car registration NJ / PA. legalities and insurance (apartment, lease)

[jtime100]

I was scanning the forums here but didn't find an answer to this question...

Background:
I have both parents addresses in PA, which I travel to and stay at most weekends. I live in NJ during the week, have an apartment here in my name, work here, pay taxes here, vote here. I used to have the voting & taxes thing in PA, but since I spend my week here in NJ I switched them to NJ. My car is still registered in PA and my car insurance is based off of that address. When I started working/living in NJ, I called up my insurance company and told them that the car spends the majority of the week in NJ, but it is in PA on weekends at the residence I still consider my permanent address. The PA address is in the suburbs, and the insurance is quite cheap.

Question:
Do I have to change my license, registration, insurance over to NJ? If I can still show I have a residence of multiple family members in PA which I do spend portions of time living with, can that be enough to keep my car registered/licensed/insured in that state?

I've seen many posts talking about the great benefits of NJ, but I really don't want to switch my car items over to NJ if I don't have to. I also don't want to be committing insurance fraud, so if I have to switch I will.

Would appreciate anyone's insight on this.....

[bradykp]

if/when you get into a car accident...your insurance will run your credit report, see your lease on your apartment in NJ, and backcharge you for the period. I personally know at least 6 people this has happened to, some intentional, some just never got around to switching everything over for a couple months.

when you told your insurance company that the car spends the week in NJ, did they change your rates?

you should have switched your license over within 6 months of moving, by law, i believe.

[RhysNJ]

By paying taxes and voting here, it sounds to me like you are a New Jersey resident and the fact that you visit your folks on weekends is irrelevant. Everything on the NJ Motor Vehicle commission site implies that, as such, you should have changed your title and registration to NJ within 60 days of establishing residency. In order to do that, you must arrange to obtain New Jersey auto insurance based on your town of principal garaging during the week.

Otherwise you could be subject to possible fines or penalties for rate evasion or insurance fraud. Check with your local MVC office, but I'm pretty sure this is what you will be told.

Rhys

[JCK7778]

All of the above are absolutely correct, and from someone in the insurance industry, if you get into an accident and it is found that you intentionally did not get the NJ insurance based on fraudulant activity (IE: using your parents address as your address to avoid paying higher rates) not only can they deny the claim, but they can also cancel your policy back to the last renewal date, hence leaving you with a lapse in coverage that you will have to disclose on any application for new insurance for the next 3 years....and companies charge HUGE amounts when you have had a lapse in coverage as you are now deemed a higher risk.

[jtime100]

Thank you for all your replies. I will be switching over everything today to NJ. Do not want to have any of those things happen to be should I ever be in an accident.

[captne76]

I sincerely believe that if you do travel back to your home state of PA at regular intervals, that you are still fully legal. Most insurance companies don't care that much about it, as evidenced here, but you "flatlands insurance salesfolks" seem to be putting some scare inti this person.

[joe moving]

edit: i guess i am too late but if the answer to "Where do you park your car 183 nights a year?" is NJ you are probably doing the right thing.

I live in VT/NJ 50/50 right now and really would like VT plates (cheaper insurance and not automatically that NJ guy) but it seemed to me to make sense for all parties to move everything at once, including where I pay income tax. I agree that you probably don't want to have to try to explain your way out of how you work and live in NJ but have PA plates.

[JCK7778]

You are completely wrong...and for the record I am not a salesman, I am an underwriter for a very large personal insurance company...and I can tell you it does happen.

Going home on weekends to visit family has no bearing on residency status. If you live, vote and pay taxes in NJ then you are a NJ resident...and having your auto insurance in a different state for the sole purpose of saving a few bucks is insurance fraud. Forget the insurance ramifications, it is also a crime punishable by large fines and possible jail time.

Originally Posted by captne76

I sincerely believe that if you do travel back to your home state of PA at regular intervals, that you are still fully legal. Most insurance companies don't care that much about it, as evidenced here, but you "flatlands insurance salesfolks" seem to be putting some scare inti this person.

[captne76]

If it was me I might ask the ins co themselves, explain the situation and see what their opinion is. Not saying anyone should defraud anything but many times the ins co may advise you could do it either way.

[nybbler]

Originally Posted by JCK7778

Forget the insurance ramifications, it is also a crime punishable by large fines and possible jail time.

Too bad retroactive underwriting and other ways of denying legitimate claims aren't crimes; they're just as crooked, but legal because you guys have better lobbies.