It seems to only make sense that your children should be covered under your homeowners insurance policy. However, there are some complications involved. Though children are generally covered by homeowners insurance, there are some limitations based on situation and environment. These are things you should discuss with your agent, especially if your family or living situation has recently changed.

Dorms Are Covered -- But Only to a Certain Extent

When your child is attending college and under the age of 25, it's likely that they will still be covered under your insurance policy -- as long as they live in the dorms. But that isn't a full coverage, it's only partial. Conventionally,  most policies will offer up to 10% of the total coverage. If you have a $300,000 policy, then your child effectively has a $30,000 policy for property and liability damage while in the dorms.

Expensive Items May Have a Cap

When you purchase your child any expensive item, you need to make sure that it's specifically outlined in your insurance policy. This is often the case with instruments and sports equipment, which can run thousands of dollars. Many insurance policies have a sub cap for individual items. Even if your policy amount is $100,000, each individual item may only be covered for the first $1,000.

Damage Done By Children May Be Included

If you yourself are negligent and cause significant damage to your home, it's possible your claim will be denied. But this usually isn't true for children. When children cause accidents, such as fires or other property damage, it's usually considered to be something that can be covered. This may be different in the case of malicious, willful vandalism, but it will usually be fine otherwise.

Children May Even Be Covered Outside the Home

It's a common misunderstanding to believe that homeowners insurance only covers what goes on inside your home. In fact, homeowners insurance should be more reliably understood to be insuring you and your family. If your child breaks something in another person's home or gets into an accident in another person's home, it's very likely that it will be covered by your homeowners insurance policy. 

If you need more coverage, you should get it now -- getting more coverage is usually far less expensive than needing more coverage after the fact. In general, additions to your coverage shouldn't be very expensive, especially when you are simply dealing with increasing your property insurance. The bulk of homeowners insurance relates to your physical premises. For more information, contact a business such as Family Insurance Centers.

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