Getting your tiny house insured can sometimes be a hassle. In today’s article we address the steps you might need to take to get your house covered.
More and more people in modern times have their eyes on non-traditional ways of living.
This means that unconventional houses such as tiny houses on wheels are growing in popularity.
These houses provide all or nearly all the comforts of a typical house, with a lot less space and a lot lower price.
For those who don’t feel they need a lot of room, it’s a wonderful opportunity to save money.
However, troubles can pop up when it comes time to insure your tiny home.
This article is going to take a look at some of the common problems that can occur while trying to insure a tiny home on wheels, as well as some options and tips for finding solutions to those problems.
Problems with Tiny House Insurance
Being an unconventional way of living, tiny homes on wheels can present a challenge when it comes to getting them covered by insurance.
Because they have wheels and often don’t adhere to the same standards that a typical house would, homeowners insurance is often a very unlikely option.
Building codes and zoning regulations typically have strict rules about how land can be used.
Tiny homes on wheels are somewhere in the gray area between recreational vehicles and actual homes, meaning that both sides present options for finding insurance, but may not be able to cover the full scale of things that can happen with a tiny house on wheels.
For example, typical homeowners insurance doesn’t include the possibility of being towed because most homes don’t have wheels.
Aside from that, the sheer inability for most tiny houses on wheels to meet the building codes expected for a house, means there is a tendency to render them ineligible for standard homeowners insurance.
Non-Mobile Solutions
If you don’t plan to move your tiny home around often, then sometimes there are agreements that can be made with insurance companies so that they will work with you on covering the home.
For example, if you remove the wheels, the home is no longer able to be towed. This can become a hassle if you purchased the home for the portability, but it does eliminate one of the problems that can keep the home from being insurable.
If removing the wheels appears to be the best option for you, then you may also be required to skirt your home.
Skirting means adding a foundation that will help to add insulation to your tiny home and keep the utility hookups from freezing.
If you bought the home for the price or size more so than the need to travel, then skirting is a good idea. It can give your tiny house the touch of a real home, and protects your investment from cold temperatures.
In some cases, another potential option may be to agree to not live in the home full time, however, if you intended for your house to be a home that can sometimes be a bit of an issue.
Recommended: Don’t miss our guide to the top tiny house communities!
Mobile Solutions
If setting up your tiny house on wheels in a permanent setting isn’t going to work for you, then don’t fear!
There are still other options that you can look into. One of these options might be RV insurance.
If your tiny house is built up to the standards of this kind of insurance, you may be able to get RV insurance relatively easily.
However, similarly to homeowners or personal property insurance, there are some cases where strict rules must be adhered to in order for the insurance to be able to cover your tiny house.
For example, many insurance companies may only be willing to insure your tiny house if it is built by a certified RV manufacturer.
Because these manufacturers are professionals who are already required to build up to a certain standard, a tiny home built by them would be able to receive a seal certification from the Recreation Vehicle Industry Association.
If you haven’t bought or built your tiny house yet, purchasing a tiny house on wheels made by such a manufacturer would make the process of getting insurance a lot easier.
Insurance companies will already know it is up to the codes of a ‘park model’ RV and will therefore be a lot quicker to offer even full-time insurance.
Having a tiny home with this kind of certification will also allow you a much wider range of campsites to park in, as many also require that certification for safety purposes.
Recommended: Find out some great places for a tiny house vacation in our latest guide.
The Ideal
You’ll need to be careful to make sure that whatever insurance option you choose needs to be a good fit for the exact use of your tiny home on wheels.
Otherwise, it can result in you being denied coverage at a time when you may really need it. It’s best to find a complete answer before any kind of emergency takes place, that way you can feel safe in knowing that you’ll be taken care of.
More and more, insurance companies are moving towards the development of insurance plans that specifically address the kinds of situations that can happen with tiny homes on wheels.
Make sure to do plenty of research, just in case there may already be an insurance company that will provide that kind of coverage.
Otherwise, work as best as you can with insurance providers to make sure your needs are met and that your home meets the requirements these companies have in order to insure you.
Some of these requirements can include making adjustments to your tiny home on wheels such as making sure it has the equipment, systems and appliances needed to qualify for the plan.
This is particularly important if you’re looking into an RV insurance plan for your home. If you want to be absolutely certain that your tiny home on wheels will be insurable, then the best option would be to purchase one from a certified RV manufacturer.
That way, it’s sure to be up to the standards any typical RV would be held up to, and that will allow you to easily find insurance that will cover your abode.
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