<p>Question: Our insurance agent is telling us that if our daughter takes a car to UA they will have to get a policy written in the state that the car is being garaged in.</p>
<p>They are having someone in Tuscaloosa look at it and they will write a policy for the car.</p>
<p>I don’t know, this just seems crazy to me. I will have a seperate policy for her. They also told me that if she moves off campus she will need to do the same thing with renters insurance. Completely separate from our policy.</p>
<p>We have Allstate. I am dealing with a new agent as our old agent just retired after 50 years.</p>
<p>Figured I would see if anyone could tell me if this sounded right or not.</p>
<p>We are with State Farm and don’t have this issue with her car, but they will not write a policy for the contents of her apartment. They told us to find an agent in Tuscaloosa for that. We were advised her contents were covered by our homeowner’s in the dorm.</p>
<p>Another thing to check is about others driving your car. We don’t allow it, but we would be covered if we did. Some lower cost insurance will not cover anyone else driving the car…check it out first.:)</p>
<p>I just called an Allstate agent in our state out of curiosity. The agent said as long as the vehicle is in the name of the policy holder (parents) it is covered while OOS in college. She said the contents are covered in the dorm under the parents’ homeowners’ policy, but not for an apartment…even if it leased through the school. That is the same line held by our State Farm agent regarding our OOS daughter. I would check with another agent in your area/state.:)</p>
<p>buzy…that doesn’t sound right. When kids are in school, their homes are still the parents’ residence. </p>
<p>I think your Allstate agent is wrong. My older child is going to school in another state, we have Allstate, and we don’t have a separate policy for him.</p>
<p>My insurance agent (State Farm) just confirmed what I thought, which is that both the car (in Tuscaloosa) and D’s personal possessions in the dorm room are covered by our auto and homeowner’s policies, respectively.</p>
<p>That is the position our State Farm agent takes as well. We were surprised it will be different moving to an apartment…even a student complex or through the UA, but they say it does. The local Allstate agent in our state said the same thing.</p>
<p>Anyone have suggestions for a State Farm agent in Tuscaloosa to write a renter’s policy?</p>
<p>Our agent suggested a separate small-deductible policy even in the dorm, since our very high deductible is close to (and possibly exceeds) the value of D’s possessions. He thought it would be in the $90-125 range. I doubt we’ll do it though.</p>
<p>When in doubt, call another agent or the 1-800 number for clarification on what paperwork will be required. The general rule is that OOS students are considered to be in Alabama on a temporary basis and remain full residents of their home state. There is usually no reason to get an Alabama drivers license, license plates, etc. and Alabama taxes should be filed as a nonresident. Some students will try to obtain Alabama residency if they plan to remain after graduation or are trying to obtain instate tuition (the latter does not work in the majority of cases).</p>
<p>Following the Bama boards for DD who is rising HS Junior, but DS just finished freshman year at USC. We got him a policy thru CSI, which is specifically for college students. The rates depend on location and deductible chosen. I believe his was $50 deductible $5000 coverage in LA and was less than $150 for 12 months. We are just about to renew it for the second year. It will even cover his belongings while he studies in Japan this fall.</p>
<p>We had a seperate college policy for our older son through NSSI - it covered all the little electronic things that were under our homeowner’s deductible - ipods, phones, laptops, TVs, video game systems, etc… Also covers dorm room furnishing and clothes but we were worried more about the electronic stuff. You can get a $2,000 policy for like $70 year ($25 deductible) and it covers accidental damage as well (spills and drops). Policies go up to $20K if you want to pay the $. We used the policy a couple of times with my older son - ipod damage from it getting wet and being tossed about in his backpack (so his fault). It pays for replacement cost of the item (does help to have receipts - which we do for all of that electronic stuff). $2K might be a little light for the younger son going to Alabama - might have to bump to $3K. Our homeowner’s policy has a $1,000 deductible so, unless everything of his was gone at one time, nothing he owns meets the deductible. Plus homeowners doesn’t cover damage you cause (I don’t think). Laptop was the main concern…</p>
<p>We have been repeatedly told that you HAVE to buy insurance for vehicles in the state that the vehicle is garaged. We live in HI & S had a car in CA (D will now have a car in CA). We had to buy S his own policy, sold by an agent licensed in CA for insurance that is offered in CA.</p>
<p>We are now following a similar procedure for D. It’s not easy sometimes getting all of this straight. Ideally, it’s best to get things in WRITING, so that if any claim needs to be made, you can point to the language assuring you that you are doing everything correctly.</p>
<p>I need to figure this out for us as well. It is pretty confusing, but so far all the agents I have spoken with are pretty adamant that it needs to be insured by a company who writes policies where the car will be garaged.</p>
<p>Neither the agent I normally work with nor another agent I spoke with last night are authorized to sell any policies in CA. I am not positive what happens if you decide you want to retain ownership of a vehicle that you ship to another state, as we plan to re-title the vehicle solely in D’s name (as we did with S).</p>
<p>We bought a new car for D this summer, and the insurance company (Nationwide) required one of us (the parents and policy holders) to co-own the car. So D and H are both on the title. No doubt we will revisit the issue once she is a bit older, as our liability limits are high.</p>
<p>The car has always only been in HI, but we are told as soon as it leaves HI, we have to get new insurance in the state it will be driven or there will be NO coverage. Insurance is strictly a matter of contract & you have to follow the terms or you have NO coverage which defeats the point of having insurance.</p>
<p>What do you mean that the “car has always been in Hawaii”? In your earlier post, you say that your son had the car in CA (presumably when he was at USC). </p>
<p>I realize that you have to cover the terms of the insurance contract…which is often different by state. Maybe Hawaii policies are only good in Hawaii? </p>
<p>For our insurance (Allstate) in Alabama, as long as the driver’s permanent residence is the parents’ home, then the student’s car is insured, even if he’s going to school in another state.</p>
<p>Our S was in CA–we shipping him a 1992 car (it had always been in HI before we shipped it). This is a different 2006 car, that has always been in HI. We are shipping it to CA for D’s use. This is the car we are interested in insuring at this time.</p>
<p>Our S drove his 1992 vehicle to the East Coast, where it was totaled. He lives & has a full-time job in the East Coast & pays for all things related to his own vehicle. </p>
<p>I’m now talking to a new insurance agent and am VERY confused. The agent is telling me new information.</p>
<p>Just got off the phone & have spoken with a 3rd insurance agent. They say you HAVE to get a policy written in the new state that the vehicle will be garaged/parked in rather than any policy you may have that originally covered the vehicle. It’s best to double-check with your insurer, but so far, I’ve had nearly all agents I have spoken with tell me the same thing.</p>
<p>It will cost us nearly as much to insure D’s car for just 6 months as we are paying for our that vehicle & 2 others to be insured for 12 months in HI. The new policy will be issued noting D’s rental address in CA rather than our homes in HI, since that is where the vehicle will be located & driven.</p>
<p>It’s crucial to be sure any vehicles are properly covered so they will provide coverage in case of any loses or accidents.</p>
<p>Maybe a few states or insurance companies on the mainland have the same rule. Many states here do not require a different policy when a dependent child takes a car to college.</p>
It’s not easy sometimes getting all of this straight. Ideally, it’s best to get things in WRITING, so that if any claim needs to be made, you can point to the language assuring you that you are doing everything correctly.</p>