Help needed! SS18 and car insurance how to protect myself
DH has been pushing hard for SS18 aka Demon spawn to get his drivers license. I personally think SS18 should get a J.O.B first(we live in walking distance to Walmart,burger king, target) so SS18 can PAY for gas his share of the CAR INSURANCE ect. SS18 has NO interest in getting either. That's a whole nothing story.
Now in our state as soon as SS18 gets his license our car insurance will increase regardless if SS18 gets his own car or not. Now if "daddy dearest" wants to pay 100 percent for SS18 car insurance that's on him. I DO NOT want to pay a dime towards SS18 share of insurance. Both DH and I are on the same car insurance plan along with our house insurance. Here is my question...How can I make sure when SS18 gets his permit then license I don't end up paying MORE because of SS18? How do you guys recommend I do this? Yes I can get my own insurance BUT I won't get this discount of having DH and the house bundled together. Help!
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Own insurance
Will your still increase if SS gets his own insurance for his own car? Our agent recommended titling the car in son's name and getting his own insurance.
Note: because he was 18 our insurance company would not insure him on his own. He ended up getting the insurance through the state risk pool. It was more expensive for him than being on our policy, but our cost did not rise (son paid).
In my state, if we added a
In my state, if we added a stepchild to our policy by adding a car to our policy... then the rates for "all" our cars would go up. Their logic was theoretically all drivers in that household have access to that car.
What ended up happening is that SD was actually living with her grandparents at the time.. so my DH got a policy for her and him at the grandparent's house on that one car.. vs adding hers to ours at our address. different company too. She was shy of 18 when that happened.. at 18 she transitioned to a policy without dad on it.
I'm curious though... your SS is 18.. what do other 18 year old's do regarding ins in your state? Are they not legally able to get a policy in their own name? Or.. is it that your DH wants to give access to your vehicles?.. and just add his son to the policy as a driver.?
If he is added to your policy as a licensed driver.. I'm guessing the assumption is that he "could" drive any car you have on that policy.
The way to potentially fix this is that at 18.. he has his own car and policy separate.. as an adult.. and is not "added" to your personal policy.
This might be easiest done via one of those companies like geico or progressive.... Ideally, if he is driving, he will have his own vehicle.. vs be borrowing and potentially wrecking your and your husband's.
The reason why the cost jumps.. is a newly minted driver has access to any and all the cars in your home.. and that increases risk of an accident.
Personally.. the best way is to have the kid have a car in HIS NAME ONLY.. and an insurance policy in HIS NAME ONLY.. that limits liability if he is not driving your cars under your policy..
if it comes to the point where your DH insists he is added to your policy.. simply calc the difference and make your SS or DH pay that.
I agree with your basic premise that an 18 yo SS needs that job first and should have a desire to drive.. I mean.. what is his plan for "life?"
Step demon “plan” is….
Live off DH AKA "guilty divorce daddy" for as long as he can doing as little as possible. Another story.
I totally agree with SS18 getting his OWN insurance BUT since DH will be paying it DH is going to want it as cheap as possible meaning putting SS18 on our policy since we get a discount for bundling multiple cars and home. No way will SS18 be driving my car. DH18 KNOWS this so this is definitely not the reason DH wants to add SS18 to our policy. Legally in our state SS18 can get his own insurance since he is 18.
I fully disagree with SS18 even getting his license when he's not even looking for a job. Just another expense SS18 won't be paying for. SS18 has been a spoiled entitled brat ALL his life. Over 13 years I've been telling DH this and DH refuses to listen so I've given up and disengaged. Now I just need suggestions on what I can do to prevent ME from paying extra for lazy SS18
Well....
If your name is on the policy, all your assets are up for loss if he gets into a bad enough accident and you get sued.
The only way to prevent that liability is to make him get his own policy.
Yes...
...I learned this from a friend who sold insurance. My properties, investments, savings, etc. could be up for grabs. I had no idea and was shocked and scared by my lack of knowledge. He helped me to make important changes and better decisions insurance-wise. Most important was that my kids would be taken care of in the event of an accident; in the worst case scenario, they had little acquired assets so them losing it all would have far less impact. There are less risky ways to help our kids if one chooses to do so.
