By NICK GOSNELL
Hutch Post
If you're sending your child off to college, there are so many things to remember, but Shawn Steward with AAA Kansas knows that there are some things you can be prepared for.
"A couple of things that people may not think about are insurance coverage, both homeowners, renters, and auto insurance," Steward said. "Also having a plan for vehicle maintenance or if something happens to the vehicle for a breakdown, for example. Those are two things that we urge college students and their parents to think about."
If you live on campus, your parents homeowners policy may help, but if you live off campus, you'll likely need renters insurance. Talk to your carrier about what is right for you. The best way to protect your valuables is, if you know you won't need them on campus, leave them at home.
"While some valuable items such as laptops are needed on campus, items such as expensive jewelry and things like that are best left at home," Steward said. "If you're not going to need them, it's going to be safer left at home rather than in a dorm or college apartment."
Whatever you have, you need to document that you have it and what condition it is in.
"It's good to create a detailed inventory of all the items in your dorm room or apartment in the event you need to file an insurance claim," Steward said. "Just make sure that you have everything updated in terms of what your possessions are in that room or apartment. And then it's also good to inventory the condition of your apartment or dorm room, because as we know, when you move out of those, sometimes you're charged for damage, and if it's not your fault, if it was already there, that's another thing to think about."
If you have other questions, contact your insurance agent for more information.