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Insuring your College Student
We've had quite a few inquiries about students at school. Is all that dorm stuff covered? How about laptops? Here are some things to consider:
Do they Need Tenants Insurance?
As long as your son or daughter is living in a dorm on campus, your homeowners coverage will provide coverage for the items that they take to school. If they rent an off campus apartment, there is usually a 12 month lease. Since apartments are not considered a temporary residence, they will need tenants insurance to coverage their personal property and liability.
How about laptops?
Laptops tend to be the most popular claim scenario on college campuses. Whether its stolen, a cup of coffee lands on it, or there is a power surge - you want to be sure you have the proper coverage. Laptops should be scheduled on the homeowners policy for all risk coverage.
Do I delete them from the car insurance?
NO. Auto insurance provides benefits while your child is at college. If they are driving a friend's car or are injured as a passenger or pedestrian - your auto policy will respond. We DO NOT recommend deleting them as a driver. There are credits available if your child is away at school over 100 miles or has a GPA over 3.0. Give us a call to discuss the credits available.
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So I Hired This Contractor..... 
That's usually how the phone conversation starts and what comes after that is never a good thing. There are plenty of contractors out there. What makes them different is determined by the time that the homeowners put into it. Here are some tools to make your home improvement projects go smoothly:
Get a Referral. Begin the search for a contractor by asking a neighbor, friend or family member for a referral. Ask them about the quality of their work, their work schedule, and professionalism.
Go look at their work. This will give you an opportunity to kick the tires and set your own expectations for the quality of their work.
Have a plan. Discuss the schedule with the contractor. Be realistic and write deadlines and deliverables into the contract.
Go by the Book. Pull a building permit for all work. This will ensure that all the work is to code and prevent any issues if you go to sell your home.
Get a Certificate. Request a Certificate of Insurance for General Liability and Worker's Compensation from the contractor and all sub-contractors. The Certificate should be sent to you directly from their insurance agent. It will list your name and address as certificate holder. DO NOT accept a sample certificate.
A little homework goes a long way towards a successful renovation. For questions about Certificates or how to adjust your homeowners coverage for home renovations, please give us a call and we'll walk you through it |
