Video monitoring and insurance: what documentation helps

Why insurers care about monitoring

An insurer prices risk. A property where someone is actively watching and responding is a different risk from one where a camera records to a hard drive.

VDS notes that an increasing number of commercial insurance carriers require documented surveillance and monitoring systems as a condition of coverage or favorable premium rates. Requirements differ by carrier and policy, so treat this guide as a starting point for a conversation with yours.

Recorded versus monitored

These are not the same thing to an underwriter. Many commercial insurers view documented active monitoring more favorably than passive recorded CCTV when assessing risk profiles and setting premiums.

• Recorded. Footage exists if someone goes looking for it after a loss.
• Monitored. Events are detected, reviewed by a person and responded to. Each one is logged.

What a monitoring record contains

All events monitored by VDS and the responses to them are logged and documented. For a security incident that means:

• Video footage of the event
• A timestamp
• An incident report describing what happened
• A log of what the operator did: audio warning, calls made, police contacted

How the record helps after a loss

A verifiable record supports an insurance claim in the event of a loss. It also provides documentation for claim defense in a tenant dispute or liability action, which matters to storage operators and property managers.

For dealerships, repeat incidents can drive premium increases. A documented response shows an insurer what was done about each one.

Questions to bring to your carrier

• Do you require surveillance or monitoring for this policy or property type?
• Do you treat live monitoring differently from recorded CCTV?
• What documentation do you want to see after an incident?
• Would documented monitoring affect my premium or deductible?
• Is there a required retention period for footage?

We recommend discussing the specific impact with your insurance provider. VDS can supply a description of your monitoring setup to share with them.