Homeowners Insurance and DUI's.

[JoeWolf2020]

Question concerning homeowners insurance and DUI's. I am in Massachusetts, and currently living with a relative for the past few years, rent is really expensive here. Had an incident with drinking and driving a few years back. Took a CWOF. Recently my relative that I live with got there Homeowners Umbrella insurance dropped by the carrier because I was too much of a liability with that on my record. Will having this CWOF on my record effect my ability to rent for the same reasons??

 

[fed up]

I think you may be leaving something out. the Umbrella coverage would be on the Homeowners property policy and the homeowners auto policy. If you are living with the relative and have your own auto policy it should not affect his coverage since the liability for his home and auto policy does not extend to you. If you are listed as a driver on his policy or a resident of the home then this could change everything.

Your premium for your vehicle and you as the driver should be the one taking the big hit on premium. You do have your own policy, right?

 

[JoeWolf2020]

If you are listed as a driver on his policy or a resident of the home then this could change everything.

I think that is the part I left out. I am listed on one of the cars and I believe I am listed as a resident as well. I do have my own auto policy and my car and license both have the house as my permanent address.

I called an attorneys office to try to talk to them about getting my record expunged. They gave me the answer over phone for free because they said don't bother because the Insurance is done through the RMV in Massachusetts. The CWOF won't effect employment background, and the DUI Charge is on my driving record. Massachusetts is really cracking down on it and the RMV will never consider getting it off my drivers record. It pretty all has to do with the fact that everyone in the household has access to everyone car key.

I guess you answered the question, so if I move out and rent, because in a multifamily it won't have anything to do with the landlords insurance.

 

[fed up]

Massachusetts allows for excluded drivers and you have your own policy and vehicle. Your relative should see if you sign the document if his Umbrella will stay in force. You DO NOT drive any of his vehicles with your record.

 

[JoeWolf2020]

Massachusetts allows for excluded drivers and you have your own policy and vehicle. Your relative should see if you sign the document if his Umbrella will stay in force. You DO NOT drive any of his vehicles with your record.

Sorry I keep leaving important info out. I am on the insurance policy for one of the vehicles because it is an SUV, he wants me to be able to drive one of the cars for safety reasons. My car is a small vehicle, and since he is elderly he need me to be able to do stuff that would require driving an SUV, such as in a snow storm if he doesn't feel comfortable driving someplace I can drive him. Stuff like that.

 

[Allen Trent]

I am sure both the home & umbrella carriers can underwrite any resident of the household because all HO policies have coverage components & extensions connected to personal liability that is not related to a car. IE premises liability, on premises recreational vehicle liability, host liquor liability, etc.

 

[adjusterjack]

Had an incident with drinking and driving a few years back.

How many years back?

 

[JoeWolf2020]

How many years back?

2017.. His policy got cancelled september of 2019. Like I said I have spoken to an attorney about expunging my record. He didn't even charge me because he said Massachusetts those insurance carriers do record checks and they do check RMV. An employer will never see it because it was a charge not a guilty finding so a judge wouldn't expunge it, at that point I would have to try to challenge my RMV record with the RMV and in Massachusetts they have a 0 tolerance for any alcohol related incident so they would NEVER clear the record. I was told that driving record is different from criminal background.

All of that is what it is.. I am more just concerned that because where I live in massachusetts alot of the apartments here are in multi-family houses. So there would be 1 single owner not like a building where a company owns it. If that person does a background check would that affect his homeowners insurance and possibly mean for me I wouldn't be able to rent from that landlord.

 

[adjusterjack]

2017

The experience period for auto insurance for heavy duty citations like DUI and reckless driving is 5 years. After that, insurance companies typically ignore them.

I was told that driving record is different from criminal background.

It is. The records are generated by two different sources. Though I suppose that a single background check could obtain both.

I am more just concerned that because where I live in massachusetts alot of the apartments here are in multi-family houses. So there would be 1 single owner not like a building where a company owns it. If that person does a background check would that affect his homeowners insurance and possibly mean for me I wouldn't be able to rent from that landlord.

Different story than your relative's umbrella policy. The umbrella has an auto risk exposure of a resident in the household that had a DUI. I'm surprised that your relative's auto policy didn't also take a hit.

As for renting in a multi-family dwelling I doubt that an insurance company would underwrite the homeowner's policy based on the driving record of a tenant. Probably wouldn't even ask. However, the homeowner could certainly base his decision to rent on the driving record as well as the rest of the background check.

 

[JoeWolf2020]

The experience period for auto insurance for heavy duty citations like DUI and reckless driving is 5 years. After that, insurance companies typically ignore them.

I'm surprised that your relative's auto policy didn't also take a hit.

In Massachusetts I think it is 7 years, I thought that is what I was told.

And his auto policy did take a hit, but it got weird because the next year I also had 2 speed tickets "charge-off" my record so actually went down again. I don't know if you are familiar with the MA point system that they use, and they just recently changed how they do the points as well and how they do the RMV classes which also effect your record.