An account manager was told by a Foremost Signature underwriter that their homeowner policies do not cover liability for a student studying abroad for a semester. I thought all ISO based products provided worldwide liability coverage. Foremost says contents are worldwide coverage but not liability.
New York Subscriber
That's an interesting question. The policy says coverage is excluded if the insured premises is not an insured location as follows: Coverages E and F do not apply to the following:
4. Insured's Premises Not An Insured Location "Bodily injury" or "property damage" arising out of a premises: a. Owned by an "insured"; b. Rented to an "insured"; or c. Rented to others by an "insured"; that is not an "insured location";
So what is an "insured location"? It's defined as follows: 10. "Insured location" means: a. The "residence premises"; b. The part of other premises, other structures and grounds used by you as a residence; and (1) Which is shown in the Declarations; or (2) Which is acquired by you during the policy period for your use as a residence; c. Any premises used by you in connection with a premises described in a. and b. above; d. Any part of a premises: (1) Not owned by an "insured"; and (2) Where an "insured" is temporarily residing; e. Vacant land, other than farm land, owned by or rented to an "insured"; f. Land owned by or rented to an "insured" on which a one-, two-, three- or four-family dwelling is being built as a residence for an "insured"; g. Individual or family cemetery plots or burial vaults of an "insured"; or h. Any part of a premises occasionally rented to an "insured" for other than "business" use.
So what does this mean for our student? If an accident happens at the place where the student is living, that will be considered an insured location and coverage should apply. However if the student injures someone at school, at a store or restaurant or other public place, then those locations are not "insured locations" and coverage would not apply. Part c. of the "insured location" definition generally applies to property such as a venue for a wedding, anniversary or graduation party that the insured rents since the house is too small for a celebration. I can't see the student's school or other public place while the student is away at school as being seen as part of an "insured location". Remember also that the definition of "insured" is specific when it comes to students, and that the student enrolled in school full-time, as defined by the school, must have been a resident of the household before moving out and must be under 24 and a relative of the insured or under 21 and in the care of the insured or a resident relative.
I can find no endorsements that would add such coverage. Even under the DL 24 01 the Personal Liability policy, the exclusion for "Insured's" premises not an "insured location" still exists. The DL 24 27 allows the student to be added to the umbrella but since the umbrella doesn't provide coverage that doesn't help. The Personal Umbrella Policy, DL 98 01 does not have the insured premises not an insured location exclusion, but the underlying retained limit must be met first, so the insured will be out of pocket for the first $300,000 or $500,000, whatever the insurer's underlying requirement is.