Auto insurance!
So...the saga continues...
Sunday, I see my DH cutting a piece of paper in the kitchen. I ask, "What is that?"
"Oh, it's SS19's temporary license. His BM wanted to cancel his auto insurance on their policy, and couldn't do it because he has a valid driver's license and it lists their address as their home address. She can't cancel it until he changed his home address."
So, DH did this without talking to me about it. Generally wouldn't be a big deal, but yesterday, I spoke to our auto insurance agent. Turns out it IS a pretty big freaking deal.
I did not know that if a child under the age of 24 is living under your roof, and has a valid driver's license, they have to be covered on all cars that are registered to that home. (Makes sense now that i think about it, since dd's had to be covered on all 4 cars.) Insurance said that once SS19's address change goes though, it will be flagged as an 'uninsured driver' in the system, since it will now be apparent that he has no insurance (not sure if it's the same in every state, but here, your auto insurance is tied to your DL--don't even have to carry a paper copy, since when the cop swipes your license, it comes right up).
I had the insurance lady run an estimate of what it would cost to add him. I explained that this is NOT a permanent situation, and he does NOT own a car. She said it doesn't matter--under our roof, has to be covered on all cars. GUYS---$502 dollars a month is the cheapest she could find. That's ADDITIONAL on top of the $468 we already pay. His BM was paying an additional $425 a month for him to be covered on 3 cars, so since we have 4, I guess that makes sense.
I emailed DH to let him know of this fabulous new news. He has said nothing. NO. NO. NO. I am NOT paying for this. NO. I can't afford it.
Holy crap!
Holy crap!
I would not cover one dime of that and your husband better be able to pay that on top of his share of the bills. Don't get stuck subsidizing him in any way.
Oh wait, this is the kid who
Oh wait, this is the kid who is living with you because he's mad at his mom, right? Failed his classes and is causing all kinds of stress on your household? Yeah, no way. He needs to go back to BM's.
Yep...that's the one!!!
Yep...that's the one!!! And i REFUSE to pay this. REFUSE. DH will have to find the money to pay for it himself!! I simply cannot. I'm using my entire paycheck, plus the cs i get for my girls, plus my extra money I made from consulting to cover expenses (DH contributes $1850 a month--which covers a little over half of our house payment--everything else, I cover). Quite unfair already, and it's my own fault for allowing it to play out this way. I've been an enabler, a caretaker, and a giver; now, it's biting me in my ass.
Then this is a great time to
Then this is a great time to reclibrate things. Get organized, get your enabling in check, and hold your H accountable for his fair share of expenses. Draw up a revised budget and sit down with him. If he has to get a second job, that's just life. You need to be saving for retirement, not subsidizing other people.
Your SS needs to voluntarily
Your SS needs to voluntarily relinquish his license and get a state-issued ID until he has a car and can pay his own insurance. Or, he needs to rent a room somewhere else and get non-driver's insurance (I think that's what it's called. It's a cheap option when you don't have a car but may occasionally drive). At this point, sounds like it would be cheaper for him to rent a room than for you to cover insurance...
In our state, the kid only has to be insured on one car, thank goodness. Insurance is typically tied to the car, not the driver. You do have to list other members of the household as additional drivers if they will ever drive the car...but as long as it's a car they never drive and don't have access to, they don't have to be insured on that vehicle.
oh hell no. Not on my dime...
oh hell no. Not on my dime....and not on my DH's dime unless he wants to move out and go live with his kid.
Have you shopped
Have you shopped around? I have had Geico for 20+ years and when the skids began driving I contacted them to address this issue. I had to sign a waiver specifically stating that each individual one as they got a license would NEVER drive my car, and agreeing that if they did gain access to it even without my knowledge or permission and have an accident, a breach of that agreement would result in immediate termination of my policy. (You better believe that I watched my keys like a hawk and noted my mileage every day just to be ultra-careful!) But my policy did not change at all while DH's went through the roof and increased with every accident they had. Of course, your state may mandate what insurance companies do within its borders and that may be very different than mine. But it could be worth a few phone calls. Especially if your DH can not reimburse you for the difference. It is terribly unfair to expect you to cover ir!
I was wondering the same
I was wondering the same thing, regarding some type of waiver.
It was really
It was really strict and I would be lying if I said I was not nervous as hell at first signing it given how sneaky the skids were as teens. Essentially I had to agree that they had no liability whatsoever for any damage a skid did if they got ahold of my car, even if they killed someone, so that left me personally wide open to financial ruin. I locked the extra key in my safe-deposit box and the valet key in a hollowed out book. I was keeping my purse and wallet hidden in 2 separate spots in my bedroom the minute I got home anyway but started hiding the key in a third place. They still would ask on occasion and even DH would do the "just this once" routine. Not once did their hands ever touch that steering wheel!
I feel like i've done a
I feel like i've done a pretty good deal of shopping around. Our policy went up quite a bit when oldest dd turned 16, then again when we added our second dd. We've tried Geico, Progressive, Travelers, and...can't remember the other...but we've all heard the same exact thing: Rule is, you have to cover them on all cars. So annoying. We're at the cheapest I can find right now for the 4 of us with reasonable coverage, and a ton of discounts for the girls (good grades, alarms, etc...).
OH, and I'M NOT COVERING IT.
ETA: I'll have to ask about a waiver. I'm pretty sure that the insurance agent wouldn't just bring that up... Thanks!
Hey! I work in insurance.
Hey! I work in insurance.
Yes, that is correct that anyone who lives in your household of driving age must be listed on your policy.
All insurance companies have what is called an Excluded Driver endorsement that you can sign excluding your SS so that there is no coverage for him and no additional premium owed.
However, keep in mind that if for any reason SS drives any of the cars, there will be no coverage to your vehicle or to any property damage he causes.
