Does RV Insurance Cover Water Damage? What to Expect

 

Interest in RV travel and ownership is still on the rise in 2023. If you're planning on driving straight in and purchasing your own RV, you're going to need RV insurance.

When you're driving and/or living in an RV, having the right insurance policy can save you a lot of money and hassle. Not only do you need accident protection, but you may also want coverage for internal problems, like faulty plumbing or electricity.

An important question to ask is, does RV insurance cover water damage? The answer is that with the right comprehensive policy, it will-though it will have limitations.

Ready to learn more? Read on to find out when RV insurance covers water damage.

When Does RV Insurance Cover Water Damage?

With the right type of RV insurance, some types of water damage will fall under the category of "covered events." Covered events are the types and causes of damage that your insurance carrier will provide full or partial coverage for.

For example, you can often cover the cost of water damage caused by an accident using your collision coverage. If your belongings inside the RV (including appliances and built-in structures) are damaged by water, your insurance carrier may provide coverage to replace them.

However, most policies won't cover water damage caused by poor maintenance, negligence, manufacturer defects, or freezing weather. Make sure you know what kind of water damage is covered by your insurance policy before you hit the open road.

How Can You Get Comprehensive RV Insurance?

If your current policy does not seem to provide much coverage, it is time to shop for a better policy. This is where an experienced insurance agency can help.

At Tom Needham Insurance Agency, we take into account everything from the value of your RV to the amount of time you spend in it to your budget when putting together your accurate insurance comparison. We work independently of all insurance carriers, which means that we do not benefit from selling you on one specific policy.

Who Needs Comprehensive RV Insurance?

Only about 1.5% of RV owners live full-time in their RVs. If your RV is your full-time home, you should absolutely invest in comprehensive RV insurance.

However, full-time RV dwellers are not the only ones that would benefit from comprehensive coverage. If you use your RV more than a few times a year or use it to travel long distances, you are going to want the peace of mind that comprehensive coverage can bring.

Contact Tom Needham for RV Insurance

Are you a new RV owner? It is time to start asking questions like, does RV insurance cover water damage? The answer is that with the right policy, water damage is often a covered event.

Ready to learn more about your RV insurance options? Contact us today to get started. We know how exciting buying an RV can be, and we want to make sure that you get the coverage to keep that excitement alive.

Making the Most of Your RV This Spring and Summer

A major factor in making the most of your RV travel this Spring and Summer is proper de-winterization in plenty of time for your first road trip.  Making sure that everything is ship-shape on your vehicle will allow you to enjoy yourself much more than if you have to spend your time worrying about things that might happen or actually having to deal with things that DO happen.  We all know that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, especially if you find yourself stuck in the middle of nowhere, broken down, with no cell signal and no working jack or spare tire.

Avoid Mechanical Problems Before They Happen

To avoid the no working jack or spare tire problems, simply go through your RV with a list of things that need to be checked before your RV travel to make sure they're covered.  If you're pulling a fifth wheel or travel trailer, many of your RV safety checks will be mechanical since the towing vehicle requires most of the attention to make sure it meets the safety standards that everyday driving require.

Common sense tells you that before going anywhere you should gas up, air up your tires, make sure your battery is charged and that your fluids are topped up.  What may not be so obvious is to check your brakes, your shock absorbers and your axel bearings.  These last items may require service by a professional mechanic, so it's important to get these things done in plenty of time before your departure date.

First Aid Travel Kit

An important item you need to make sure you have on hand during your RV travel is an emergency first aid travel kit.  This should be a collection of items to deal with minor emergencies or illnesses, basic first aid items, medicines for skin problems, for stomach and respiratory problems.

In addition to these important first aid items, you should also have a basic emergency travel kit in your vehicle.  This kit should include, among other things, a flashlight, battery-operated or hand-cranked radio, extra batteries, local maps, pet supplies and basic hand tools.

You'll also want to make sure you have some entertaining activities for the kids if you have any children along on the trip.  This can include books, comics, video games, puzzles, etc.  These items may come in handy during a long drive to overcome the boredom.