I'm going to add that the
I'm going to add that the insurance premium is not the big issue you need to worry about. If you or your husband own a vehicle that your SS drives and he causes some huge accident.. kills someone.. causes damage that exceeds policy limits.. one or both of you could be on the hook for that bill.
For that reason, I advocate putting car soley in SS's name and insurance in his name only.. to limit the blow back liability on your household.
Thank you for this information….
I'm also looking for reasons to back NOT having SS18 on our policy to show DH. This is a great reason.
Please talk to your insurance company...
... or you may be in for a nasty surprise.
Depending on where you live and what type of policy you have, maintaining a policy separate from your SS may not be enough. Most insurance companies take all licensed drivers within your household into consideration when they set your rates, even if those other folks aren't covered by your policy. In other words, if SS gets a license, your rates may go up even if you have a separate policy and do not allow him to touch your car.
If you have a separate policy and can show that your SS has his own vehicle (with his name on the title) and is covered by a policy that meets your state's minimum requirements, you MAY be able to get the extra cost removed from your policy. If you do that, and your SS later "borrows" your car and gets into an accident, you will likely have to eat the entire cost of any damages, including civil judgements.
Your best bet is to talk to your insurance company/agent before SS gets his license. This is a common situation and you have options. Get everything arranged to your best advantage before the DMV gives SS his license. Otherwise he could end up costing you a bundle.
Something everyone should know but almost no one does: All insurance companies do regular checks with the DMV for the status of all licenses matched to a policy holder's address. If you have someone in your household who becomes newly licensed, gets a DUI, has their license restricted, suspended, or revoked, or who has any other negatives added to their driving record, your company will find out. The company can then potentially raise your rates, change the terms of your policy, or cancel it entirely, even if the person in question isn't covered by your policy. This applies to everyone who lists your residence as their address with the DMV, including that friend who lived in your basement for a few months ten years ago and never bothered to update things when he finally moved out.
That's because you were the victim of a crime
Your insurance company jumped because you were the victim of identify theft. That person didn't really live with you, have access to your vehicles, and could never file a claim against your insurance policy. It was a criminal committing a crime and your insurance agent recognized that her company would be trying to change your contract based on fraud. She could have made you jump through hoops to prove that, but the situation was obvious, you had a long relationship, and it was a simple fix.
The situation where someone lives in your home as a member of your household is an entirely different situation, legally speaking. That person presents a potential liability to the insurance company, as so they write language into their policies making it clear that it is their business. They also include language that says what they can do when circumstances change. You can get angry, you can raise whatever ruckus you want about privacy and whatnot, and you can tell anyone who answers the phone that you are mad as hell and aren't going to take it anymore. You can refuse to pay a penny and you can even hold your breath until you turn blue.
But if your name is on the signature line of the contract, you have agreed to every single word that is written within the four corners of each page of that legal document. Your insurance company can offer options for getting things back in order, they can chose that enforcing their rights isn't worth the hassle, or they can go after you for every last bit they are allowed. Worst case, the contract makes you responsible for any costs the insurance company incurs while enforcing it, and then any penalties and interest that accrue when you don't pay up in a timely manner.
So get angry, threaten to enforce standards of behavior and performance, and pubically expose and put your boot up any orifice you please. But if you really, really want to make sure nothing ever gets in the way of you living your best life, always read and understand anything that you sign before you sign it. Rinse, lather, then repeat.
In my humble opinion, of course.
Make copy’s of all insurance policies
And keep them in a safe place. Not in the home. What you pay this year and $. You subtract the $ of new insurance policies
'and DH pays the difference. Make copy's of new policy ect
DH and I are on the same car
DH and I are on the same car insurance. We also have our home insurance bundled. SD15 hasn't even taken driver's ed yet and doesn't have a permit. I am also saying she needs a JOB before getting any of these things. We have grocery stores and coffee shops within walking distance or a short drive by DH to drop off/pick up when SD works.
I am hoping DH keeps putting off SD15 taking driver's ed. I will definitely NOT be staying on insurance with DH if he wants to add her to the policy. Technically the policy is in my name. I would have DH drop and get his own with SD15. I would keep mine bundled with the house.
HOPEFULLY, BM will add SD15 on her insurance. I have heard that as long as you provide proof of insurance from another company, your premium shouldn't increase. Also make sure that SD does not register our address on her driver's license. She can use BM's residence.