Time to renew insurance - HELP!

[CJ Winch]

Last year my insurance company charged me $117 - this year they want $521!

So, I've been doing research....First of all I'm told (by an agent that represents several RV insurance companies) that if the rig is 5 yrs old or less, and has a total loss, the insurance co. will reimburse what you paid for it. That does not apply in my case with a 2005. In my case, with a total loss, with standard insurance, the ins. co. will start with low NADA, which is $13,800 and start subtracting from there (for what I don't know?) having their appraiser look at it.

To replace my trailer with a comparable, clean, barely used 2005 28' Wide Body Classic Airstream would cost more than double what the insurance companies are willing to reimburse - maybe even close to triple!

Now there is the possibility of doing what they refer to as "Agreed Value" insurance where I would supply a copy of my bill of sale, and they would agree it's worth that. However, not all insurance companies will do agreed value, and the one (Allied) that I could find for a reasonable price, has restrictions I'm not willing to put up with, for example, they won't cover awning replacement or damage under any circumstances because awnings are the most common item to have a problem with - so why would I not want my awning covered by insurance? They also won't cover what they refer to as "glass". The agent refuses to put anything in writing and will not respond to emails to answer my questions, he just calls me and gives me "lip service", which makes me very uncomfortable. Do I go to court when something isn't covered and say "the agent told me on the phone....." that wouldn't hold up.

Now, I'm back to square one thinking that I'm going to have to settle for insurance that will only reimburse me alittle more than 1/3 what my rig is worth if there is a total loss, or deal with insurance that doesn't cover the basics - glass and awning! At this point, I'm frustrated and just don't know what to do! HELP!

[lsbrodsky]

I used to really get angry about insurance until I finally accepted that insurance is not really for making claims; it is for a total loss. That applies to your home, trailer, cars, and anything else. Make claims and they raise your rates or cancel you.
Now with that said, you just have to decide how much you want to pay for coverage and whether that is replacement cost depreciated or agreed upon value. Your quote is close to all of the quotes I have received; I have found Nationwide to be the lowest for me.
Larry

[dznf0g]

My Allied policy does not exclude awnings nor windows and is Agreed Value. The Comprehensive portion went up about $100 this year.

Like Larry says...would I make a claim for $1000....NO. Deductible is 500, so I get dropped or premium slammed for them paying $500???? I probably wouldn't claim $1500 damage.

I did make a $3700 claim to another company back in 2010 on the AS. That company paid well, minus $500 deduct and were happy to double my premium the next year....so I said bye-bye.

[CJ Winch]

I don't know why Allied will not cover awnings or glass, maybe that is something new, but I did confirm it with my agent. I called Nationwide and they will not do agreed value unless the vehicle was purchased within the last 13 months. 13.5 months in my case, but they will not make an exception. Nationwide will only do low NADA, which, again is only $13,800. Starting tomorrow we are uninsured. I have no idea what to do.

[Al and Missy]

Progressive will do agreed value, but $521 may not be that far out of line. Call/log on to Progressive and get a quote.

Al

[Protagonist]

Trailer insurance is not legally required in ANY state, unlike motor vehicle insurance. So you don't have to quit using your trailer if it's uninsured— unlike a motorhome that requires insurance to be street-legal.

That means you can take your time and shop around for the best coverage available for the price you're willing to pay. The risk associated with having your trailer uninsured for a few days— or a couple of weeks— is relatively small as long as you exercise a modicum of care with it, so don't get too stressed.

[nrgtrakr]

Originally Posted by Protagonist

Trailer insurance is not legally required in ANY state, unlike motor vehicle insurance. So you don't have to quit using your trailer if it's uninsured— unlike a motorhome that requires insurance to be street-legal.

Reference please for the no trailer insurance required part.
Thx!

[Protagonist]

Originally Posted by nrgtrakr

Reference please for the no trailer insurance required part.

Trailer Insurance | DMV.org
and Trailer Insurance: Is It Really Required?

There are at least two exceptions I'm aware of:
1 - Commercial trailers usually must be insured so if your Airstream has been converted to a food cart, it probably needs to be insured.
2 - If the trailer is financed, the finance company can require you to insure it, to cover their butts if you wreck it.
But for a recreational trailer that is fully paid for, you don't have to insure it if you don't want to.

Ultimately your own State's Department of Motor Vehicles is the final authority, so don't take my word for it. Check with them.

[Shacksman]

My insurance is having more then 1 trailer. If I wreck I can go home and get another to use. It's been this way for 15 years and I figure I have saved enough to afford to lose one.

[Adiredneck]

What Protagonist has told you is true. In reality, your trailer insurance is only for physical damage (collision and comprehensive - i.e. fire, theft, vandalism, tree falls on it, etc.), and is not required in any state that I know of (check yours, to be sure - Cali has some strange laws...!). Required liability insurance - coverage for bodily injury and property damage that you cause to others - is part of the personal automobile policy that you have on your tow vehicle - and automatically extends to any non-commercial trailer hitched thereto. As pointed out above, think of trailer insurance as a catastrophic coverage, not a maintenance policy.

[CJ Winch]

The quotes I've gotten for agreed value are around $275.00, but that was before I knew that my bill of sale had to be less than 13 months old. National General (Good Sam) will insure for NADA replacement value ($13,800) for $148/yr. I'm beginning to think that getting something rather than nothing is the way to go. One big concern I have about being uninsured is running into a hail storm!

