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They may be.

Dependents under age 21 who are temporarily living away from home while attending school may still have coverage under their parents’ or guardians’ home insurance policy.

But families shouldn’t simply assume that coverage applies.

Policies and circumstances differ, and there may be limits on the amount or type of coverage available for a student’s belongings while they’re away.

That makes a quick conversation with your insurance broker an important part of preparing for school.

Let your broker know:

• Where your student will be living
• Whether they’ll be in residence or renting off campus
• Whether they’ll have roommates
• What belongings they’re taking with them
• Whether they have any particularly valuable items

Your broker can review your existing home insurance and tell you what protection extends to your student and whether additional coverage should be considered.

What If They’re Living in Residence?

Students living in a college or university residence should check with their insurance broker before moving in.

Some students may be covered under a parent or guardian’s home insurance policy while temporarily living away from home for school. In fact, many insurers do not offer a separate tenant insurance package for students living in residence.

Coverage varies, so parents should confirm what protection extends to the student, including any limits that may apply to belongings such as laptops, bicycles, electronics or other valuable items.

If your student is taking a laptop, phone, bicycle, musical instrument or other valuable belongings to residence, tell your broker.

The goal is to know whether those belongings are properly insured before something happens.

What If They’re Renting an Apartment or House?

If your student is renting off campus and isn’t adequately covered under a parent or guardian’s policy, tenant insurance becomes particularly important.

Remember: the landlord’s insurance generally protects the building, not the student’s belongings. Munn Insurance explains this distinction in our tenant insurance resources.

That can come as a surprise to first-time renters.

If there’s a fire, theft or another covered loss, a student without appropriate insurance could be left responsible for replacing their own belongings.

And belongings are only part of the story.

What Can Tenant Insurance Cover for a Student?

Tenant insurance generally provides three important types of protection: coverage for personal belongings, personal liability protection and additional living expenses.

Personal Belongings

Students often own more than they realize.

Start adding up the cost of replacing:

• A laptop
• Smartphone
• Clothing and footwear
• Furniture
• Bedding
• Kitchen supplies
• Headphones and electronics
• Textbooks and school supplies
• A bicycle
• Sporting equipment
• Gaming systems and other personal belongings

The total can add up quickly.

Munn Insurance recommends considering what it would actually cost to replace your belongings following a major loss rather than assuming that, because individual items are used, they aren’t worth very much.

Before your student moves out, creating a simple inventory can help. Take photos or video of important belongings and keep receipts, model numbers or serial numbers for higher-value items when possible.

It’s also worth discussing expensive bicycles, jewellery, musical instruments, specialized electronics or other high-value belongings with your broker, as policy limits and exclusions can apply.

Personal Liability

This is one of the most important parts of tenant insurance — and one students may not think about.

Suppose your student accidentally causes water damage that affects the apartment below.

Or a visitor is injured in their apartment and your student is found legally responsible.

Personal liability coverage may help protect them if they are legally responsible for bodily injury to someone else or damage to someone else’s property, subject to the terms and limits of the policy.

For a young person living independently for the first time, that protection can be extremely valuable.

Additional Living Expenses

Now imagine a fire or another insured loss makes your student’s apartment temporarily unfit to live in.

Where will they stay?

Hotels, short-term rentals, meals and other additional expenses can become costly very quickly.

Additional Living Expense coverage may help pay for reasonable increased living costs while a rental is uninhabitable because of an insured loss, subject to the policy’s coverage and limits.

For a student studying away from family, that can make a difficult situation considerably easier to manage.

What About Roommates?

Sharing a house or apartment with friends is common for university and college students.

What shouldn’t be common is assuming that one roommate’s insurance automatically protects everyone.

Roommates should make sure they have appropriate insurance rather than relying on another roommate’s coverage.

Before move-in day, each student should understand how their own belongings and liability are protected.

It’s much easier to sort this out before a loss than afterward.

Help Students Protect Their New Home

Insurance provides an important financial safety net, but a few good habits can also help students reduce the chance of having to make a claim.

Encourage your student to:

• Lock doors and windows whenever they leave.
• Keep laptops, electronics and other valuables out of sight.
• Never disable smoke or carbon monoxide alarms.
• Learn the location of fire exits and keep escape routes clear.
• Avoid overloading electrical outlets.
• Replace damaged charging cables and electrical cords.
• Report leaks, electrical issues and maintenance problems promptly.
• Keep photos and an inventory of valuable belongings.
• Check coverage before bringing particularly expensive belongings to school.

Moving away from home also means learning to take responsibility for a new living space. These are simple habits, but they can make a difference.

Should a Student Get Their Own Tenant Insurance?

There isn’t one answer that applies to every student.

A student living temporarily in residence may have suitable protection through a parent or guardian’s home insurance policy.

Another student renting an off-campus apartment may need their own tenant policy.

A third may technically have some coverage through home insurance but decide that a separate policy is a better fit for their circumstances.

That’s why the best first step isn’t to guess — it’s to check.

Add Insurance to Your Back-to-School Checklist

There are plenty of things competing for attention when a student heads away to college or university.

Take a few minutes before move-in day to make insurance one of them.

Contact your insurance broker and confirm:

• Is my student covered while living away from home?
• Are there limits on their belongings?
• Are their higher-value items adequately insured?
• Do they have appropriate personal liability protection?
• Would a separate tenant insurance policy make more sense?
• Does their lease require proof of tenant insurance?

At Munn Insurance, we can review your existing coverage, explain your options and help determine the right way to protect your student while they’re away at school.

Have a child heading off to college or university? Call Munn Insurance at 1-855-726-8627. We’re here to help.