When your child leaves for college, it’s a period of profound change that can be a challenging adjustment. Many moving parts and checklists must be completed for this new life experience. One item you should add to your list is speaking with your insurance provider to ensure your student still has coverage while they are away.

Understanding How Homeowners Insurance Extends to Your Student

Fortunately, most homeowners insurance policies will extend to your student’s belongings while living on campus. Some insurance providers may have a list of requirements to qualify for coverage. These criteria may state that your child must be a full-time student, live on campus, be under the age of 24 and be a relative of the insured on the homeowners policy. However, even if your homeowners insurance policy extends to your student, the coverage limits may not be enough if your student has high-value items, such as gaming devices, computers and other electronics.

Homeowners insurance also may not extend its coverage to your student if they live in a house or apartment off campus. Instead, consider helping them obtain a renters policy. A specified renters insurance policy can provide robust coverage for personal belongings, as well as liability protections and additional living expenses coverage.

Renters Insurance Coverage

Renters insurance typically includes the following three coverages:

1. Personal possessions coverage can help protect your student’s belongings, such as furniture, electronic devices and other possessions, against covered perils such as fire, theft and vandalism. This coverage can help cover the cost of replacing or repairing them up to the policy’s limits; however, as noted previously, particularly expensive items such as laptops and jewelry may require additional insurance to be covered adequately. Talk to your agent about any high-value property.
2. Liability protection coverage can help cover lawsuits for bodily injury or property damage for which your student is responsible.
3. Additional living expenses coverage can help pay hotel and food bills if your student’s residence becomes uninhabitable due to a covered event.

Value of Renters Insurance

Renters insurance is a valuable and affordable investment for college students. Renters insurance is a relatively inexpensive coverage with some premiums as low as $10 a month. The payments will typically be low, especially compared to what it would cost to replace expensive items out of pocket. In this exciting phase of life, renters insurance grants peace of mind, ensuring students can focus more on their studies and less on the burden of unexpected financial setbacks.

Contact Your Agent Today

Review your homeowners coverage with your agent to understand how coverage may extend to your college student. Your agent can help you understand what is and isn’t covered, coverage limits and potential gaps that may necessitate renters insurance for college students.

Every year, storms are responsible for knocking over or breaking off limbs of numerous trees. Unfortunately, sometimes, a limb or tree falls on our house or other property. Cleaning up the damage from a storm can be a difficult task, both physically and emotionally. And things can become especially tense when you discover that it’s your neighbor’s tree that damaged your house.

To make matters worse, many homeowners are surprised to discover that if a neighbor’s tree falls on their house, it’s usually their own homeowners policy—not their neighbor’s—that will cover the cost of the damages. What follows are general guidelines for who pays what in various situations. However, you should also check your homeowners policy for coverages and exclusions. (Click here to learn more about homeowners insurance policies)

Your Property, Your Policy

Generally speaking, if your property is damaged, you are responsible for the damages. It doesn’t matter if the tree or limb came from your property, your neighbor’s property or even municipal property. Keep in mind that a windstorm isn’t anyone’s fault; it’s an act of nature. If a tree does damage your property during a windstorm, your policy will cover the damages. After all, that’s why you purchased a homeowners policy. To protect yourself against unforeseen losses like a tree damaging your house.

Their Property, Their Policy

It might seem unfair that if it’s your neighbor’s tree that damages your home, you should have to pay. Fortunately for you, that standard applies both ways. If a storm rolls through and your tree falls and damages your neighbor’s house, his or her insurance is going to cover the damages.

Negligence and Liability

So far, these scenarios have been fairly straightforward. But what happens when it wasn’t a storm that made the tree fall? Instead, your neighbor’s tree was hollowed out from years of disease, and he’d neglected to do anything about it. In fact, it was so diseased that you expressed your concern to your neighbor that it might topple over and damage your property. Unfortunately, one day, that’s exactly what happens. What then?

Your insurance carrier is still going to be the one paying your claim. However, if you can prove your neighbor knew that the tree was diseased and that he or she neglected to fix it your insurance carrier would probably attempt to collect from your neighbor’s insurance. If your carrier is successful, you could be reimbursed for your deductible.

Remember, though, this rule also applies the other way. If you have diseased or damaged trees on your property and they damage your neighbor’s house, he or she can try to prove your negligence. Your property is your responsibility. So it’s best to inspect your trees every year for signs of disease or damage. If you’re not sure what you’re looking for, consider having a professional arborist examine your trees.

Other Structures

If the tree doesn’t damage your house but instead damages your fence, are you still covered? Generally, you are. Most homeowners policies distinguish between two different kinds of structures on your property. The “dwelling” refers to your house and any attached structures (like an attached garage), as well as any fixtures attached to the house. “Other structures,” including detached garages, sheds, fences or gazebos, are also insured, but typically only for 10 percent of the coverage on your dwelling.

Vehicles

If, in the aftermath of a storm, you discover that a tree has fallen on your car, your homeowners policy doesn’t apply. Instead, you’ll be looking at your auto policy. If you have comprehensive coverage on your vehicle, your auto insurance carrier will pay for the damages, after you pay your deductible. The same rule would apply to a guest’s car. Hopefully, he or she took out comprehensive coverage, too.(Click here to learn about auto insurance)

Removal and Cleanup

What if the tree fell but didn’t hit anything? Would you be covered for removal costs? If the fallen tree blocks a path to your front door or driveway, then many homeowners policies would pay for removal. Generally, the maximum coverage is around $500. If the tree simply falls in the middle of your yard, your policy likely wouldn’t cover it. Unless the fallen tree damaged insured property, there is no loss to file a claim for.

Replacement

Replacing the trees themselves can be more complicated. Trees that have fallen due to wind damage may or may not be covered, so it’s best to check with your broker. Most policies offer limited coverage for trees that have fallen due to fire, lightning, explosion, theft, vandalism, malicious mischief or aircraft. Amounts and exclusions will vary. It’s important to read your policy and check with your broker if you have any questions.

Making Sure You’re Covered

Hopefully, your trees grow and endure. In the event that they fall, it’s important to know that you’re covered. Contact our office today to make sure that you have sufficient coverage for whatever might blow your way.