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TooTiredMom
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| Joined: | Tue Apr 25th, 2006 |
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| Posts: | 32 |
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Posted: Tue Aug 7th, 2007 05:48 am |
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I am looking to purchase insurance for my S's property while at school. Does anyone have any experience with buying the student dorm insurance? What company did you use and have you ever made any claims?
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limner
Member
| Joined: | Sun Jul 16th, 2006 |
| Location: | Tennessee USA |
| Posts: | 807 |
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Posted: Tue Aug 7th, 2007 12:20 pm |
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| TTMom, I haven't done this--yet--but I've been advised by other parents at S's school that most homeowners insurance policies will cover kids' property in dorm rooms. If you haven't checked that yet, you might want to do that before purchasing the insurance.
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TooTiredMom
Member
| Joined: | Tue Apr 25th, 2006 |
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Posted: Tue Aug 7th, 2007 12:31 pm |
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Thanks limner. I may check our homeowners policy but I think it may be worth a hundred dollars or so to have a stand alone policy for my S. I am not sure I would ever make a claim on our homeowners and the deductible is much higher than the student policies.
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patsmom
Member
| Joined: | Sun Mar 5th, 2006 |
| Location: | USA |
| Posts: | 165 |
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Posted: Tue Aug 7th, 2007 12:45 pm |
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http://www.collegestudentinsurance.com/
This is the insurance I just purchased for my 2 sons (S1 will be a senior, S2 a freshman) away at college. Although our homeowners policy would cover them, the deductible is too high to make it feasible. Also, the computer coverage on this student policy is much better than on my homeowners. And it's backed by Fireman's Fund, a very reputable insurance company. I hope I never have to use it but you never know.
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WestrnMom
Super Moderator
| Joined: | Fri May 26th, 2006 |
| Location: | West Coast, USA |
| Posts: | 1161 |
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Posted: Tue Aug 7th, 2007 04:16 pm |
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I will have to dig up the name, but my neighbor got a policy recommended by her child's school to cover the gap in their homeowner's deductible and said it covered some items they didn't realize would be covered when her son was robbed. He had several large ticket items stolen (computer and iPod) and they replaced both of them.
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leftcoast
Member
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Posted: Tue Aug 7th, 2007 10:05 pm |
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I also use CSI -- the one mentioned by Patsmom. I've never made a claim, but my homeowner's policy does have a sizeable deductible. The CSI policy also appears to cover accidental damage - they specifically cite the example of a beverage being spilled on a laptop here: http://www.collegestudentinsurance.com/homeownerscomp.php
My daughter had a cell phone stolen last year at college -- she didn't end up making a claim because it turned out she was eligible for a free upgrade with our carrier so we didn't need to make another claim. But it was nice to know at that point that it would have been an option.
Last edited on Tue Aug 7th, 2007 10:08 pm by leftcoast
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TooTiredMom
Member
| Joined: | Tue Apr 25th, 2006 |
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Posted: Tue Aug 7th, 2007 10:18 pm |
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Thanks all. It looks like CSI is a popular plan. I noticed their coverage is called Personal Property Protector Plus. Is that the name of their basic coverage or is that some type of upgrade? The cost seems reasonable for the coverage that is provided.
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pencilnpaper
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| Joined: | Wed Mar 8th, 2006 |
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Posted: Fri Aug 10th, 2007 01:31 am |
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Here's another one suggested for us: http://nssinc.com/prop_cvr.htm
I don't know anything about them or the difference w/ CSI, but the rates seem reasonable. Anyone else use NSSI?
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limner
Member
| Joined: | Sun Jul 16th, 2006 |
| Location: | Tennessee USA |
| Posts: | 807 |
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Posted: Fri Aug 10th, 2007 01:17 pm |
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| pencilnpaper, I haven't used NSSI (I'm still debating all this), but it is the company that S's school (Carleton) recommends.
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entomom
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| Joined: | Mon Mar 6th, 2006 |
| Location: | Oregon USA |
| Posts: | 362 |
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Posted: Mon Aug 20th, 2007 10:33 pm |
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I talked to my insurance agent today and she suggested "personal article" insurance rather than the college insurance. I'm specifically interested in expensive items such as my D's laptop and camera. 5k of personal article insurance will cost about $78/yr with $0 deductible. The two college insurance companies mentioned in this thread cost about $123/yr for 5k coverage with a $25 deductible.
Just a thought, depending on whether you want general coverage or specific coverage for high value articles.
p.s. I asked about my homeowners insurance, it would cover dorm articles, but like others have noted there's a high deductible. Also, a claim on the personal article insurance will not have an affect on my homeowners policy premium.
Last edited on Mon Aug 20th, 2007 11:04 pm by entomom
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limner
Member
| Joined: | Sun Jul 16th, 2006 |
| Location: | Tennessee USA |
| Posts: | 807 |
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Posted: Mon Aug 20th, 2007 11:14 pm |
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| Thanks, EM! Are there differences in what the personal article insurance will cover? Like will it cover a laptop that has has liquid spilled on it?
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entomom
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| Joined: | Mon Mar 6th, 2006 |
| Location: | Oregon USA |
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Posted: Mon Aug 20th, 2007 11:36 pm |
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Hi Limner,
Yes, that type of accident is covered. She said that it actually covers more than most homeowners policies do. I googled and found that many people with expensive camera equipment have this kind of insurance. However, they warn not to get "riders" or "floaters" connected to your homeowners policy, as claims can cause an increase in your premiums. My agent warned me that claims on the college insurance plans would have the same negative affect on my homeowners policy. Anyone with experience with this??
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limner
Member
| Joined: | Sun Jul 16th, 2006 |
| Location: | Tennessee USA |
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Posted: Mon Aug 20th, 2007 11:44 pm |
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| Hmm, so did you get the personal articles insurance through your agent who has your homeowners' insurance?
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Lupine
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| Joined: | Thu May 17th, 2007 |
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Posted: Tue Aug 21st, 2007 02:20 am |
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On the laptop front -- I'd strongly suggest getting LoJack for Laptops, which is laptop theft prevention software, available for Macs or Windows laptops. You pay an annual fee of around $49, and install the software. If the laptop is stolen, you report it, and if that laptop is used to access the net at any point they work with the authorities to track it down. Denver's city atty. was caught with a stolen laptop because of this software.
On the insurance front, we've always been told to avoid making claims, particularly small claims, on homeowner's insurance. So we've set a high deductible.
I'd have the dorm insurance in your student's name, not yours, and then there should be no reason that it ever links up with your record.
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