Glossary

Household member

A person who lives in your home, usually a relative, whom auto policies often cover automatically and may require you to list.

Also called: resident relative, family member, member of the household

In auto insurance, household member usually refers to what policies call a "family member": a person related to you by blood, marriage or adoption who lives in your household, including a ward or foster child. Policies often extend coverage to these relatives automatically. They are covered when driving your listed cars and, under many policies, when driving a car they do not own, and they can collect benefits such as personal injury protection or uninsured motorist coverage as passengers or pedestrians.

Insurers also want to know about every licensed driver who lives with you, related or not, because people under your roof are presumed to have regular access to your cars. Leaving a teen driver, adult child or roommate off the application can lead to a back-premium charge, a claim dispute or cancellation. The fix is to list them or, where allowed, name them as an excluded driver.

Residence is a question of fact. A college student living away at school is often still considered a household resident; a relative who has moved into a place of their own usually is not. Unrelated roommates are typically not covered as family members, even though insurers ask about them. When someone moves in or out, tell your insurer, and review who counts as an insured under your policy and who is the named insured.

Last reviewed October 4, 2026

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Related terms

Named insured The person or business listed by name on the declarations page as the policy's owner, with the broadest coverage and most rights under the contract. Excluded driver A specific person listed on a policy as not covered to drive the insured cars, often used to keep a high-risk household member from raising premiums. Permissive use Coverage for someone who drives your car with your permission but is not listed on your policy, typically on an occasional basis. Insured Any person a policy protects, including the named insured, household relatives and often permitted drivers, depending on the coverage. Named driver policy A car insurance policy that covers only the drivers specifically listed on it, rather than anyone who borrows the car with permission.

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