By Madeline Klein on March 31, 2020 in Insurance Basics
Disclosing all members in your household when applying for car insurance might seem like a hassle and it could raise your rate if the love of your life has gotten pulled over, maybe more times than you can count. However, it’s a necessary addition.
It’s important to note: all household members need to be revealed to the insurance company, whether or not they are going to be covered under your policy. We know this can seem counterintuitive, but we hope that walking through the situations will help you to understand.
Children
You have children under 16. What do you do? The correct course of action here is to mention them to your insurance company, although they won’t be put on your policy until they are licensed drivers.
Your children live with you and are licensed. What now? Yes, definitely list them and they will be added to your policy unless they have their own insurance policy. If they do, good for them! We admire those kids who take responsibility right off the bat!
You have older licensed children, but they do not live in your household. What does this mean? If your children drive your car from time to time, they should be listed but there might be an option for an “occasional driver” on your policy. Not every insurance company offer this, so be sure to ask them about their approach to this situation. If your children never drive your car, they should have their own policy. If they’re drivers and are no longer your responsibility – Congratulations! Freedom at last!
Spouses
You’re married. First of all, congrats – no matter how long you’ve been married! What’s the situation here? This is a big one! Many times, people think “Oh, I’ll exclude my husband from my policy and save on my rate!” While saving money is nice – we advise against this. Many insurance companies require all licensed drivers in your household be listed. Failure to do so can be especially bad if your husband was to get in an accident in your vehicle under misrepresentation. Misrepresentation can sound intimidating, but what it breaks down to is a type of insurance fraud that says you knowingly and willfully didn’t tell the insurance company all the information they needed to asses risk to the best of their ability and be material to constitute fraud. This is one of those moments where it’s better to tell the company everything and go from there!
Roommates
You’re saving money and living with roommates or maybe just enjoying time living with your best friends. What do you tell your insurance? Lots of questions circle this specific topic in the car insurance world. The verdict? You should tell your insurance company if you have roommates or renters living with you. This is because the company needs to calculate risk when determining your rate and if these individuals may drive your car, they need to be part of that equation. However, there’s a silver lining. You may have the option to exclude them from your policy. This means you know these individuals will never drive your car and will not be covered under your insurance. Sometimes when individuals get their own car insurance, you can take them off your policy by proving they have their own policy.
So, the big takeaway is you should report all members of your household to your car insurance company. This will help them provide you the best coverage options for your needs!
Interested in more of Say’s wisdom? Check out our other blogs!