lzcamper
Thousand Oaks, CA
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Joined: 10/28/2003
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I'm finishing my DIY camper and would like to insure it as a camper, but I've heard that the camper needs to be built by a certified motorhome company to be insurable. So far, it is just insured as a Sprinter van. How do most of you insure your DIY campers?
Rick
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mpfireman
Cook County Il
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Joined: 12/26/2003
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I would guess that you would have to show the finished unit to your insurance agent, along with the bills that you have incurred in building this camper. SORRY, they might not count your HOURS building it as an expense.
1998.5 Dodge Ram Quad Cab Cummins
1998 Sunnybrook 27RKFS Fiver
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love to camp
richmond RI usa
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Joined: 10/18/2004
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registering as a camper vs a van would the premium be different?or are you trying to capture back the money you put into it in case of a accident? I also converting my sprinter into a camper.
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fordsooperdooty
Southern California
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Joined: 08/13/2004
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From what I've heard, you can find an Insurance company to insure it, but they likely will require a professional survey of it to establish an market value.
"A Motorhome is a Motor vehicle with living quarters attached permanently to a motor vehicle chassis or van.
The vehicle must contain ALL of the following permanently installed facilities: (acceptability criteria)
•cooking
•refrigeration
•self contained heating and/or air conditioning
•drinkable water supply system
•bathroom facilities (built-in and plumbed)
•110 - 125 volt electric power system (including solar powered systems)
•LP-gas (propane) system"
This Company writes policies for Home Built Bus Conversions..good place to start!
PoliSeek RV Insurance Specialty Unit 800-449-8943
"Nothing in the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and consciencious stupidity."
-Martin Luther King, Jr.
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McK
Arkansas
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Joined: 07/05/2006
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The standards may vary from state to state and insurer to insurer. Here is what I was able to find via Google for Montana:
"Motor Home" as used in MCA Title 61, Chapter 1 means a motor vehicle designed to provide temporary living quarters, built as an integral part of or permanently attached to a self-propelled motor vehicle chassis or van, containing permanently installed independent life support systems that meet the ANSIA/A119.2 standard and providing at least four of the following type facilities (check all that are in this motor home):
Cooking, refrigerator or icebox
Potable water supply system, including a faucet and sink
Self-contained toilet
Heating or air conditioning, or both
Separate 110-volt or 125-volt electrical power supply or a liquefied petroleum gas supply, or both
Note that it requires only four facilities, but not all and either a AC power supply or LPG, but not both.
Here is what Progressive Insurance requires:
ALL of the following must be permanently installed facilities:
* Cooking
* Refrigeration
* Bathroom facilities (built-in and plumbed)
* Self-contained heating and/or air conditioning
* Drinkable water supply system
* 110 to 125 volt electrical power system (including solar powered systems)
Again note that LPG is not required.
We had no trouble getting our unit registered in Arkansas and insured by Shelter despite having neither LPG or a generator.
Robert
2006 Sportsmobile Sprinter
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ibthebest
Boone,IA USA
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I have a Sportsmobile and my insurance agent sold me a policy for a customized vehicle with Improvements limits. It was easy to determine how much those improvements cost since I had a bill for them from Sportsmobile. Don't know if that would work for you or not but it might be worth asking your insurance agent.
Michael
Me "atmybest" age 4
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cm
Dillon, CO USA
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Joined: 08/01/2002
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If you insure it just as a van then all they will pay in the event of a total loss is the value of a van. But you can also add the value of the "optional equipment" that you have added. They will charge you extra since the value of a potential loss to the insurance company is higher. This is also done with off road vehicles since the added equipment can be of significant value. Examples would be a winch and special bumpers.
But you may be better with seeing if they will insure it as a RV rather than just on a vehicle policy form. There may be better coverages under a RV policy
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tonyandkaren
pennsylvania
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Our case is a little different but here's what we did. We had a class C custom built on a truck chassis. The shop that did it wasn't a commercial motorhome builder so we weren't sure how the insurance part would work. All our insurance company wanted was the VIN of the truck , a model number and name for the finished unit which we just made up and photographs of the inside and outside so that they could see that it was a actual motorhome. We've had insurance with this company on other RVs so that might have been in our favor. Good luck!
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4x4 Custom Class C on F450 chassis
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lzcamper
Thousand Oaks, CA
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Thanks for all of your responses!
In response to "Love to Camp", I would like to reduce my insurance cost. I don't know why, but from what I've read, RV insurance can cost half as much as regular insurance.
According to the lists above, my camper qualifies for all except "built-in/plumbed" bathroom facilities. My bathroom has a sink & water (no shower), a gray water tank, and a cassette toilet (which is a built in portipotti).
Rick
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david_42
Oregon
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Joined: 04/08/2005
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Quote:I would like to reduce my insurance cost. I don't know why, but from what I've read, RV insurance can cost half as much as regular insurance.
Hasn't been my experience, but lower miles per year might make a difference.
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