Back to School Insurance Reminders

It’s that time of year – School has finally begun!  Whether you have sent your five year old off to Kindergarten or your 18 year old off to their first year of college the last thing you are probably thinking about is insurance.  However, there are a few things you should know when looking at your Minneapolis Auto Insurance and your Minneapolis Homeowners Insurance now that your children are away.

Auto Insurance

When looking at your auto insurance – make sure to notify your insurance agent if your child qualifies for the following:

Good Student Discount:

The Good Student Discount is available to Student Drivers who receive a 3.0 GPA or higher.  If your student meets this requirement, you can receive up to 15% off on your Auto Insurance Policy.

Distant Student Credit:

The Distant Student Credit is available for policy holders who have a student driver attending school 100 miles away or further without a car. 

Additionally – it is important to notify your agent if you have a child who has turned 16 and has a newly obtained driver’s license.  As soon as they are ready to hit the road, make sure you call your agent and give them the child’s name, driver’s license number and date of birth so they can be added to your policy.

Homeowner’s Insurance

When looking at your homeowner’s insurance it is important to know that generally the home policy covers 10% of your personal property limit at another residence.  So, the dorm room becomes another residence used by a family member, your personal property limit under your St. Paul Homeowners policy is $100,000 (just an example) so, $10,000 of that coverage would be applicable to the clothes, books, stereos and other items in the dorm room.  There is coverage for a lot of things that could happen, fire and theft being the most likely, but the homeowners policy deductible applies

If the student is living off campus in an apartment or a house, it is important for them to obtain a renter’s insurance policy.  A renter’s policy will cover their personal property as well as provides you protection if an accident happens in the rented unit.

If you have any questions about discounts offered or changes you should be making with children away at school, please don’t hesitate to give us a call at 877-548-9528, visit our Virtual Insurance Office at www.garryinsurance.com or stop by our office.