[nrgtrakr]

Originally Posted by Protagonist

Trailer Insurance | DMV.org
and Trailer Insurance: Is It Really Required?

There are at least two exceptions I'm aware of:
1 - Commercial trailers usually must be insured so if your Airstream has been converted to a food cart, it probably needs to be insured.
2 - If the trailer is financed, the finance company can require you to insure it, to cover their butts if you wreck it.
But for a recreational trailer that is fully paid for, you don't have to insure it if you don't want to.

Ultimately your own State's Department of Motor Vehicles is the final authority, so don't take my word for it. Check with them.

Thanks!

[Cleareye]

Insurance began as an innovative way to reduce extraordinary risks, like sailing to America to pick up some spices. It has slowly morphed into what is now the biggest scam ever. It is essentially like Bernie Madoff times 10,000!
Life is full of risks. Don't be afraid to live with them. Just have a stash of money that is yours to cover some emergencies. Look who owns EVERYTHING! Big insurance. They own Donald Trump because they own the banks that own Donald Trump. Stop feeding the monster!!!

[splintair]

Originally Posted by CJ Winch

The quotes I've gotten for agreed value are around $275.00, but that was before I knew that my bill of sale had to be less than 13 months old. National General (Good Sam) will insure for NADA replacement value ($13,800) for $148/yr. I'm beginning to think that getting something rather than nothing is the way to go. One big concern I have about being uninsured is running into a hail storm!

National General also returns partial premium when you winterize and you still maintain coverage.

[kdickinson]

I do have insurance but it is for total loss only. I have it insured for about what I figure I have in it and am not trying to put some imaginary value on it on what I think I might be able to sell it for. I have a separate umbrella policy for liability which covers me for liability related incidents involving vehicles I own, incidents / injuries on land I own, and if my trailer somehow rolls off on its own and hurts someone (which has probably happened sometime somewhere and sometime in the history of trailers but I don't know). My insurance is about $120 / year for the trailer but I have no idea if this will change in 2016. I have a little cargo trailer that is not insured. I will say this - having lived in Houston, TX for 20 years and seeing the destruction flooding can cause I've always carried flood insurance even though I've never lived in a flood zone. My flood insurance in Colorado where I now live has gone from $180 to $360 and I expect it to keep going up but it is still the cheapest insurance you can buy!

[Gillpine]

I almost went with them. They were very reasonable--more so than State Farm which I stayed with.

[1Boyscout]

CJ, Have you checked with Hartford?

I have a 2015 INTL Serenity AS. Both my cars and trailer are on the same policy.
I have used them since 2005. My insurance is $115. Hartford has my house too.

Jan 2006 I cut a corner to sharp and scraped the lower 24" of the side of my TT Jayco from front corner to the front of the back wheel. I called them, and took it to the local Jayco dealer.
The agent came out on Tuesday the next day. Thursday 2 days later I received a check for $4700, and I paid the $500 deductible. I have never seen a Ins company that acted the fast. It is worth a call.

[DreamStreamr]

Progressive insured a driver who backed into our trailer. Managed our claim so well we considered them first a few years later when shopping for coverage.

We have stated value coverage on our 2005 25'. We added comp and liability coverage, not covered in our older policy. If you have a homeowners policy your liabilities might be covered already. Since we're full timers we lacked that protection against claims of damage from or by our RV (when it's not hi had to the tow vee.) Big thanks to Hunter for pointing this out to us in '09 at the Full-Timing seminar in Madison.

As soon as we confirmed her info, we changed coverage. And had to change insurers since Allstate couldn't then offer the desid coverages for a full-timer (without the homeowners policy already.). Progressive and FCIS both do this well, we're told.

Our stated value plus liability coverage runs approx $600.


Dreamstreamr
2005 International CCD 25SS
http://Dreamstreamr.com

[graysailor]

I have had good luck with Progressive for an agreed value policy. I was with Geico which also was good but they have limits as to agreed value.

[WestieHouse]

Originally Posted by 1Boyscout

CJ, Have you checked with Hartford?

I have a 2015 INTL Serenity AS. Both my cars and trailer are on the same policy.
I have used them since 2005. My insurance is $115. Hartford has my house too.

Jan 2006 I cut a corner to sharp and scraped the lower 24" of the side of my TT Jayco from front corner to the front of the back wheel. I called them, and took it to the local Jayco dealer.
The agent came out on Tuesday the next day. Thursday 2 days later I received a check for $4700, and I paid the $500 deductible. I have never seen a Ins company that acted the fast. It is worth a call.

It may help to have all your insurance business with one company. We use USAA for everything and get great service and rates. They partner with Progressive for our AS insurance policy and my Harley insurance because they do not offer either directly. Like Boyscout I had a "minor" (2 mph practicing turning) incident the first week I owned my AS. The repair cost was $10,000 less a $1,000 deductible. It was a potent lesson on the cost of aluminum panels and repairs! Progressive responded the same day and repairs were authorized in time for a scheduled trip that had considerably prepaid expenses (Nova Scotia-Newfoundland ferry). I was very impressed with the service of Progressive. It is a topic for another thread about the poor service from the AS dealer who did the repairs.

Like others said earlier, I use insurance for catastrophic losses only and pay less as a result of selecting high deductibles. The paperwork, time, and premium increases are not worth every claim. If there is any chance of personal injury the equation changes and immediate reporting is wise.