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Question: Who is insured on a standard homeowners insurance policy?

Answer:  Here’s a somewhat common scenario:  Sally and Jim live with their family in a suburban home in Atlanta.  Sally’s mother Greta and her new boyfriend Bob have also moved into the house.  So, who is an insured on Sally and Jim’s standard homeowners’ insurance policy?

Every insurance policy has a declarations page, which identifies specifically who and what is covered by the policy, the policy’s limits, and other key information.  On their standard homeowners policy, Sally and Jim would be named as insureds.  Additionally, any “resident relatives” (relatives by blood, marriage or adoption) are also insureds.  There is an additional provision for young students who live at home but are away at college, and even one for non-related young students (such as exchange students) who are in the care of Sally and Jim.

So in this case, Greta (Sally’s mother) would be an insured because she qualifies as a resident relative.  Greta’s boyfriend Bob, though, is not a resident relative of Sally or Jim and is therefore not an insured on the homeowners insurance policy.  The only way to obtain coverage for Bob would be to purchase an individual insurance policy for him, or for him to marry Sally’s mother (thus making him a resident relative).

Making sure that individuals who could suffer loss in the household are adequately covered is part of what a Georgia Farm Bureau agent can help you with.