Insurance differences between buying Motorhomes and trailers
Fergus said
08:01 AM Jan 6, 2014
I'm still in research mode into making a purchase and I'm curious to know if there are any issues to be aware of in regards to the differences between a motorhome versus a trailer/fiftwheel.
I've read that not all RV's are actually insurable when it comes to fulltiming and living out of them.
I hope I'm explaining this right, here are my details.
Researching the cost of ownership differences between a motorhome(class A or C) and a trailer(travel trailer or fifth wheel), namely the insurance component of ownership.
My wife and I will be living/working from the home and want to ensure that we have insurance coverage on the unit as if it were our home containing all of our possessions...pretty self-explanatory.
Any insights would be appreciated. Are there any companies that cater to the RV industry in this way?
As always, thanks very much for your inputs!
Please be sure to comment on any tips as I'm still a newbie and I know I'm most likely overlooking some key factors related to insurance, among other things, and my feelings won't be hurt at all if you talk to me like a five year old...:o)
We can't wait to join you all on the road. Planning our work and working our plan, we're about 18 months out now.
One source is to check with Miller Insurance out of Oregon. I don't know if they are still with them, but Howard and Linda started out with them, and we recently (within the last several months) went to them as well. We told them what we wanted and they came up with solutions. We have full replacement value and coverage for personal effects.
If I remember right, we had to insure our second vehicle, the Ford F150, separately and the F450 and Mobile Suites on one policy.
I've not heard that insurance wouldn't cover full-timers, but that may be. However, I do know that some RV manufacturers won't warranty their products if the owners are full-timing.
Terry
cherylbrv said
06:01 PM Jan 6, 2014
I am led to believe that Progressive offers insurance for full timing RVs.
Alie and Jims Carrilite said
06:54 PM Jan 6, 2014
We moved from Progressive to Blue Sky for our RV and vehicle insurance. They knew what we needed for full time coverage. Got the run around with progressive.
Bill and Linda said
07:49 PM Jan 6, 2014
Insurance companies, like Progressive, allow different agencies access to different “products.” Because of this on-line or local agency quotes may not be the best place to do this research, IMO. Miller is an agency that has access to products from companies, like Progressive for example, that may not be available to all agencies or on-line Some products can “package” certain vehicle combinations which have price advantages.Miller does specialize in RV Insuranceso it might well be worth the call as they are very familiar with RVers needs.No need to “explain” everything and they can help you compare MH vs. 5er/truck insurance costs.
We are fulltimers and have full liability as if our 5th wheel is our home-because it is. We have personal effects coverage to insure our posessions, and a $2 million dollar umbrella policy.
Our insurance is with Miller as well.
I haven't heard of anyone having an issue insuring for full time living,
Sue
el Rojo and Pam said
06:56 AM Jan 7, 2014
Farm and City Insurance also specializes in RV coverage. They gave me quotes from Progressive and National.
Fergus said
07:27 AM Jan 7, 2014
Thanks very much everyone, I'm sorting through the suggestions and making phone calls to the listed providers. That should keep me busy for a little while...
WestWardHo said
03:56 PM Jan 7, 2014
Ferguson & Shelly,
Agree about Miller insurance but also don't forget to calculate the cost of tags/plates. We lived in AZ and we're looking at MH's and 5th wheels. The licensing difference was staggering, in the thousands $.
Sherry
Bill and Linda said
04:35 PM Jan 7, 2014
WestWardHo wrote:
Ferguson & Shelly,
Agree about Miller insurance but also don't forget to calculate the cost of tags/plates. We lived in AZ and we're looking at MH's and 5th wheels. The licensing difference was staggering, in the thousands $.
Sherry
Yes indeed, an interesting point.States are different.For example, our state does not charge for the RV by weight.Trailer (RV) tag is very inexpensive.The truck is charged by weight; however, you don’t have to include the weight of an RV trailer – only the weight the truck carries on its axles.However, some states charge differently.So this is a very good point if you’re doing close figuring on expenses.
I think you will find the states that many full-timers choose as their domicile are quite friendly as to these matters.But it is good to research this personally on a state by state basis.Personally I’d start with South Dakota and Florida if you are able to change your home state. Remember, the county of residence in a particular state can also have a large impact on insurance costs and Florida is one of those situations.
I'm still in research mode into making a purchase and I'm curious to know if there are any issues to be aware of in regards to the differences between a motorhome versus a trailer/fiftwheel.
I've read that not all RV's are actually insurable when it comes to fulltiming and living out of them.
I hope I'm explaining this right, here are my details.
Researching the cost of ownership differences between a motorhome(class A or C) and a trailer(travel trailer or fifth wheel), namely the insurance component of ownership.
My wife and I will be living/working from the home and want to ensure that we have insurance coverage on the unit as if it were our home containing all of our possessions...pretty self-explanatory.
Any insights would be appreciated. Are there any companies that cater to the RV industry in this way?
As always, thanks very much for your inputs!
Please be sure to comment on any tips as I'm still a newbie and I know I'm most likely overlooking some key factors related to insurance, among other things, and my feelings won't be hurt at all if you talk to me like a five year old...:o)
We can't wait to join you all on the road. Planning our work and working our plan, we're about 18 months out now.
One source is to check with Miller Insurance out of Oregon. I don't know if they are still with them, but Howard and Linda started out with them, and we recently (within the last several months) went to them as well. We told them what we wanted and they came up with solutions. We have full replacement value and coverage for personal effects.
If I remember right, we had to insure our second vehicle, the Ford F150, separately and the F450 and Mobile Suites on one policy.
I've not heard that insurance wouldn't cover full-timers, but that may be. However, I do know that some RV manufacturers won't warranty their products if the owners are full-timing.
Terry
Insurance companies, like Progressive, allow different agencies access to different “products.” Because of this on-line or local agency quotes may not be the best place to do this research, IMO. Miller is an agency that has access to products from companies, like Progressive for example, that may not be available to all agencies or on-line Some products can “package” certain vehicle combinations which have price advantages. Miller does specialize in RV Insuranceso it might well be worth the call as they are very familiar with RVers needs. No need to “explain” everything and they can help you compare MH vs. 5er/truck insurance costs.
www.millerrvinsurance.com
Bill
Our insurance is with Miller as well.
I haven't heard of anyone having an issue insuring for full time living,
Sue
Thanks very much everyone, I'm sorting through the suggestions and making phone calls to the listed providers. That should keep me busy for a little while...
Agree about Miller insurance but also don't forget to calculate the cost of tags/plates. We lived in AZ and we're looking at MH's and 5th wheels. The licensing difference was staggering, in the thousands $.
Sherry
Yes indeed, an interesting point. States are different. For example, our state does not charge for the RV by weight. Trailer (RV) tag is very inexpensive. The truck is charged by weight; however, you don’t have to include the weight of an RV trailer – only the weight the truck carries on its axles. However, some states charge differently. So this is a very good point if you’re doing close figuring on expenses.
I think you will find the states that many full-timers choose as their domicile are quite friendly as to these matters. But it is good to research this personally on a state by state basis. Personally I’d start with South Dakota and Florida if you are able to change your home state. Remember, the county of residence in a particular state can also have a large impact on insurance costs and Florida is one of those situations.
Bill