Now that your beloved child is heading off to college, you may be wondering how this momentous event will affect your life. One element of your life that sending your child off to college may impact is insurance. While the impact a new college student may have on personal insurance is more obvious, you should also keep your homeowners insurance in mind. A question that is probably looming on your mind is whether your new college student will still be covered by your Shelburne home insurance.
Will Your College Student be Covered by Shelburne Homeowners Insurance?
The vast majority of college students go to campus with many pricey items in tow. Some of these items include expensive laptops, tablets, smart phones, and flat screen TVs. Not to mention that most college students bring their entire wardrobe when they head off to college. Without a doubt, a lot is at risk when you send your child off to college.
Risk of Damage or Loss of Valuable Items
Not only is it possible that these items will be lost on your child’s way to college, but it is also possible that these items could be damaged at college. Theft and house parties are both incredibly frequent on college campuses, so your child should be prepared to lose any of these items to theft or damage. Also, many college students happen to be incredibly clumsy or just careless, even if they spent their own hard-earned money on their personal belongings.
Therefore, if your child is heading to college this upcoming school year, now is the perfect time to review your Shelburne homeowners insurance so that you know where you stand should tragedy strike. It can be incredibly stressful to find out that your child isn’t covered after the loss or damage of a pricey item. Anything can happen, so it’s best to be prepared.
Reviewing Your Shelburne Homeowners Insurance
Depending on where your student plans to live, he or she may or may not need their own insurance policy. If your student plans to live in an apartment off-campus, they will need their own renters insurance plan. However, if your student lives in a dorm or apartment on campus, you are more likely to be in luck. Your home insurance policy may cover the loss or damage of your child’s personal property. This even could apply if your student is studying abroad as they are still technically “on campus.”
Home insurance policies should apply in the event of theft, fire, vandalism, and many other occurrences that would be covered if your child were at home. However, don’t be surprised when your insurance company refuses to cover clumsy mishaps, such as spilling coffee on a laptop.
Reduced Coverage Away from Home
Sometimes, a home insurance policy will only cover a percentage of the full coverage that you and your student enjoy at home. For example, a policy may cover up to $100,000 worth of personal property in the house. However, the same policy may only cover 10% of that $100,000 for personal property in your child’s dorm. There may even be caps for certain types of property like electronics and jewelry. Ensure that you check your home insurance policy before you make any assumptions.
If your child is going to move out of your house for college in the near future, you may want to sit down with your family and review your Shelburne homeowners insurance policy. That way, you will know exactly what to expect if your child ends up losing or damaging his personal property while at college.
If you are moving to Massachusetts you can keep your home covered by contacting our friends at Charles River Insurance. Their flexible policies and great service will make homeowners insurance one less thing to worry about during the move!
This material is for informational purposes only. All statements herein are subject to the provision, exclusions and conditions of the applicable policy. For an actual description of all coverages, terms and conditions, refer to the insurance policy.