Husband and Wife on Separate Policies

sthamby

New Member
1
My daughter's husband backed into her car yesterday in their driveway. He has liability insurance on his vehicle and she has full coverage. They are on separate policies. There wasn't any damage to his car, but hers will probably cost around $3,000 to repair. The insurance company told them that she would have to pay the deductible for her policy to get the car repaired. They also said her insurance premiums would more than likely increase even though the car was parked and not occupied when he hit it. They claimed it didn't matter that they had separate policies because they were married. This just doesn't seem correct to me if they're on separate policies. Has anyone encountered a situation similar to this? They live in Tennessee if that makes a difference. Thanks for any advice.
 
First Question is how are they on Separate Policies? Is this like State Farm where each car has it's own policy or are they different companies?

If they are with the same company then I understand the insurance company's stance as you can't be liable to yourself (or members of your household)

This accident will be treated as any other collision loss and they most likely will see a rate increase at renewal. The husband hit a car and the company will need to pay out. whose car it is doesn't matter. If they are separate policies then only his should see an increase, her's would be considered a not-at-fault claim and should have no impact on her rate.

Driveway accidents are a very common loss, sometimes resulting in 2 deductibles needing to be paid
 
All drivers, regardless of their marital status, are required by law to have some form of car insurance. There may be scenarios where a husband and wife are more comfortable with keeping their separate policies active, which is an option with most insurers.

Before you elect to keep your own personal car insurance after marriage, you should consider several different factors. The choice could pose problems with the Department of Motor Vehicles, a claims adjuster and even with your wallet if you do not know how insurance works.
 
Sounds pretty standard to me....read the policy for definitions of "who is an insured". It likely includes married members of the same household, which makes them a single insured regardless of the name on the policy. And since one cannot be liable to themselves, insert the collision claim on the car that had the coverage.

FWIW, if hubby's car had collision, he'd be paying a deductible too.

There are only a few carriers left that will forgive deductibles on a "double with" claim - both parties have the same insurance carrier.
 
My daughter's husband backed into her car yesterday in their driveway. He has liability insurance on his vehicle and she has full coverage. They are on separate policies. There wasn't any damage to his car, but hers will probably cost around $3,000 to repair. The insurance company told them that she would have to pay the deductible for her policy to get the car repaired. They also said her insurance premiums would more than likely increase even though the car was parked and not occupied when he hit it. They claimed it didn't matter that they had separate policies because they were married. This just doesn't seem correct to me if they're on separate policies. Has anyone encountered a situation similar to this? They live in Tennessee if that makes a difference. Thanks for any advice.
There isn't any way to support insurer's stand on this case. If they have two separate polices then how can an insurer would surge the premium for her when there were no fault..
Don't give up and stick to the matter until resolved by the company. Anything beyond the insurance terms and conditions never be acceptable.
 
altonroot - see my post above yours. Re-read the definition of "who is an insured" and get back to me with how you'd interpret this scenario.
 
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