Does home insurance cover theft in Texas?

If something has been stolen from your home or your car, or you want to know where you'd stand if it were, this guide walks through what the Texas Department of Insurance (TDI) says about theft and home insurance, and which parts of your own policy to check.

The short version. In Texas, TDI lists theft among the risks that most home insurance policies cover in its Home insurance guide, and adds that coverages vary by company. The same guide says personal property coverage pays if things you own are stolen, and that home policies limit what they pay for things like jewelry and art.

Here's what we'll cover: which part of a home policy TDI says pays for stolen belongings, what TDI says about items taken from a car, what its renters column says about belongings while traveling, the limits that may apply to jewelry and other categories, how a theft claim may be paid, why a home inventory matters, and what TDI says about vacant houses. Your own policy's terms decide what applies to you, so use this guide to find the right questions and your policy to find the answers.

What TDI says about theft and personal property coverage

Theft appears on TDI's list of risks that most Texas home insurance policies cover. In its Home insurance guide, TDI's table of common risks puts theft in the column of damages most policies cover, alongside fire and lightning, explosion, and vandalism. TDI adds in the same place that coverages vary by company, and says to read your policy or talk to your agent to be sure of your exact coverages.

The guide says most home policies in Texas include six coverages, and it describes one of them this way: "Personal property coverage pays if your furniture, clothing, and other things you own are stolen, damaged, or destroyed." TDI's Home insurance glossary defines personal property as all tangible property, other than land, that is temporary or movable in some way, and gives furniture, jewelry, and electronics as examples.

The guide also explains where the limit on that coverage may come from. It says home policies usually pay a percentage of your dwelling coverage limit to repair or replace your furniture, clothes, and other property. In TDI's own example, a house insured for $100,000 under a policy that covers property at 20% of that amount would have personal property insured for up to $20,000.

In plain terms, belongings stolen in a burglary would generally be a personal property matter as TDI describes that coverage, subject to your policy's terms, limits, and deductible. Because that limit may be a percentage of the amount your house is insured for, it can be worth comparing it with what your belongings would cost to replace.

Theft from your car, and what TDI says about belongings away from home

When a car is broken into in Texas, TDI treats the car and the belongings inside it as two separate questions. Its tip sheet Auto theft and insurance: How to protect your ride, last updated 8/29/2025, says this about the car: "If your car is stolen, or someone breaks into it, your auto insurance will probably cover the damages if you have comprehensive coverage."

On the belongings, the same tip sheet says: "If thieves take a laptop or other personal items from your car, that's probably covered by your home or renter's insurance." It follows that sentence by saying you'll need to check your policy to see what's covered.

TDI describes coverage for belongings away from home in a column about renters insurance. Renters insurance covers belongings after theft or disaster, dated June 2026, says of the personal property coverage on a renters policy: "Covers your belongings – even items stolen out of your car or while you're traveling." That column is about renters policies and does not address home policies, so whether and how far a home policy covers belongings away from home is something to confirm in your policy or with your agent.

Both of TDI's sentences about car break-ins are hedged with the word probably. They describe policies in general, and your own policy's wording sets what is covered and up to what amount.

When a car break-in may involve two policies

Reading TDI's auto and home guides together, our view is that a break-in that damages a car and takes belongings from it may involve an auto policy and a home policy, each with its own deductible. This is our reading, not a statement TDI makes. The Auto insurance guide says you must pay a deductible for collision, comprehensive, and uninsured/underinsured motorist claims. The Home insurance guide says that if you have a home claim you must meet a deductible, which it defines as the amount of a claim that you must pay yourself, and that you might have different deductibles for each type of coverage.

Neither guide describes a theft that involves both a car and its contents. If both policies respond, a deductible may apply on each. Both TDI guides say the declarations page of a policy summarizes its deductibles.

Limits on jewelry, art, and other categories

A home insurance policy in Texas may pay less for some kinds of stolen property than its overall personal property limit suggests. TDI's Home insurance guide says: "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.

TDI's renters column, not its home guide, gives dollar figures for category limits, and they are for renters policies. Renters insurance covers belongings after theft or disaster, dated June 2026, says some policies limit payments for certain kinds of property, and continues: "Common limits are $100 for cash, $2,500 for items used for business, and $500 for jewelry and watches." Those figures describe renters policies, and the column does not say they apply to home policies. Your own policy states any category limits and their amounts.

For adding coverage, the Home insurance guide says most companies offer endorsements, or policy add-ons, that let you increase or add coverage. Among common endorsements it lists coverage for jewelry, fine arts, or electronics, noting that your policy provides some coverage but it might not be enough to cover expensive items. TDI's Home insurance glossary defines an endorsement as a written agreement attached to a policy that expands or limits the benefits otherwise payable under it.

For a theft claim, a category limit can mean the policy pays up to that limit for the items in the category, even when the overall personal property limit is higher. Comparing those limits with what you own is something you can do at any time. If jewelry is the category on your mind, is jewelry insurance worth it in Texas goes through it in more detail.

How a theft claim gets paid

What a Texas home policy pays on a theft claim depends in part on whether it settles personal property at replacement cost or actual cash value, and on the deductible. According to the Home insurance guide, home policies provide either replacement cost coverage or actual cash value coverage. It describes replacement cost coverage as paying to repair or replace your house and personal property at current prices, and actual cash value coverage as paying replacement cost minus depreciation, which it defines as a decrease in value because of wear and age. TDI's Home insurance glossary adds that replacement cost is limited by the policy's maximum dollar amount.

