Northampton Students: Check Your Homeowners Insurance Before College

Aug 25, 2016 2:00:00 AM

Many college students rely on the personal property coverage of their parents’ homeowners insurance policy to protect the belongings they take with them to school. While a standard homeowners policy may provide coverage for a college student’s belongings, not all do. If you’re headed off to college from Northampton, Massachusetts this fall, make sure you check your parent’s homeowners policy before you move into your dorm room. Here are two important coverages to look at:Homeowners Insurance Northampton

Northampton College Students Should Check the Coverages of Their Parents’ Homeowners Insurance

Look for Worldwide Coverage That Extends from Northampton, MA

First, you’ll want to make sure your parents’ homeowners insurance policy fully covers your belongings when they aren’t in your parent’s house.

Some homeowners policies limit how much personal property coverage they provide for belongings that aren’t in the home they insure. These policies might fully insure your belongings while they’re in your bedroom, but they may provide only a little coverage once your belongings are taken off your parents’ property. Once you move your belongings into a dorm room, your insurance coverage for them might drop significantly.

This is especially disconcerting for college students, as dorm rooms are often less secure than houses. Many college students forget to lock their dorm room occasionally. Additionally, unless you’re in a single, you won’t be the only person with access to your dorm room. If something was stolen from your room, you’d want your parents’ insurance policy to help cover the theft.

Policies that fully cover belongings regardless of whether they’re in the insured house or elsewhere provide “worldwide coverage.” Worldwide coverage is just what it sounds like. It usually extends the personal property coverage that a homeowners policy provides anywhere in the world. Whether your belongings are in your parent’s house, a dorm room or another country, a policy that has worldwide coverage may insure them.

Sometimes policies that have worldwide coverage still have conditions that limit coverage under certain circumstances. For example, a policy might not cover your belongings if you take them into an official war zone. If you’re coming to Northampton for the semester, though, particular conditions like these probably won’t limit how well your belongings are covered.

Check the Limits on Valuable Items You Own

Second, you’ll want to make sure your belongings are insured for their full value. Homeowners policies often have limits on how much coverage they provide for certain items. For example, a homeowners policy might only provide a certain amount of coverage for jewelry. The exact categories that a homeowners policy places limits on will depend on the policy’s terms and conditions.

A few common items that many homeowners policies place coverages limits on include:

  • Jewelry and watches

  • Firearms

  • Sports equipment

  • Musical instruments

  • Computers

If you're bringing any of these items to college with you, make sure you check the limits of your parents’ homeowners policy before you leave for school. Of course, since limits vary and policies can limit coverage on any kind of belonging, it’s a good idea to read through the personal property coverage section of your parents’ policy regardless of whether you’re bringing any of these items to college with you.

Ask Your Parents’ Homeowners Insurance Agent for Help

If you’ve never read through an insurance policy before, you may find the language in it confusing. If you have any questions about your parents’ coverage, contact their homeowners insurance agent. They’ll be happy to explain the policy’s personal property coverage. Just make sure you call them before you leave Northampton so that you’re insured as soon as you move in!

 

Want to Talk to an Agent?

 

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.

 
Edward J. Adamczyk

Written by Edward J. Adamczyk

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