Living in a Motorhome – Are You Protected?

This may seem like a strange question but are you and your family currently living in a motorhome? For a growing number of military families, the answer is yes. What was once a living option reserved for those who were retired and wanted to travel across the US, living in a motorhome has rapidly become an option that has been rapidly expanding over the past several years.

There have been many reasons for an increase in families living in motorhomes including more companies allowing employees to work remotely, Covid 19, including housing for temporary workers and individuals who need to be quarantined, shelters for homeless people, and housing for families affected by large scale natural disasters. 

Recently there has been a new group that has found living in a motorhome to be a viable solution to their housing needs. You guessed it, military families. There are several reasons why military families have turned to motorhomes to meet their housing needs. 

For some, living in a motorhome is allowing their family to downscale and reconnect. For others, they are experiencing the harsh reality of housing shortages at their new duty stations. With not enough homes to buy or rent and base housing being scarce at several locations, some families have opted to build new homes only to find that building supply shortages and delays have caused their new home builds to be delayed by over 6 months. As any good, resilient military family does, they have found a solution. Motorhome living. Many families are turning to living in in motorhomes while awaiting permanent housing. 

With the increase in military families owning and living in motor homes over the past year, we started to get several questions about motorhomes such as:

1. Is my personal property protected in the motorhome?
2. Can I be sued if someone is injured in my motorhome?
3. Does my car insurance cover a motorhome?
4. I already own a motor home for vacations. Do I have to get different insurance if I am going to live in it full time?

Due to the influx of emails and the PCS season around the corner, I reached out and spoke with Mary at Armed Forces Insurance to help answer these questions. and give any advice for any who are considering living in a motorhome. 

Mary stated that anytime you make a change in your living situation, you should always call your insurance agent to make sure you have the proper protections in place. Moving into a motorhome for any length of time is no different. She said it is important to know that motorhomes are typically not covered on an auto policy so a separate policy will need to be written to cover your insurance needs.  

The good news is that insurance companies have comprehensive motorhome policies that can cover you in almost any situation. Let’s start with looking at what a basic motorhome policy will cover.

Basic Motorhome Policy

This would be for your standard motorhome or RV used for recreational purposes on the weekends for short periods of time. 

• Physical Damage: Protects your RV from theft, vandalism, windshield damage, acts of nature, accidents with animals and collision with other vehicles. 

• Bodily Injury and Property Damage Liability: Covers damage or injuries you cause while driving your motorhome and any potential legal fees.
• Medical Payments: Medical bills may be covered for you and any passengers involved in an accident on the road.

• RV Roof: Some policies may repair or replace the roof if it is damaged. This can even include wear and tear coverage.

• Pest Protection: Some policies may provide coverage to motorhomes for damage caused by insects, birds, rats, and other rodents. 

Full Time Motorhome Residents

Full time motorhome coverage is designed for families who make their motorhome their residence for several months or several years. The minute you move into the motorhome full time, there are changes that need to be made to the policy to ensure you are properly protected. 

For anyone living in the motorhome full time, you need to make sure you have the Full-Time RV/Motorhome endorsement selected on your policy. The full-time RV/Motorhome endorsement gives your broader protection then the standard motorhome policy. A Full-Time RV/Motorhome endorsement covers:

• Personal Liability:  Pays for injuries to another person or property damage while your motorhome is parked.

• Medical payments: Pays for medical expense for those who are injured in or near your motorhome 

• Loss Assessment: Pays for fees charged by an association for repairs to common areas where your motorhome is parked.

Mary added that if you are living in your motorhome and you don’t have this endorsement, you run the risk of your claim not being covered under the basic motorhome policy if a claim were to occur.

Personal Property Coverage

Mary also made the point that covering your personal property is extremely important to consider. Many homeowners and renter policies may not cover all your belongings in the motorhome or RV. The good news is your motorhome policy will have the ability to add several thousands of dollars of coverage to cover your personal property. 

Is your personal property spread out over multiple locations, like a storage unit? Not a problem!  Mary wanted me to pass along that a personal property policy form Armed Forces Insurance would cover your belongings anywhere in the world, wherever they are stored. A personal property policy from AFI would ensure your property is protected in your RV, at your parent’s house, or in a storage unit, giving you the peace of mind that your property would be replaced if the unexpected occurs.   

Life can throw you some curveballs and living in a motorhome may not have been what you expected this year. Not to worry, if you find yourself in that situation, you can rest easy knowing that you can still protect you and your family from life’s most unexpected moments. If you have more questions on this or want to review your current insurance situation, please feel free to reach out to our friends at Armed Forces Insurance at 1-800-313-1936 and they will be happy to answer your questions and ensure you have the best protection for your family’s needs. 

For a more detailed list of tools and resources on multiple topics, head over to Armed Forces Insurance – Resources and Tools page to learn how to protect your most valuable possessions. 

Here’s to a wonderful winter season! Now, excuse me while I head inside and get my skis ready for the slopes.

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As a military family, you need insurance that matches your needs and protects what you value most. You deserve an insurance company that is committed to serving you. MilHousing Network is proud to partner with Armed Forces Insurance to bring military families reliable homeowner’s insurance options when buying a home. Contact them today at 800-313-1936 or visit www.afi.org/milhousing to learn how they can support your unique military lifestyle.