Coverage clarification

[stiles watson]

At least I hope it is clarification. This post is related to rames14 post, but a little of topic. I have posted on this previously, but maybe it bears repeating. Insurance can be and is confusing.

There are three basic areas of risk we have.

• (1) Towing the 5er and issues related to collision and liability. This by the auto insurance policy (unless excluded) or an specialized RV insurance policy. A specialized RV policy also covers hazards very much in the same way a homeowners policy does, things like theft, windstorm, fire, etc. Generally, your auto policy will not cover your RV when it is not being towed.
• (2) When towing, road hazards, such as flats and or breakdowns. This is covered an Emergency Road Service policy or adding towing to you auto policy. ERS usually has added services excluded from towing riders on your auto policy. ERS does not repair your RV, only tows it to a repair facility.
• (3) Equipment failure, such as A/C, Microwave, front landing leg motor, etc. This is covered by warranty or extended warranty beyond your warranty period.

There is no "one policy covers all" coverage. There is a lot more to be said, but I am not writing a book.

[rames14]

Stiles -

I have all three, but you also should mention the fourth - homeowners insurance. When things are stolen from your car, many times they are covered under your homeowner's insurance. That's where I am afraid my next battle will come. Will my homeowner's insurance cover the RV items or will my Homeowners insurance - or both. The vandalism part (hole in the tire) for sure won't be covered by Homeowners. But, the contents may be. That battle starts Monday.

[Mudchief]

Don't forget to take pictures of your stuff. When our unit was stripped the problem we had with the insurance company was proving we had the stuff. Lucky for us we had just purchased the unit and had stocked it so we would not have to take stuff from the house each time we went somewhere. Therefore we still had all of the receipts. After that we took a video of the inside of the Montana as well as our home.

[brenkco]

Ron,
Your homeowners insurance covers your personal property, in your residence, your car, your RV or anywhere in the world, subject to your deductible. You are right; the tire is not covered by your homeowners insurance.

Stiles, I disagree with you slightly. A specialty RV policy is the most comprehensive way to insure an RV or motor home. It is possible to cover any or all of the following:

1. RV, Coverage can be ACV, Stated value or replacement cost
2. Contents, Coverage can be ACV or replacement cost. limits are decided by the policy holder
3. Emergency trip coverage. Pays for emergency expenses such as meals, lodging
4. Towing/labor, Coverage can be a specific dollar limit or UCR (usual, customary and reasonable, which is unlimited)
5. Vacation/Full time liability, Limits determined by the policy holder

If you choose to bundle all of these coverage’s, you have one deductible, one adjuster and one claim.

Your auto insurance automatically provides liability insurance for a towed vehicle up to the covered bodily injury and property damage limits the policy holder decided to purchase.

It can provide physical damage coverage if you add the RV to the policy. I don’t recommend this for the following reason. If your RV is vandalized and contents are stolen, you have 2 claims, one on your auto policy for the damage to the RV, the other for the stolen contents. You have 2 deductibles (if you have the same auto and home insurer, they sometimes only charge the higher of the 2 deductibles for a single occurrence.

Ron, you shouldn’t have a battle with your homeowners company. They will need a list. Any receipts or owners manuals are helpful but not necessary. If I can help you in any way, PM me.

And yes, Dennis, we advise our clients to photo their home, rv etc. The coverage is called unscheduled personal property so a list is prior to a loss is simply not practical. The photos do 2 things, one is to help you remember what you have and two is to help the adjuster establish what you lost.

Ken

[stiles watson]

I still differ with you at several points. But I will not air those differences on the forum. There have been too many arguments on here. We don't need another one.

[stiles watson]

When a person is full timing in an RV, there is no home site, so there is no homeowners policy. You have to have a stick house that you claim as a residence to purchase a homeowners.

[rames14]

Stiles -

Good point on the full timing aspect. I think many of us on the forum tend to look at our own situation and fail to realize everyone has a different set of circumstances to handle.

[ols1932]

Stiles is right. In order to have a bona fide "homeowner's policy" that covers you're RV is that you must have a stick house somewhere. In our case, since we do not have a stick house, we carry full timer's insurance which, for the present, seems to cover us. It may not cover us completely but it is adequate. We hope we never have a claim!

Orv

[TAKPAK]

I just went through this with our insurance company, whom I've been with for over 30 years. The agent said that the RV is covered under the TV insurance, and the contents are insured under the homeowner's policy, just like the other vehicles. HOWEVER, and this includes your home itself, IF you file a claim against your homeowner's policy, it is an automatic increase in your premium of 30% for three years, declining back to normal after the three years if no other claims. You have to decide if it's worth filing the claim......insurance, gotta have it, but wish you didn't have to.

Side note; I was checking because I was offered a whole policy from another carrier that would cover the RV and contents for full replacement value. BUT, my cost would have gone from $35 extra every six months to almost $300 every six months. Gotta weigh the values and replacement costs, and hope nothing ever happens.

[brenkco]

Terry & Patsy,
You're exactly right. You need to weigh the cost and coverage. Claims on a homeowners policy cause an increase in premium (in most states) that makes turning in a small claim pointless. It is for that reason that I advise my clients to carry a much higher deductible on their homeowners insurance, typically $1,500-$2,500. This saves big $ each and every year. If your claim free, the $ is in your pocket, not the insurance company.

This makes $500 deductible on the RV policy attractive for the contents coverage. As I said in an earlier post, some RV companies offer a disappearing deductible, for each claim free year, your deductible goes down $100. At year 5, assuming no claims you have a zero deductible.

BTW, $4,000 of contents coverage with replacement cost is $44.00 on my policy.

Ken