For stolen belongings, that means an older item settled at actual cash value may be paid at less than the price of a new one.

The deductible then comes off the claim. In the home guide's own example, on a $1,000 claim under a policy with a $300 deductible, the insurance company deducts $300 and pays $700.

On timing, the claim tips in the Home insurance guide say to tell your company as soon as possible, and that most companies have deadlines for you to file a claim. The same tips say that to get full payment you may need to prove to the insurance company that you replaced destroyed items, and that receipts will help you do this. Those tips are written for home insurance claims in general and do not single out theft.

A home inventory before a theft

A home inventory is a record of what you own, and TDI says going without one could slow a claim payment. The tip sheet A home inventory: Why you need it and how to do it, last updated 8/18/2023, puts it this way: "Not having a home inventory could delay your claims payment." It adds that most insurance companies will want a record of your lost or damaged items before they will pay a personal property claim, and suggests asking your agent what documentation is needed.

The tip sheet describes one way to make an inventory. It says you can use your 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 to note tools, lawn equipment, and sporting goods. It also says many insurance companies have apps or online forms for home inventories.

The two TDI pages give slightly different storage advice. The tip sheet says to store your inventory away from home with a family member or close friend, or to keep it online in cloud storage or email, and to update the list whenever you make big purchases. The Home insurance guide says to keep the list and receipts for major items in a fireproof safe or at another location, and to include, if you can, the date you bought each item, its value, and its serial number.

TDI's inventory advice is written for home insurance claims in general. We think it matters for theft in particular because the stolen items are gone, so a record made beforehand may be the main evidence of what you owned.

Vacancy and other limits to check

A vacant house is one situation where TDI says a Texas home policy may not pay for a loss. In the Home insurance guide, TDI's table of risks that most policies don't cover includes: "Losses that occur if your house is vacant for the number of days specified by your policy". TDI notes with that table that coverages vary by company. The table lists this for losses in general and does not single out theft.

The same guide returns to vacancy in its list of reasons a company may nonrenew a policy. There it says most companies stop your coverage if your house is vacant for 60 days or more, that they usually don't stop your liability coverage, and that if you plan to be out of your house for an extended time you should talk to your company to make sure your coverage continues.

If a home will stand empty for a stretch, such as during a renovation or while it is for sale, the number of days in your policy's vacancy wording is the figure to find. For the wider picture, what home insurance doesn't cover in Texas walks through the exclusions as a set.

Key facts

TDI's Home insurance guide lists theft among the risks most home policies cover, and says coverages vary by company and to read your policy or talk to your agent to be sure of your exact coverages.
The same TDI guide says most home policies in Texas include personal property coverage, which it describes as paying if your furniture, clothing, and other things you own are stolen, damaged, or destroyed.
TDI's Auto theft and insurance tip sheet says personal items taken from your car are probably covered by your home or renter's insurance, that damage to the car will probably be covered by auto insurance if you have comprehensive coverage, and that you'll need to check your policy to see what's covered.
TDI's Home insurance guide says home policies limit what they pay for things like jewelry and art, and that most companies offer endorsements that let you increase or add coverage.
TDI's renters insurance column, dated June 2026, says some policies limit payments for certain kinds of property and gives common limits of $100 for cash, $2,500 for items used for business, and $500 for jewelry and watches. Those figures describe renters policies.
TDI's home inventory tip sheet says not having a home inventory could delay your claims payment, and that most insurance companies will want a record of your lost or damaged items before they will pay a personal property claim.
TDI's Home insurance guide lists losses that occur while a house is vacant for the number of days specified by the policy among the things most policies don't cover. In its list of reasons a company may nonrenew a policy, it says most companies stop coverage if a house is vacant for 60 days or more, though they usually don't stop liability coverage.

Sources: Texas Department of Insurance, Home insurance guide, Auto theft and insurance: How to protect your ride, Renters insurance covers belongings after theft or disaster, A home inventory: Why you need it and how to do it, Home insurance glossary, and Auto insurance guide. This page is general information, not legal advice.

Take the next step

There are two steps you can take before any loss. Read the personal property limit and any category limits in your policy against the things you own. Then walk through your home with your phone, record each room and the serial numbers of electronics and appliances, and store the result away from home.

If you want more on the coverage involved, what personal property coverage covers on Texas home insurance goes through the limit and how payment works. What is a home insurance deductible in Texas covers deductibles. If you rent, renters insurance in Texas covers personal property on a renters policy. If a break-in also damaged your car, our guide to comprehensive and collision car insurance in Texas explains the auto side.

Get a second opinion on your policy — free. Credify is a licensed insurance agency in Texas that helps you compare home insurance from roughly 20 licensed Texas carriers, so you can see whether your personal property coverage fits your needs. It takes a few minutes, and there's no obligation. 📞 Talk to Credify 24/7.

Credify is a licensed insurance agency in Texas. License TX #3309669 · NPN 21516523.

We compare quotes from multiple licensed Texas carriers; each insurer has sole responsibility for its products.

Coverage varies by insurer. Please review policy documents for complete details.

Compare quotes from multiple licensed Texas carriers at credify.com — or talk to Credify 24/7: (512) 640-2609.

Browse all Texas insurance guides

Credify is a licensed insurance agency in Texas (License #3309669 · NPN 21516523).