Community Forums

CeeTee · 03-16-2007, 07:07 AM

Good Morning,
I have been reading posts here for quite some time and have learned a great deal from all of you- Thank you!
Now I find that I need your assistance and I hope someone can help me out.
We have a 35' fifth wheel that is on a permanent spot in Wisconsin. It is in a small campground and has a (beautiful)12x35' all weather porch semi-attached. We have been here for about 4 years or so. Absolutely love it!
We have just been notified that our insurance company will no longer cover parked/permanent campers, only on the road campers/RVs.
I am having a heck of a time finding insurance for this. Most companies will cover it if we call it a mobile home-which it is not. We use it only during the summer months and then sporadically.
Does anyone use or know of an insurance company that covers permanent site campers?
Any suggestions would be helpful.
Thank you,
Ceetee

CeeTee · 03-16-2007, 07:07 AM

Good Morning,
I have been reading posts here for quite some time and have learned a great deal from all of you- Thank you!
Now I find that I need your assistance and I hope someone can help me out.
We have a 35' fifth wheel that is on a permanent spot in Wisconsin. It is in a small campground and has a (beautiful)12x35' all weather porch semi-attached. We have been here for about 4 years or so. Absolutely love it!
We have just been notified that our insurance company will no longer cover parked/permanent campers, only on the road campers/RVs.
I am having a heck of a time finding insurance for this. Most companies will cover it if we call it a mobile home-which it is not. We use it only during the summer months and then sporadically.
Does anyone use or know of an insurance company that covers permanent site campers?
Any suggestions would be helpful.
Thank you,
Ceetee

GaryKD · 03-16-2007, 12:19 PM

I Ceetee and welcome to posting on iRV2. Can you let us know what insurance companies you have tried? Do you belong to any RV organizations like Good Sam, Passport America, Camping World Presidents Club, etc.

Gary RVRoamer · 03-18-2007, 05:09 AM

I've heard similar stories from several sources lately. I know one guy with a permanent trailer such as yours who is now required to disconnect water, electric and sewer whenever he leaves for a few days. His insurance will be void if it is not "in storage" when he us not actually using it. Must be a new hot button among insurers.

I would try insurance through the Good Sam Club Camping World (both insure through GMAC) or an RV specialist such as Explorer RV Insurance . You may have to go with "full timer" coverage to get what you need.

Also look into "park model" coverage - a park model is a fixed site (non-traveling) RV and that is essentially what you have. An RV park model is a different class of portable building than a manufactured home, i.e. it is an RV. Wayfarer is a brokerage that handles park models as well as other types of RVs.
Wayfarer Brokers

CeeTee · 03-18-2007, 06:20 AM

Thank you for your responses.
Gary,
When we first purchased our lake site and the fifth wheel I must have contacted every insurance company in Wisconsin LOL. Slim pickins let me tell you- It got to the point that the premium wasn't an issue (even though we are on a small fixed income) just finding the insurance was all that mattered.
This past week I have contacted over 50 different agencies in the Wisconsin/Illinois area by telephone. (It is frustrating to keep saying "No it is NOT a mobile home"). I've contacted even more through the internet and am waiting for responses.
Since we have never been RVers (my husband can't drive due to his eyesight) we have never been members of any type of RV organization.
RV Roamer,
I too know others that are going through this, in fact they are in the same campground we are. It is unfortunate that companies are canceling the staionary camper insurance- they are missing out on a huge customer base. Every campground that we visited before deciding on the one we are at, was clean and well kept. Some of the park models we saw were as large-if not larger than our brick and mortar home. One of our friends mentioned that most people visualize a Dogpatch-type environment when a trailer campground is mentioned- this could be the problem.
I have contacted Wayfarer Brokers for a quote and will check out the Explorer as well.
Thank you both for your suggestions.
Cee

GaryKD · 03-18-2007, 04:54 PM

CeeTee,
Gary B. provided some good information. If his suggestions do not close this for you, try:
<UL TYPE=SQUARE>
<LI>Farm & City This is where I get my insurance from.
<LI>Anon
<LI>Thum
<LI>RV Insurance Pro
<LI>Miller Insurance[/list]Good luck and please post how you close this.

Frank P. Martin · 03-18-2007, 06:17 PM

I'm curious as to whether your fifth wheel is licensed. If it's not, I would think this might make a difference when you attempt to obtain insurance as how could an agent write a policy for an unregistered (unlicensed) RV. Even if he could write a policy, I would imagine it would have to be more along the lines of a homeowners policy being that it's permanently "parked". If it's not too expensive (in PA, the annual registration fee for my TT is only $12.00), why don't you just register your "fiver" and insure it as an RV? The insurance company probably won't even care if it's permanently parked because there are folks that do periodically use their RVs for travel even though they are kept in a seasonal (or permanent) site. I can't recall ever seeing any "insurance police" riding around through the campgrounds looking for licensed RVs that are permanently parked.

Gary RVRoamer · 03-19-2007, 10:46 AM

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content"> Some of the park models we saw were as large-if not larger than our brick and mortar home. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Cannot be so - a "park model" RV by law is less than 400 square feet (not including any patios or whatever might surround it). Any wheeled/movable type living quarters that is 400 sq ft or larger must conform to the much stricter "manufactured home" building standards rather than "Recreational Vehicle" standards.

When you call insurers, remember you have to call vehicle insurers, not property insurers. As Frank Martin notes, you may be required to have current license plates on it, but I would not go out of my way to tell them I tow it zero miles per year. If they ask if it is in a fixed location, you must of course be forthright, but "don't ask, don't tell" seems like a fair policy to me.