Let’s say I park my car in my garage. The engine catches fire. The car and garage are destroyed.
Who pays to rebuild the garage? My home insurance or my car insurance company?
If my car insurance company pays to rebuild the garage, will they pay *only *if I have collision insurance on my car (in addition to liability)? What if it’s an old car, and I only have liability insurance on it?
If you ever needed a real answer about which insurance policy covers a situation, the answer requires reading the insurance policies. In the abstract, it is likely that the car insurance policy covers the operation of the car. It is more likely that the home insurance will cover damage to the house and car, as long as the fire wasn’t from the operation of the car.
I’d bet money that this scenario has been litigated in your jurisdiction. For example, one automaker had trouble with a cruise control switch that caught fire, which in turn damaged houses on several occasions.
Generally, if it results from operation of the car, the auto insurance pays. Otherwise, homeowners. If you only have liability on your car, your wife could sue you (the insurance) to pay for the damage. This varies by state.
More likely you have both insured by the same carrier. The rub is that you’re auto coverage and related deductible will cover the damage to your car. And the home coverage and related deductible will cover the damage to your garage. You’ll have to pay both deductibles before the insurance kicks in.
When my son backed out of our garage, forgetting to raise the garage door, this was how it played out.
The car would likely be covered by the comprehensive coverage (not collision, since there was no collision) The garage would not be covered by the auto because you can’t be liable to yourself. This could be different if it was a rented home. The garage would be covered by homeowners. If you had no comp coverage and no homeowners insurance, you be out of luck.
I don’t understand this. Let’s say you didn’t have homeowner’s insurance. Your auto policy would still cover damage done by your son. Paying both deductibles doesn’t seem right.
You might be forced into the legal fiction of actually suing your son for damages, but I wouldn’t turn in the claim on the homeowners policy.
It goes back to the principle that you can’t be liable to yourself. Your auto liability coverage doesn’t pay for damage to your own property.
His son would be liable to him. His son would be covered as a driver of the car with permission. He sues his son, and the liability insurance on the car pays for the damage caused by negligence of his son while operating a motor vehicle. (Damage to the house, definitely…the car probably not, that would be policy specific)
I agree that if the OP had been the one driving, he can’t sue himself, but we’ve got a third party here.
Doubtful. I’m going on the assumption that the car is insured by Omar Little. His own policy will not pay out under liability for damage to his own property. The policy usually has a specific exclusion for damage to your own property. If the son lives with him, the insurance looks at them both as insured persons on the policy.
Ding ding ding…winner winner…chicken dinner!
Thank you. Although, even if he didn’t live you and was driving your car it would be the same thing. Every auto policy I’ve ever seen excludes damage to your own property from being covered by the liability portion of the policy.
This came up in a conversation I had with a a buddy with State Farm. Their policy was to waive the deductibles if both polices were with them.
What hasn’t been mentioned, is if the car is covered by a different carrier, the HO insurance will pay for the garage, and subrogate against the auto policy carrier.
And regardless of if the HO and Auto polices are with they are both going against the car maker.
(yes I have seen this happen)
It shouldn’t happen this way if an unattended car catches fire. The auto insurance likely covers operation of the car, but the OP gives a situation where the car isn’t operated. The home owners insurance covers damage to a house and its contents.