 

IS RV Insurance Required?

Unlike what's required in many other states, ALL types of recreational vehicles driven or towed on public roads in North Carolina are required by state law to be covered by a minimum amount of RV insurance. This includes motorized RVs such as Class A, Class B and Class C RVs as well as bus conversions. It also includes the following non-motorized RVs:

• Fifth-wheel trailers
• Tent trailers (pop-ups)
• Toy haulers
• Travel trailers
• Truck trailers

What's the Minimum Coverage?

Just as with regular auto insurance coverage requirements in the state, liability RV insurance is required in an amount that at least meets the state minimums, which are:

• $30,000 bodily injury/person per accident
• $60,000 bodily injury total for all persons per accident
• $25,000 property damage per accident

Bear in mind that the above described liability coverage only pays benefits to third parties suffering losses in accidents that have been proven to be your responsibility. This coverage pays no benefits toward compensation for your own personal injuries or property damage.
RVs are also required to carry uninsured motorist coverage, which protects you from losses deemed the responsibility of a motorist who is uninsured or underinsured.

What's Not Required (But Probably a Good Idea)

Just as with auto insurance, there are plenty of insurance options to consider when buying your RV insurance policy. First off, it should be mentioned that the state minimum requirements for liability coverage are typically woefully inadequate in the real world of medical costs for injuries or property damage arising from a vehicle collision. Keep in mind that any costs incurred over and above what your liability coverage pays must come out of your own pocket, so think seriously about increasing your liability protection to a more adequate level.
Once your liability coverage is decided, there are other add-on coverage options to consider. These include:

• Collision
• Comprehensive
• Medical payments
• Personal Injury Protection (PIP)
• Roadside assistance, towing or rental reimbursement

Besides the above listed policy options, which are also available on any standard auto insurance policy, RV insurance can include some specialty option add-ons such as:

• Emergency expenses - pays for temporary living and travel expenses if your RV is damaged and you can't use it
• Equipment protection – pays for damage or loss of equipment stored outside your RV such as a satellite dish or trail bike
• Personal belongings protection – pays for damage or loss of personal items within your RV

RV Insurance: How Does it Work?

Here in North Carolina, recreational vehicles are very popular and, while the term RV usually evokes the image of large motor coaches rolling down the road or parked at a scenic campground, it can mean many things. Recreational vehicles include all types of motorhomes, from small pop-top camper vans and bus conversions to Class A, B and C motor coaches. Other types of RVs could include boats, all-terrain vehicles and even golf carts.

Who Needs Protection?

All of the aforementioned vehicles pose a certain amount of risk to the driver/owner. For this reason, they should be covered by sufficient insurance to prevent the suffering of financial losses that become your personal responsibility. North Carolina, like all other states, require that motor vehicles driven on public roads be covered by a minimum amount of state-mandated liability coverage. Just as with your car insurance, RV liability coverage pays “the other guy” when you’re involved in an accident shown to be your fault. However, just like car insurance, options exist whereby you can add coverage that reimburses you for losses resulting from a collision (collision coverage) or from non-collision caused losses, such as theft, vandalism, fire, storm damage and more (comprehensive coverage).

Why RV Insurance is Unique

Many RVs are large, difficult-to-drive vehicles more likely to be involved in accidents that cause a great deal of damage to other individuals and their property. For this reason, often the claim dollar limits are higher than for regular car insurance. In addition, RVs often contain a great deal of items, including appliances and any number of personal items.

Even if you only use your RV occasionally, or for a few months a year, you need to carry coverage year-round, especially the comprehensive coverage that protects against losses from non-collision incidents. Another consideration applies to those individuals who live in their RVs as a substitute for conventional homes. In these cases, some provisions of RV insurance will more closely resemble a typical homeowner’s insurance policy.

While basic liability insurance is required by law if your RV is licensed for the road, if you’ve purchased your vehicle through a bank or other financial institution, it will want collision and comprehensive coverage to protect its financial interests. Your local insurance broker can clearly explain everything you should have.