Does homeowners cover a broken television?

There are only two types of TV's that you can drop: a TV that belongs to you, and one that does not belong to you.

Let's deal with the TV that does not belong to you first. Let's pretend you are helping your neighbor move their TV from one room to another. During the process you drop it. Your homeowners or renters insurance includes liability coverage that is usually phrased "Property Damage to Others". This property damage to others usually covers a maximum of $500. However, if your neighbor decides to hold you liable (i.e. take you to court) to replace the TV, the full value would be covered under the "Personal/Family Liability" coverage.

Now let us address your personal TV. A TV is personal property, so you'd have to look under the Personal Property Coverages and Exclusions section of your contract. Most likely, your personal property are covered for what's called "Named Perils". Named Perils are the things insurance companies NAME that you're covered for. "Dropping" isn't a Named Peril.

Your contents could also be covered for what's called "All Risks". This means that you're covered for ALL situations, minus the list of exclusions. The All Risks gives you more coverage. So dropping your TV would probably be covered, if you have the All Risks. Most policies do not have this type of coverage for the personal property.

Your best bet is to verify all of this with your agent, or your state department of insurance.