Attempted break in

[RedneckExpress]

Good Deterrent, don't store it at a storage facility. Its not a question of IF it will get broken into, only a question of WHEN and HOW OFTEN.

Even leaving it open and removing all valuables will not help as the thieves will just steal the appliances and copper gas lines.

[richvkansas]

Originally Posted by LadyFitz...

If you leave the RV unlocked, you probably wouldn't be able to collect on the insurance. Most insurance policies require proof of forced entry before they will pay.

Locked or unlocked has no bearing on the loss. Theft is theft. To paraphrase a burglary statute which is similar to most, (entry or remaining within any building, manufactured home, mobile home, tent or other structure which is a dwelling,, ......with the intent to commit a felony, theft, .......). Kansas (KSA 21-3715)

Remember the term "B&E" --Breaking and Entering--? That is burglary and "breaking" doesn't mean busting down a door or even smashing a window. For example: there is a party going on at a house. Those attending have placed their coats and purses on a bed down the hall from the main event. Someone approaches the house, is able to raise the window and reaches in with a pole and removes several purses, coats, furs, etc while remaining outside the house. Burglary? Yes. Where the window physically exists is the plane of the residence. Raising the window does not remove the plane and when he/she extended the pole into the room, it "broke the plane" which effected the "entry". Removing the property of the others demonstrated the intent.

Your statement of "most insurance policies require proof of forced entry before they will pay" made me pull out my insurance contract and I found no such language. If your policy has that language, I would suggest you might look for other coverage.

[SarahW]

Originally Posted by RedneckExpress

Good Deterrent, don't store it at a storage facility. Its not a question of IF it will get broken into, only a question of WHEN and HOW OFTEN.

Even leaving it open and removing all valuables will not help as the thieves will just steal the appliances and copper gas lines.

Not very helpful to those of us who have no choice in the matter. If we want to own an RV, we have to rent a storage space.

[LadyFitz...]

Curious. I provide a link to a Google search that has numerous hits on insurance being denied because of no evidence of forced entry yet people are still saying it doesn't happen.

Not all States have the same insurance laws. Not all insurance companies have the same policies. If you are in a State that prohibits denial of coverage when there is no evidence of forced entry, I'm happy for you. Same for if you are fortunate enough to have an insurance company that will not do so. But neither situation indicates it will always be that way. And from what I have read, denials have occurred even though there was no clause saying so in the policy.

In the case of my break in, it was the police that said I might be refused coverage if I couldn't prove forced entry. They would not likely have said that if it hadn't happened to at least some people. Fortunately, I didn't have to test that since I was able to prove forced entry. There was no clause in the policy regarding forced entry.

Clause or no clause, if someone wants to steal anything I own, they are going to have to work at it. I'm not going to invite them in by leaving anything unlocked or using locks that everyone and their dog has a key to. That will at least encourage the lazy thieves to move on to easier pickings. The insurance will cover any damage that gets done.

[HHIDan]

Originally Posted by LadyFitz...

Curious. I provide a link to a Google search that has numerous hits on insurance being denied because of no evidence of forced entry yet people are still saying it doesn't happen.

Not all States have the same insurance laws. Not all insurance companies have the same policies. If you are in a State that prohibits denial of coverage when there is no evidence of forced entry, I'm happy for you. Same for if you are fortunate enough to have an insurance company that will not do so. But neither situation indicates it will always be that way. And from what I have read, denials have occurred even though there was no clause saying so in the policy.

In the case of my break in, it was the police that said I might be refused coverage if I couldn't prove forced entry. They would not likely have said that if it hadn't happened to at least some people. Fortunately, I didn't have to test that since I was able to prove forced entry. There was no clause in the policy regarding forced entry.

Clause or no clause, if someone wants to steal anything I own, they are going to have to work at it. I'm not going to invite them in by leaving anything unlocked or using locks that everyone and their dog has a key to. That will at least encourage the lazy thieves to move on to easier pickings. The insurance will cover any damage that gets done.

I am not an insurance broker but would think that most contracts probably have a clause which would state that you have to take "reasonable precautions" or "reasonable care" of your goods. In other words you can't claim for your $20 dollar bill that was stolen which you left on the park bench overnight. Just my opinion.

[Hipshot]

I also found out my insurance does not cover contents that were not part of the original MH or a replacement of an original installation. So which is worse pay $500 deductable for a destroyed door and cost to replace contents, in my case $40. Or install a $200 alarm system and leave the door unlocked and recieve no damage to the door and pay replacement cost of items stolen. I also lost use of the MH for almost 4 months. There are no doors available for a 2008 Bounder. Fleetwood had to go th the manufacturer and have one made, that took 3 months.

[H. Miller]

Originally Posted by LadyFitz...

Curious. I provide a link to a Google search that has numerous hits on insurance being denied because of no evidence of forced entry yet people are still saying it doesn't happen.

And from what I have read, denials have occurred even though there was no clause saying so in the policy.

In the case of my break in, it was the police that said I might be refused coverage if I couldn't prove forced entry.