Thank you!!! SO...I can
Thank you!!! SO...I can exclude him for now (since he is NOT driving any of our cars, and he will NOT be); however, what if/what happens when he does get a car? Does he have to be added to ALL of our cars, too?
If he gets a car, I would
If he gets a car, I would just make him get his own policy and keep him excluded on yours.
He's old enough to be able to
He's old enough to be able to pay his own insurance.
This was true in my parents'
This was true in my parents' household. There was a time when my mom had both a ticket and an accident in the same year. She was the primary driver on a beater car, but my dad had a couple pricey cars and the insurance on them was going to go up because of my mom. They excluded her from coverage on his cars and it didn't go up. She wouldn't touch those cars - wouldn't even move them around in the driveway.
You can explicitly list him
You can explicitly list him as an excluded driver on your insurance. That way you acknoledge that he will not be driving the cars and do not have to pay for him.
Maybe this is a state specific question
But we were able to cover kid for only ONE car, obviously the cheapest car. But then the kid can not EVER drive other cars.
"But they may have to
"But they may have to (emergency) OR decide to drive other cars, such as backing out of drive way...going to the mini mart for just a "SEC", run to the store thinking , mom and dad will never know.."
They never have to. Never
You and I define Have To differently
I would really question this
I would really question this with the insurance. Does that mean if I share an apartment with someone I have to cover them on my insurance? If the child doesn’t drive the cars then he doesn’t need insurance even if he has a DL. Of course that means he CAN’T drive the cars.
Yes.
Yes.
No, you don't have to cover
No, you don't have to cover someone you live with on your insurance, it's parents/children.
I know I had to list my
I know I had to list my husband so it seems to extend to spouses too. Admittedly I guessed at other adults so I could be mistaken.
Well, they do suggest most
Well, they do suggest most married people get insurance together (or list each other) because it's assumed each drive both cars. But a roommate - no.
Our Insurance company
Our Insurance company explained it in the following way...
IF your teenager has a license there is every bit of a chance he/she WILL drive your car even if you say no they wont.
------------------------------
Bottom line the car must be covered for a their lack of experience, poor decision making etc etc. IF they live inside your home and IF they have a drivers license.
Sorry our kids don't have a license until THEY can pay for the insurance. We are not the Farmers Bank and Trust Company.
Eh, of course the insurance
Eh, of course the insurance company says that! They want the $500/mo. If you have a responsible teenager, sign the waiver.
Totally get you on the not
Totally get you on the not covering your kids. I both pay for my girls' cars, and I pay for their insurance. The understanding that I have with the girls is thus: You have a car because you need to get from point A to point B, and I cannot do it all the time (nor do I want to). You have a car because you carry your weight around our home, you work hard to make good grades in school, and you treat people kindly and fairly. The MOMENT that you pretend that you deserve this car "just because," is the moment it gets taken away. Not because I am mean; not because I am unfair--it is because it is a privilege to have a vehicle--a privilege that many your age do not get to experience.
It is under this understanding that I also pay for their insurance. They each, without my asking, contribute to unexpected things. For instance, my dd17's windshield was shattered by a golf ball on Sunday. Because of our recent financial situation, I no longer have a ton of cash flow, so I (begrudingly) had to put it on a credit card. She knew I was upset about having to do so; this morning, she offered to pay for the windshield out of her savings (she's been working to save $$ for college spending). It is actions such as these where I know i've done something right with this kid!
(I also understand that I have a larger financial shovel than most; I do not, in any way, judge those who don't provide a car/insurance for their kids! I, too, paid for my own car and my own insurance growing up!)
Insurance can vary by state
Insurance can vary by state requirements. In our state.. you cannot just add your child's car and say they will only drive THAT car.. their risk gets added to every single car. Since our SD was actually living with her grandparents.. we just set up a policy for her at that address.
We're in Texas; i'm going to
We're in Texas; i'm going to check out the situation more thoroughly...
I'm in Texas too! PM me if
I'm in Texas too! PM me if any other questions come up:)
Us too and we excluded SS19.
Us too and we excluded SS19. He doesn't drive at all so why insure him? He'll start excluded on our policy and get his own when he does drive and when he does have his own vehicle.
This is another example of doing to much
And your SO wants more. Let your SO get a part time job to pay for the insurance! His kid hid bills
I am calling BS on the
I am calling BS on the mandatory coverage that your insurance company is slinging. You can get the SKid a policy from a different company in his name only covering his vehicle. You don't even have to add him to your policy.
You can have five people living at the same address each with their own car insured by 5 different insurance companies. Pick any number of people for that matter.
This definitely does not pass the smell test.
I am in Texas by the way. When I was in my early to mid 20s I moved back home with my parents, there were 4 licensed drivers in the home after I moved home. Then there were 5. My HS BFF moved in with mom, dad, my brother and I. Everyone had their own car and their own insurance. All at the same address. Except for mom and dad. They had one policy for their two cars.
If your insurance company is forcing you to insure SS on all cars, fire your insurance company and find one that will work for you rather than extort money from you.
I think there are a couple of
I think there are a couple of options here.
1. Get your OWN policy. Do not be tied to DHs crazy high premiums or SKs driving record.
2. DH needs to have SK cover their portion on the policy. They need to get a job to pay, etc. If DH is STILL having issues paying, then he needs to ask BM for her to pay HER portion.
3. If his insurance premium is causing him to miss bills around the house, etc. then it needs to be addressed ASAP. This should in no way impact you. If it starts to, address it immediately.
That is an odd one. I added
That is an odd one. I added my kids to our insurance once they turned 17. It was free, no additional cost. By the time they had a car in their own name they had earned a rating1 for life , reduced insurance costs as no accidents.