repair cost more than ins. limit

[Billhorn]

We had a tree blow over and land on our 2003 Keystone RV Montana 3670RL. I am finally getting estimates for the replacement of the air conditioner, the cost to have the tree removed from the roof and the reroofing. My insurance policy says $11,000 Dwelling Limit. I assume that is what I told the ins. agent when I got the policy that is what I thought it was worth. It is looking like the numbers for the repairs will be higher than the "dwelling limit"so what happens in a situation like this? I have Amfam ins.

[Montana Man]

It sounds like you'll have $11,000 for a down payment on a new trailer. And maybe, minus the cost of having it hauled off.

[Billhorn]

I have a $1000 deductable so I guess the max would be $10,000. If they were to come up with that does it mean they now own my Monty? Will they come in the night and haul her away? I just paid $3500 for rent for this season. Will I be sitting on an empty lot on a lawn chair drinking beer this season?

[mhs4771]

Call your insurance company or agent and get answers from the "Horse's Mouth" rather than guesses by us here.

[rohrmann]

Better start shopping for a new one!

[mlh]

You need to set down with your agenda. Every instance company is different. We can’t give you factual information. All we can do is guess.
Lynwood

[BB_TX]

Originally Posted by mhs4771

Call your insurance company or agent and get answers from the "Horse's Mouth" rather than guesses by us here.

I agree. But that number sounds about what nada would value that trailer. Same as a car. They will pay the current market value. You could probably take the money and have it repaired paying the extra yourself if you feel it can be properly repaired and the difference is not too great.

Or use the money toward another trailer maybe a few years newer.

[Foldbak]

Curious...you had a tree fall on the trailer? Where was the trailer? In a park or at home?

[Billhorn]

Our Monty has been parked in a Jellystone Park for 10 years or more. The tree was in a privately owned forested area inside a barbed wire fence.

[DutchmenSport]

Yep, yep, yep.... We've been there and done that! Well, kind-of.

It wasn't a tree falling on our camper, it was our tree falling across the property line and taking out a section of privacy fence. The privacy fence was installed by the other property owner, many, many years ago. It was rotting and decaying and band-aids were holding it upright. The neighbors thought this was a great way to now get a new fence. So, they had to deal with our insurance company.

It turned out, a falling tree across property lines was, well, ... pretty much exclusionary. (on both sides of the fence ... literally!). Not only did our insurance company said, it as an act of nature and the neighbors were not entitled to a claim, but THEIR insurance company said the exact same thing. They were mad as hornets at this news.

Well, all they did was put more band-aids on the 10 foot section that was taken out and that was the end of the fence debate. If they would not have secured that 10 foot section, I would have, because we all had dogs and they absolutely did not get along with each other. Having an opening between the properties would have resulted in one dog or the other ending up dead.

And it was after that, (we think), "they" went on a witch hunt with the zoning commission to find every nook and cranny they could muster up, ... true or not ... to bring heat on us. The were able to muster up a complaint with the zoning board for us having our camper parked beside the house (and it wasn't even on their side, it was on the opposite side of our property). Zoning said we had to move the camper off the property (after 16 years of having it parked there!)

Well, we moved the camper all right, and we moved with it. Never looked back. Found a new property in the NEXT COUNTY, in the country, and actually, we've been living in the camper(s) ever since, happy as two flees sleeping on the underbelly of a dog all curled up in the Spring time of the year!

The tree drama was traumatic at the time, to say the least. But in the long run, it turned out to be the best thing that could have happened to us, because it started a series of events that brought us to a much better way of life.

Now, having your own insurance on the camper itself, that's a different matter. The camper, being insured for any kind of damage (especially trees falling on it), would be treated the same as a tree falling on your automobile. If the damage and cost of repair is greater than the actual value of the automobile, the insurance company will almost always consider it a total loss, pay the fair market value of the camper, and then it's your call what happens to the trailer. I've never heard of an insurance company taking or seizing the automobile (or in your case, the camper) with it's totaled. Usually, when they are totaled, they are simply hauled away to the car grave yard.

If the camper is that damaged, then you probably don't want to continue using it anyway. Here's a great opportunity to purchase a new camper and use the remainder of the insurance money for a down payment on something newer and nicer.

It's for this very reason we carry "replacement" insurance on all our vehicles, the camper, and the house. If something happens and anything on our property is "totaled" we get it replaced with an equivalent or better. And the cost is no longer a factor. Yes, we pay a higher premium for this, but we found out a few years ago when we were in a T-bone accident (not our fault), that our insurance company was more willing to fight to get the car fixed than swap out for another one.

[Foldbak]

In California if the neighbors tree falls on your property because of of lack of maintenance its the tree owners fault. If it falls due to wind or rain its an act of god.

[mlh]

In Virginia it’s an act of God. If a limb extends over your property you can cut it off up to the property line.
Lynwood

[Camp CA]

Insurance company is totaling the trailer so accept the $11,000 as a down payment for a replacement trailer.

[wed]

It’s a shame you didn’t have replacement cost

[BB_TX]

Originally Posted by wed

It’s a shame you didn’t have replacement cost

Is that possible on a 19 year old RV? And how much would that have cost over those 19 years?

[mlh]

I have a question. When you have replacement cost what is the replacement?
Is it a new unit or the year and model you had?
Lynwood

[mhs4771]

The coverage we have is Replacement Cost for the first 6 years, then a set value after that. That's a Full Timers policy with Progressive.