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It’s only courteous to people who move from an address to set up a forwarding address so that the new resident’s mailbox isn’t flooded with all of your past due bills, junk mailers, and important documents. Unfortunately, not everyone is as forward-thinking as you.

If you’re only getting mail addressed to someone other than your family that’s being sent from an auto insurance company, there’s a good chance that the individual is using your address on their auto policy.

It might seem like a harmless little mistake, but it could also be an intentional action to deceive the company. Something that you have nothing to do with could come back to bite you with your own insurer.

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How is your address used when you buy auto insurance?

You need to give the right address when you want your quotes to come to the right place.

The first address that you give when you’re providing your name, phone number, and other contact information is strictly for mailing.

Even if you give a second address, the primary mailing address on file is where important documents are going to be mailed.

Some consumers are taken by surprise when the agent asks where the vehicle is going to be parked. It might seem obvious that the car would be parked at the same address where you live and receive mail, but that’s not always the case.

Sometimes, people receive mail at their office or park their vehicle in a garage away from the home, which is why there will be two addresses on the policy.

Sometimes they will match and sometimes they won’t.

The mailing address on file won’t affect your rates at all. The garaging address on file, however, will. Insurance companies use the zip code where the vehicle is parked to do research on risk.

If you’re in a riskier zip code, you’ll pay more than others who garage or park their cars in safer zip codes.

Why can companies use your zip code to base your rates?

There are a lot of different rating factors that insurers are justified in using to determine how much a client has to pay.

Not everyone understands why it’s justified to use something like a zip code to set rates. In fact, some would argue that using a zip code to set premiums is almost a discriminatory practice.

According to state officials that determine what is and isn’t allowed, using addresses to set personal rates for an applicant is a fair practice.

The main reason is because insurance actuaries are justified in using a territory to determine your rate is because they look at crime rates and also at claims trends.

Here’s how each influence premiums in a specific territory:

• Crime Rates – if the property crime rate is high in a zip code, especially for auto thefts, the rate for physical damage coverage will be higher in the territory
• Claims Trends – if there are a high rate of claims for auto accidents in the area, rates for third-party liability coverage will be higher

When You Get Auto Policy Mail Addressed to Someone Else

If you get an invoice or other auto policy documents that are addressed to someone you don’t know, it could be an innocent mistake or it could be intentional. Don’t open the mail.

This is a Federal offense and could land you in jail. Instead, you should write either “Not at this Address” or “Return to Sender” on the envelope and put it back in the mailbox.

You May Be Able to Call the Insurer

If you keep in getting mail for the same policyholder and even returning the mail isn’t doing anything, you could try to call the carrier or the agent that’s sending the mail.

Sometimes, there’s no one in the mail department notifying the service representatives of the return mail.

When you call, you can’t give a policy number because that would require opening the mail.

You can, however, give the representative the name on the envelope and your address.

After you do this, inform them that the person doesn’t live with you or receive mail there. The company will then reach out to the client by phone in an attempt to update the information on the policy.

Is there a benefit to purposely using your address?

You might wonder what the benefit would be for someone to use an address they don’t reside at.

In actuality, when someone lives in an area where there is a high rate of motor vehicle thefts, it can benefit the policyholder when you live in a safer zip code.

Even though it keeps your rates down to use a safer zip code, it is considered misrepresentation to give the wrong garaging zip code, and it could be classified as misrepresentation.

When you’re guilty of misrepresenting risk and the insurer finds out, the carrier could deny your claims.

How can someone using your address affect you?

Not only is someone using your address annoying, but it can also affect your insurance record. Carriers run C.L.U.E reports to see if you or others in your household have reported claims through third-party carriers.

If there is a driver using your address, it could look like you’re hiding a driver who lives in your home. Dispute the information immediately.

You can’t control others, but you can update errors on your end. When you’re getting quotes, be prepared to notify the insurer that someone else is using your address without your permission.

Then, use an online quoting tool, enter your address, and compare the premiums instantly.

Enter your address below to find car insurance rates that work with your budget!

Auto Insurance Tips

11.10.2020 / auto insurance laws / auto insurance policy / auto insurance rates