Residence Issue When Insured Travels for Business More Than He Is Home

 

May 21, 2013

My client owns a house in Pinehurst, NC. The home is insured on a Homeowners Enhanced Form HE-7 with the HE-3221 Extended Enhancement Endorsement. The client works for a military consulting company, and his work takes him away from Pinehurst much more often than he is there. He is gone for such long periods of time that he actually rents a residence where he goes each time. A couple of years ago, he had a couple of rented residences in Georgia for about three months each. After that, he moved to a rented residence in Louisiana for over a year. This week, he informed me that he is moving to a different town in Louisiana. Meanwhile, the house he owns in Pinehurst sits full of his stuff. He comes here from time to time to visit and check on the place. Is this client covered for liability at his rented locations out of state? The policy defines “insured location,” among other things, as “any part of a premises not owned by an insured; and where the insured is temporarily residing.” Is a stay in Louisiana that lasts for over a year temporary? Or should I endorse his HO policy each time he moves and list his temporary residence on the declarations page?

North Carolina Subscriber

As long as the insured pays taxes in North Carolina, maintains a North Carolina drivers license, titles his car in North Carolina, and all his mail goes to North Carolina, then that is his permanent residence. Any other residence, even if he is there for a year or more, is indeed temporary. However, because of the frequency with which he is away, it might not hurt to ask underwriting how they want you to handle the other locations. Remember too that there is no coverage for damage to the rented property.

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