Ever lent something to someone only to have them lose or destroy it or move to Brazil? Not much you can do about it. Most insurance policies don't offer much protection if something's broken or lost outside the home, and none at all if it's borrowed and not returned (unless you call the police and report it stolen, and even then they might not be sympathetic that you gave it away).

In contrast Friend & Neighbour Loan Insurance will allow you to lend CDs, tools, books, clothes, jewellery and all other goods with complete peace of mind. For a small premium (depending on the value of goods you lend per year), any goods which are not returned for any reason will be replaced. Optionally for valuable objects, the insurance company may choose to send round well-built men with monosyllabic names and smaller vocabularies to ensure their safe return.

Available as a stand alone policy or as an add-on to your existing contents policy, the result will be fewer excuses for not lending, increased sharing and everyone getting more use out of the Earth's limited resources.
-- pottedstu, Jan 11 2002

Maybe this felt like a rant when it was being written, I dunno, but I see a genuinely good idea here. The only catch is that it would necessarily add lots of red tape to the lending process. To prevent fraud, all exchanges (both outbound and inbound) would need to be carefully documented with date, time, intended duration of loan, property value involved, etc. The lawyers would have a heyday with lending contracts.
-- BigBrother, Jan 11 2002


A further problem that I would have is that I don't remember I lent someone something until I come to need it myself (often years later in the case of books) and then I can't for the life of me remember who I lent it to. And of course there's also the chance that it's underneath that pile of junk in the basement that I must get round to sorting out sometime.

Anyone seen my video of Kolya, did I lend it to any of you lot?
-- Gordon Comstock, Jan 11 2002


This would work better if the policy protected others who lent items to the policy holder which were never recovered.

eg. if you fail to return an item, your policy will cover the replacement value, and your premium will increase.

Risk assessment would be dependent on the integrity of the lendee, not the lender. The lendee should assume the cost of the premium.

Each policy holder would have a lend-return rating, similar to a credit rating.
-- waugsqueke, Jan 11 2002


Explain the purpose of the well built men with monsyllabic names and smaller vocabularies again...

Sounds to me like just the sort of people that lonely housewives hope to find on their doorsteps. Letter carriers and pool cleaners might have to strike for higher wages.
-- ye_river_xiv, Feb 13 2010



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