Back-to-school season brings full calendars, new routines, school supplies, sports practices, and, for some families, a new driver or a student moving away to college.
While insurance may not be at the top of your school-year checklist, August is a good time to make sure your coverage still fits your family’s needs. A few changes in your household can affect your auto, homeowners, renters, and personal liability insurance.
Use this back-to-school insurance checklist to identify the questions you may want to discuss with your insurance advisor.
1. Review Your Auto Insurance for New or Returning Drivers
Does your family have a newly licensed teen driver? Will your student begin driving to school, practices, work, or other activities?
Adding a young driver can be a significant change to an auto insurance policy. Before your student begins driving regularly, confirm that they are properly listed on the policy and that the vehicle they will use is correctly identified.
This is also a good time to review:
- Your liability coverage limits
- Collision and comprehensive coverage
- Your deductible
- Roadside assistance
- Available driver-training or good-student discounts
- Who is permitted to drive each household vehicle
Good-student, driver-education, multi-vehicle, and other discounts may be available, depending on the insurance company and policy.
Parents should also talk with young drivers about distracted driving, passengers, nighttime driving, and what to do after an accident. Insurance is one part of protecting your family. Safe habits are just as important.
2. Tell Your Insurance Advisor When a Student Moves Away
A student leaving for college can change where a family vehicle is kept and how often it is driven.
Let your insurance advisor know whether your student is:
- Taking a vehicle to campus
- Leaving their vehicle at home
- Attending school in another state
- Living more than 100 miles from home
- Driving a vehicle owned by someone else
Some insurance companies may offer a discount when a student attends college a certain distance from home without taking a vehicle. When a student does take a car, the insurance company should know where it will usually be parked and driven.
Do not remove a student or vehicle from your policy without discussing the situation with your insurance advisor. The right approach depends on ownership, driving habits, location, and the terms of your policy.
3. Determine Whether a College Student Needs Renters Insurance
Laptops, tablets, televisions, furniture, clothing, bicycles, and other belongings can quickly add up in value.
A landlord’s insurance generally protects the building, not the tenant’s personal belongings. Students living in an off-campus apartment or rental home should consider renters insurance to help protect their property from covered losses, such as theft or certain types of damage. Renters insurance may also include personal liability coverage.
Students living in a dorm may have some coverage through a parent’s homeowners or renters policy, but the coverage may be limited. Policy deductibles, coverage limits, exclusions, and rules for students living away from home can vary.
Before move-in day, ask:
- Are the student’s belongings covered under an existing policy?
- Is there a limit for property kept away from home?
- Would a separate renters policy provide better protection?
- Are expensive electronics adequately covered?
- Does the policy include accidental damage?
- Is liability coverage included?
Creating a basic home inventory can also help. Record valuable items, serial numbers, purchase information, and photos. Store the inventory somewhere it can be accessed even if the student’s phone or computer is lost.
4. Check Coverage for Laptops, Instruments, and Sports Equipment
School-related belongings are not always inexpensive.
A student may regularly carry a laptop, tablet, musical instrument, camera, sports equipment, or other valuable items between home, school, practice, and work.
Homeowners or renters insurance may provide some protection for personal property away from home, but limits and exclusions may apply. Standard coverage may also exclude situations such as accidentally dropping a laptop or spilling a drink on it.
Ask your insurance advisor whether high-value items should be listed separately or protected through additional coverage.
5. Consider the Liability Risks That Come With a Busier Schedule
The school year can bring more visitors, carpools, team gatherings, sleepovers, and after-school activities.
Homeowners and renters policies generally include personal liability coverage, but it is important to understand your limits. Personal liability coverage may help when someone is injured or another person’s property is damaged and a covered household member is legally responsible.
Families with significant assets may also want to ask about personal umbrella insurance. An umbrella policy can provide additional liability protection above the limits of an underlying home, renters, or auto policy, subject to the policy’s terms and exclusions.
6. Review Health Insurance Information
Make sure students know how to access their health insurance information and understand where they can receive care.
College students should know whether their plan provides access to healthcare providers near campus, particularly when attending school outside their home area. Students who are not covered by a parent’s plan, or whose coverage has a limited provider network, may need to explore other options, including a student health plan.
Families should keep updated copies of insurance cards, prescription information, emergency contacts, and relevant medical information in a secure and accessible location.
7. Update Your Insurance Advisor About Household Changes
Insurance coverage should change as your life changes.
Contact your advisor when your family experiences updates such as:
- A student receiving a driver’s license
- A vehicle being purchased or transferred
- A student moving into a dorm or apartment
- A change in the primary location of a vehicle
- The purchase of expensive electronics or equipment
- A student beginning a delivery, rideshare, or other driving-related job
- A renovation or major purchase at home
Small details can affect how a policy responds. Sharing changes early gives your advisor an opportunity to identify possible gaps before a claim occurs.
Start the School Year With Confidence
Back-to-school preparation is about more than buying supplies and adjusting bedtime routines. It is also an opportunity to make sure your family’s insurance coverage reflects your current vehicles, drivers, belongings, living arrangements, and responsibilities.
Every family and policy is different. Davis Insurance Advisors can help you review your coverage, understand your options, and identify questions worth addressing before the school year begins.
Contact Davis Insurance Advisors to schedule a personal insurance review and start the new school year with greater confidence.