RV Lot as Residency?

[reubenray]

The DW and I have discussed full-timing several times, but I am the one that is hesitant to do it. She would do it in a heartbeat, but I have a lot of issues and concerns. One of the biggest one is having an actual residence to use for insurance, drivers license, etc. One thought I have is having a lot (the perfect one would be on a body of water) to use as a camp and eventually the permanent address while full-timing. This would also give us a spot to rest up from traveling. It could even be without power, water & sewer to start off with, but would eventually have all of these. The motorhome would have this plus Directv for the television use and cell phones/internet.

Has anyone done this and is this even feasible to do? I am assuming it would have to have mail delivery service to qualify as an address.

[tedgard01]

I have not done it, but it is done.

Look up RV Ports.

I'd like to do the same, and build a small RV port to park the RV in while there, with full hookups.

Have it as the home base campsite.

[CampDaven]

A "residence" in SD or TX is preferred by many, as it is so easy for mail forwarding and RV friendly and super low taxes.

If you get a permanent spot and use it as an address in AZ (for example) your annual license fees on the RV will be outrageous.

You gave some research to do!

[Clayobx]

Buy a lot in Fl. No income tax, low property tax, check the county for milliage rates, no personal property taxes. It cost us $100.00 per year for our coach. You will pay to register cars, coach the first time if you have not had a FL tag in the past but not that expensive.

[lthrnk]

We own our lot in Titusville, FL, at www.tgocsa.org . All full hookups, including cable and many amenities to choose from. The quarterly maintenance is very reasonable for all services provided. When we travel we can rent out the spot and cover a lot of the cost. Has worked out well for us for last 7 years.

[PyrateSilly]

What most do is pick a state to have as their "home of record". The most common states are FL, SD or TX. When they decide on a state they pick a mail forwarding service. Most mail forwarding services are set up to help you set the insurance, dl and all the rest up - legally. Some of the more common mail forwarding services in use are:
RV Mail Forwarding Services
http://www.mydakotaaddress.com/ SD
http://www.americas-mailbox.com/ SD
http://www.alternativeresources.net/ SD
http://myhomeaddressinc.com/ SD
http://www.yourbestaddress.com/ SD
http://www.vmfs.com/index.html FL
https://www.myrvmail.com/ FL
http://www.sbimailservice.com/ FL
http://natomail.com/index.htm FL
http://usmailhq.com/homepage/en/about-us/ FL
http://www.amhomebase.com/ FL (Good Sam Mail service is now here too)
http://www.fastforwardremail.com/ FL
http://mailtravelservice.com/ FL
http://www.texashomebase.com/ TX
http://www.escapees.com/Default.aspx TX

[wa8yxm]

As far as I know if you have a lot that YOU OWN, (or lease for a long term like a 99 year lease) that should (not will but should) qualify as a residense.

Also there are 4 states, SD, NV, TX and FL, where you can live in a post office box (Well postal forewarding service box). GA is getting there too.. My daughter lists her address as PO BOX ####, City, GA, Zip code

(Don't you love the way I don't give out her address)

[CampDaven]

If I purchase a lot, I would feel committed to going there.

We are still adventurers. Not going to new places would get boring, at least until we get out of full vacation mode (if ever).

We were in enough of a rut having a house!

[Pullin' Chocks]

Not everyone is a real property owner, and that doesn't stop anyone from being a resident of any state. Renters move frequently; many once per year, and sometimes more often if the rental is sold while they are living there. So fulltime RVers just move more frequently and that is OK. When you do need a 911 address a recent campground where you rented a spot (in the state of your claimed residence) is completely legitimate. Of course you don't receive your mail at that 911 address, you maintain a PO Box for your convenience. That is a mail forwarding service PO Box. There is no law against moving around. Have fun!

[TheArnolds]

Good info...thanks!

[TXiceman]

We are full time and do not own or lease a lot. We use Escapees in Livingston, TX as our address and mail forwarding service. So far no issues with anything.

ken

[reubenray]

This subject was created from watching "Buying the Bayou" I have hunted and fished in a lot of the places they are showing. This made us think it would be great if we could find a lot with a pier or boat dock that we could park the motorhome on. Most of our trips have been in either National or State Parks, being we like the wilderness.

I don't think we would care for the "RV Resorts" being we like the wilderness more. Plus we would be paying for amenities that we would probably not use.

[paz]

You don't have to purchase a lot to establish residency. States like SD, TX and FL have mail forwarding services that provide an actual street address (not PO box) that is accepted by the DMV for drivers license, insurance and vehicle registration. BTW, when buying insurance, try to find an agent who knows something about RVing and full-timing. We use Miller as our agent. They were able to provide quotes for different companies and different locations when we first went full-time and were trying to decide where to domicile.

We are legally domiciled in SD and use Alternative Resources. Many of the forwarding services can also provide assistance in vehicle registration for a small fee. In SD, registration renewals can be done online and are a breeze, but help registering for the first time or with a new vehicle purchase can be very beneficial.

[reubenray]

I want something that we would actually use in South Louisiana if possible.