Mobile Home Insurance: The Intelligent Choice

HO-7 Insurance for mobile homes used to be limited to fire insurance, but mobile homes have come a long way from their roots as travel trailers. Whether you rent a space in a mobile home park or your mobile home is set on your own acreage, you can get a policy to cover your home for basically the same hazards someone with a stick-built house can. You must understand some of the risks are greater. For instance, your home is more susceptible to damage from wind. Many older mobile homes have wiring that isn’t as safe as that which is now required on new mobile homes.

Your mobile home is not covered by your homeowner’s policy while it is in transit. You must check with your agent to see if set-up is included. There are three main areas of coverage:

1. The mobile home itself plus, probably, any related structures that are unattached.
2. The contents of your home: appliances, furnishings, personal belongings.
3. Liability. If a visitor stumbles over a skateboard and breaks his arm, your policy will cover his expenses (up to a stated maximum), and possibly a dollar amount for his resentment.

As with all other homeowner’s policies, separate coverage must be purchased for earth movement (earthquakes included), and flood damage. (If your water heater bursts and swamps your basement, that is not flood damage. If the river overflows and runs through your living room, that is flood damage.)

You may be able to get lower rates for mitigating factors. For instance, if there are no large trees near your home, you may get a slightly lower rate for a reduced ‘falling objects’ hazard. The only things you would need to worry about would be a soft drink bottle falling out of a plane, for instance. Or, the plane itself. If you have insurance against falling objects and a plane crashes into your house, your insurance policy will go to bat for you and recover damages from the other party’s insurance company. If you are not covered, you have to file civil suit yourself, unless the other party’s carrier pays you voluntarily.

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