Insurance for New to Us Fiver

[M2D]

We have spoken with our insurance agent about our new fifth wheel trailer. It is a 2010 NuWa Hitchhiker.

We have no experience with insuring a trailer. The agency put us under the same insurer as our cars. We are picking up our new truck tomorrow so that will be insured then.

At first the company insured it as though it was a MH. WE had made it clear that it was a fifth wheel trailer. So I called our agent and supposedly it has been corrected. We received a new policy cover sheet today. It is insured for comprehensive and collision on the same cover sheets as our cars.

I want to know what is covered. Is it usual to see your coverage sheet expressed as though it was a car? Do all of you have information about what is covered in your fiver? Do insurers cover you for loss of TV, fridge. stove and furniture if your trailer is demolished?

Thanks,

M2D

[sknight]

It is insured somewhat like your car and more like your house.

While your vehicle policy covers it somewhat, it doesn't cover repairs. So, if it breaks loose or you hit someone with it, that's your truck policy. You hit a limb and tear the roof open, your truck policy doesn't cover it. The RV policy however, does.

A tree falls at your home or at a CG and they don't have insurance, then the policy covers it like a home repair and doesn't go against your homeowners.

So it's a little of both.

And watch regular insurers, they don't understand these things very well. Mine quoted me nearly $20 a month short of what the underwriter finally came up with. If they had been right in the first place it would have stopped the deal as I was already over budget, then the insurance goes up and they collect their back insurance.

Because of that mistake I'm going to spend a little downtime shopping insurance. I've heard good and bad about the specialty RV insurers, good because they understand us, bad because they aren't the best at customer service, can be pricey, can get complicated if there's an on road incident involving both types of insurance, etc. Thankfully I haven't personally experienced any of that, but it's what my research turned up.

[mwwade]

I recommend calling Millers insurance. Visit with them, they know RVs.

[Gary RVRoamer]

Based on what happened so far, I would worry a bit. You need collision and comprehensive insurance, just like a car, to cover accidents that happen to the trailer. But the policy should explicitly identify it as a trailer and have different provisions than a car collision or comprehensive policy. For example, it needs to cover damage to electronics (tvs and computers) while auto policies often exclude those. It also needs to cover attached fixtures, e.g. awnings, antennas, etc. Sometimes these are considered personal property rather than part of the RV (my policy is that way). That's OK, but the default limits on PP are probably too low if it is. A typical policy allows $2000 for PP, but you couild easily have 3x that amount if it has to cover your actual PP (clothing, etc) as well as awnings, tvs, satellite dome, etc.

Also, ask about coverage for injuries to people on your campsite, e.g. somebody falls on your steps or gets burned by the BBQ grill. If you have homeowner insurance, that may cover it, but otherwise you may want to add "campground liability" for that sort of thing.