaced destroyed items.

The type of coverage matters here. TDI's guide says home policies provide either replacement cost coverage or actual cash value coverage, that replacement cost coverage pays to repair or replace your house and personal property at current prices, and that actual cash value coverage pays replacement cost minus depreciation, which it describes as a decrease in value because of wear and age. The guide's advice is to make sure your policy has replacement cost coverage. TDI's tip page Home policies: Replacement cost or actual cash value?, which uses a roof as its example and is about the home in general, says policies with actual cash value coverage cost less but also pay less when you have a claim.

To find out which type of coverage applies to your belongings, you can read your policy or ask your agent.

What TDI says about limits on jewelry and art

A Texas home policy may limit what it pays for certain kinds of valuables. In the words of TDI's Home insurance guide: "Home policies limit what they'll pay for things like jewelry and art." It follows that with a suggestion to talk to your agent about adding more coverage if you own expensive jewelry, art, or other items.

More coverage can be added through endorsements. According to the guide, most companies offer them, and it describes them as policy add-ons that let you increase or add coverage, with jewelry, fine arts, or electronics among the common ones, noting that your policy provides some coverage but it might not be enough to cover expensive items.

The guide does not say how these limits relate to the overall personal property limit. You can read your policy or ask your agent what limits apply to your valuables.

The home inventory

A home inventory is a record of what you own, and it supports both choosing a personal property limit and documenting a claim. TDI's tip page A home inventory: Why you need it and how to do it says that not having a home inventory could delay your claims payment, and adds: "Most insurance companies will want a record of your lost or damaged items before they will pay a personal property claim." The page also suggests asking your agent what documentation is needed to make a claim.

TDI's two pages describe how to make an inventory.

• Use your phone. TDI's home inventory page says you can use a smartphone to take pictures or video of each room, open closets and drawers, record serial numbers of items like appliances and electronics, and include the garage or shed.
• Or use an app. The same page says many insurance companies have apps or online forms for home inventories, and that the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) has a free NAIC Home Inventory app.
• Record the details. TDI's Home insurance guide says that, if you can, you should include the date you bought each item, its value, and its serial number, and that this is especially important for expensive items. The guide also mentions TDI's Home Inventory Checklist.
• Store it away from home. TDI's home inventory page suggests storing the inventory with a family member or close friend, or online in cloud storage or email. The Home insurance guide suggests keeping the list and receipts for major items in a fireproof safe or at another location.
• Keep it current. The home inventory page recommends updating the list regularly whenever you make big purchases.

The storage step matters because an inventory kept only inside the home could be lost in the same event that damages your belongings.

Prevention, and the discount conversation

Protecting your belongings from theft and asking about discounts are both covered on TDI's tip page How to save on home and car insurance by staying safe. Its list of ways to protect your property includes keeping doors and windows locked, installing deadbolts, turning on outside lights at night, closing the garage door, and being home when packages are delivered or having them delivered somewhere secure.

On discounts, the same page notes that some insurance companies offer them for steps like these, and that companies might offer discounts for home alarm systems and fully monitored outdoor cameras. Each company decides what discounts to offer and the amount of the discount, according to TDI's Home insurance guide, which adds that you might be able to get a discount if you have a monitored burglar or fire alarm system.

Because discounts differ by company, you can ask your agent or company whether any apply to security features you already have.

Renters, condo, and mobile home policies

Personal property coverage is also part of renters, condominium, and mobile home insurance in Texas, according to the descriptions in TDI's Home insurance guide. Renters insurance, in the guide's description, covers your clothes, furniture, and other personal property if they're stolen or damaged while you're living in a rented house or apartment. It won't pay to fix the building, which the building owner's policy does.

For dependents, the guide adds that you might not need renters insurance, because your parents' home policy might cover your property even if you're not living at home. Condominium insurance is described as covering your personal property and the interior of your unit, and mobile home insurance as covering the mobile home, your personal property, and additional living expenses.

Put simply, a renter's policy is about belongings and the owner's policy is about the building, going by TDI's description. If a family member is away at school, the parents' agent can say whether their policy covers that person's belongings.

What to check before you need it

Checking personal property coverage on a Texas home policy takes a declarations page, a conversation with your agent, and a home inventory. These are steps you can take.

• Find the personal property limit. TDI's Home insurance guide says the declarations page summarizes your coverages, dollar limits, and deductibles. Compare the limit with what your belongings would cost to replace.
• Check the type of coverage. Ask whether your belongings are covered at replacement cost or actual cash value.
• Ask about limits on valuables. If you own expensive jewelry, art, or other items, TDI's guide suggests talking to your agent about adding more coverage.
• Make the inventory. Take photos or video, record serial numbers, and store a copy away from home.
• Ask about discounts. Mention any alarm system or monitored cameras you already have.
• Plan ahead if the house will be empty. TDI's guide suggests talking to your company before an extended absence to make sure your coverage continues.

Key facts

• TDI's Home insurance guide lists personal property coverage as one of six coverages that most home policies in Texas include, and describes it as paying if furniture, clothing, and other things you own are stolen, damaged, or destroyed.
• The same TDI guide lists theft among the risks most policies cover and losses while a house is vacant for the number of days specified by the policy among those most policies don't cover, and says coverages vary by company.
• According to TDI's Home insurance guide, home policies usually pay a percentage of the dwelling coverage limit for personal property; its example is a house insured for $100,000 with property covered at 20%, or up to $20,000.
• If you have replacement cost coverage, a personal property claim is paid in two checks, according to TDI's Home insurance guide, the first for actual cash value and the second after you've replaced the item.
• TDI's tip page Home policies: Replacement cost or actual cash value?, which is about the home in general, says actual cash value policies cost less but also pay less when you have a claim.
• Home policies limit what they'll pay for things like jewelry and art, and most companies offer endorsements that let you increase or add coverage, per TDI's Home insurance guide.
• TDI's home inventory page says not having a home inventory could delay a claims payment, and that most insurance companies will want a record of lost or damaged items before paying a personal property claim.
• TDI's Home insurance guide lists a house vacant for 60 days or more among the reasons a company may nonrenew a policy; TDI says most companies stop coverage in that case, though they usually don't stop liability coverage.

Sources: Texas Department of Insurance, Home insurance guide, A home inventory: Why you need it and how to do it, Home policies: Replacement cost or actual cash value?, How to save on home and car insurance by staying safe and Home insurance glossary. This page is general information, not legal advice.

Take the next step

Before you compare policies, know the personal property limit on your declarations page, whether your belongings are covered at replacement cost or actual cash value, and what limits apply to your valuables.

If a storm rather than a burglary brought you here, how to file a hail or storm damage claim in Texas covers the claim steps, and how the wind and hail deductible works explains how that deductible is calculated. If you're setting coverage from scratch, how to choose home insurance in Texas walks through choosing a dwelling amount.

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