• Post Reply Bookmark Topic Watch Topic
  • New Topic
permaculture forums growies critters building homesteading energy monies kitchen purity ungarbage community wilderness fiber arts art permaculture artisans regional education skip experiences global resources cider press projects digital market permies.com pie forums private forums all forums
this forum made possible by our volunteer staff, including ...
master stewards:
  • Carla Burke
  • John F Dean
  • Timothy Norton
  • Nancy Reading
  • r ranson
  • Jay Angler
  • Pearl Sutton
stewards:
  • paul wheaton
  • Tereza Okava
  • Andrés Bernal
master gardeners:
  • Christopher Weeks
gardeners:
  • Jeremy VanGelder
  • M Ljin
  • Matt McSpadden

Tiny Home Insurance

 
Posts: 2
  • Likes 1
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator
In checking around, I  have been unable to find homeowners or property insurance. This due to the fact my tiny home does not have a foundation.

I am small scale homesteading on 24 acres of land. I have goats, chickens, and rabbits besides pets.

Does anyone know a source for insuring the property? We have frequent wildfires ( and careless neighbors). There have been 3 fires around me in the past 2 years. ...hellllp!
 
pollinator
Posts: 4139
Location: Kansas Zone 6a
327
  • Likes 2
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator
What do you need insured?  Any outbuildings, equipment, etc? Or just the tiny house?

Tiny houses can be a catch 22.  Sometimes you can insure them as an RV, but sometimes you have to have it licensed and tagged to do that, which can change where you can “legally” Park it.

There are farm and commercial property insurance that can work without a “home” but they usually cost more. I currently live in a whole apartment building that I am rehabbing. I have commercial insurance for the building AND renter’s insurance for my personal belongings.
 
pollinator
Posts: 5667
Location: Bendigo , Australia
512
plumbing earthworks bee building homestead greening the desert
  • Likes 1
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator
Would caravan insurance cover you?
Staff note (Glenn Herbert) :

Note "caravan" translates in the US to RV or camping trailer.

 
pollinator
Posts: 5520
Location: Canadian Prairies - Zone 3b
1518
  • Likes 2
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator

R Scott wrote:What do you need insured?  Any outbuildings, equipment, etc? Or just the tiny house?

Tiny houses can be a catch 22.  


Agreed, they may fall into a no-man's-land. I suspect that a standard homeowner's policy assumes a house that is accepted as such under the bylaws of the local municipality. Usually that means (at least) a permanent foundation. That's the standard path that insurers understand. Insurance for all the other outbuildings etcetera are added to that base policy.

I don't know a solution. I hope you can find one.

One thing: it's also really, really important to have liability insurance that covers the property. This reflects the crazy times we live in. My 2c.
 
master steward
Posts: 7589
Location: southern Illinois, USA
2794
goat cat dog chicken composting toilet food preservation pig solar wood heat homestead composting
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator
Looking at this through the eyes of the insurance company, can you insure the “storage shed” and the property it sits on?
 
steward
Posts: 17403
Location: USDA Zone 8a
4456
dog hunting food preservation cooking bee greening the desert
  • Likes 2
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator
John brings up a good suggestion.

Probably part of the problem you are having trying to get it insured is the problem with wildfires. The company is using the foundation as an excuse to not say they don't want to insure it due to wildfires.

Buying insurance for the tiny home as an RV if it has wheels will be much easier, or at least it seems that way to me.

I am really surprised that your insurance person has not suggested insuring the tiny home as an RV unless the company does not sell RV insurance.
 
Posts: 45
Location: PNW, Zone 8b, Cascades Washington
22
3
gear cooking building
  • Likes 3
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator
This category is called Tiny House - On Wheels (THOW). There is also on-foundation package.

Foremost and Progressive have options.
 
I'm a lumberjack and I'm okay, I sleep all night and work all day. Tiny lumberjack ad:

World Domination Gardening 3-DVD set. Gardening with an excavator.
richsoil.com/wdg


reply
    Bookmark Topic Watch Topic
  • New Topic