You obviously didn't read the links! Most were about a bogus insurance scam set up by storage providers. Others were discussing the fact that "forced entry" was NOT a reason for denial of coverage. The only one that was germane to this subject happened on a commercial policy in Germany!! Commercial policies have many more manuscript (one of a kind) endorsements, coverages and exclusions which have no bearing on this discussion.

You may read all sorts of things but just because it's in print doesn't mean it has any basis in fact. Didn't I READ the "second coming" was supposed to take place earlier this year?

"In your case" the police person was committing a felony by practicing insurance without a license, also true of some of the answers given in this discussion.

And yes, I have a current insurance license and been in the biz since 1966.

[Davdeb1]

I have a good solution to the problem. Move the RV. Obviously this lot is not secure, and it is possible to find one that is. Just check with the local authorities when you find a lot to see how many break ins were reported.

[RedneckExpress]

Originally Posted by SarahW

Not very helpful to those of us who have no choice in the matter. If we want to own an RV, we have to rent a storage space.

Or move to a place where you can store it on your property. It's all about choice. You either choose to have your vehicle repeatedly damaged and robbed in a storage facility (there is NO SUCH THING as a truly secure storage facility, unless it happens to be a US Military Base ) or you can choose to buy a home where you can have an RV pad and park your RV by your house.

While that doesn't completely eliminate the possibility for theft, it does greatly reduce it.

[LadyFitz...]

Originally Posted by H. Miller

You obviously didn't read the links! Most were about a bogus insurance scam set up by storage providers....And yes, I have a current insurance license and been in the biz since 1966.

Actually, I did and obviously you didn't read very far. You don't get past the storage unit scam hits until the second or third page. After I read the first link to the storage unit scam, I skipped over the rest.

[Wayne M]

Alright kiddies. Bicker, bicker bicker.

I don't believe (my opinion) that there is any such thing as a secure RV unless you are sitting in it and have a means of protecting yourself from any aggressors.

Lock the door, they break in. Unlock the door, they break the plane and are in. Put in a security alarm. They break in. Loud noise and bright lights are the better detriment, but it does not mean that they will not break in.

To have tried to break into the Tour and not succeed just means that they did not have the right tools.

Once in, they most likely have one minute before on-site response arrives, and if it is off-site even more time. If it is parked in your yard and they do it at 0230 hours it is going to take you some time to put on tour pants, grab your defense mechanism and proceed out to the MH.

Do you have any idea how little time is needed to ransack the inside, and even possibly rip the television off its mounts? Not long, not long at all.

We do what we have to do for peace of mind. After it is all over we can say, "I should have tried ???, for security"

Maybe some posts on ideas of what to do could benefit some that need the information.

[SarahW]

Originally Posted by RedneckExpress

Or move to a place where you can store it on your property. It's all about choice. You either choose to have your vehicle repeatedly damaged and robbed in a storage facility (there is NO SUCH THING as a truly secure storage facility, unless it happens to be a US Military Base ) or you can choose to buy a home where you can have an RV pad and park your RV by your house.

While that doesn't completely eliminate the possibility for theft, it does greatly reduce it.

I believe the point is there is NO absolutely secure storage area...even in your own yard. (And I'm sure there are some low-life individuals even on military bases!)

[Hipshot]

Wayne and SarahW are right you do the best you can. But if a thief is determined they will break in. Look at the number of home invasions that are happening when people are home. The only protection is what you are willing to provide. As someone said the police are only minutes away when seconds count.

[RedneckExpress]

Originally Posted by Wayne M

Alright kiddies. Bicker, bicker bicker.

I don't believe (my opinion) that there is any such thing as a secure RV unless you are sitting in it and have a means of protecting yourself from any aggressors.

Lock the door, they break in. Unlock the door, they break the plane and are in. Put in a security alarm. They break in. Loud noise and bright lights are the better detriment, but it does not mean that they will not break in.

To have tried to break into the Tour and not succeed just means that they did not have the right tools.

Once in, they most likely have one minute before on-site response arrives, and if it is off-site even more time. If it is parked in your yard and they do it at 0230 hours it is going to take you some time to put on tour pants, grab your defense mechanism and proceed out to the MH.

Do you have any idea how little time is needed to ransack the inside, and even possibly rip the television off its mounts? Not long, not long at all.

We do what we have to do for peace of mind. After it is all over we can say, "I should have tried ???, for security"

Maybe some posts on ideas of what to do could benefit some that need the information.

Originally Posted by SarahW

I believe the point is there is NO absolutely secure storage area...even in your own yard. (And I'm sure there are some low-life individuals even on military bases!)

Originally Posted by Hipshot

Wayne and SarahW are right you do the best you can. But if a thief is determined they will break in. Look at the number of home invasions that are happening when people are home. The only protection is what you are willing to provide. As someone said the police are only minutes away when seconds count.

Yes, but how often do you hear of folks coming on here and going "My RV was at home and got broken into" vs "I left it in a secure storage yard and my rig got broken into."

I read about the later almost 10 times to every 1 time I read about it getting broken in at home.

In a secure storage yard, they are almost guaranteed not to be bothered or even noticed and can take their time stripping the place clean, hell they can even come back and do it over several days, that's how poor the security is at a storage yard.