RV Insurance Specialty Coverage: Personal Effects
This is one of those coverages you just don't get properly with an auto policy. This coverage is designed to protect your belongings, your treasures and your necessities with you while you travel the open road. So what types of items are classified as personal effects? Some nice imagery I learned early on in my entry into RV insurance nearly 15 years ago is this: Imagine if you were to take your RV and flip it upside down, essentially everything that would fall out would be the "personal effects" all the rest (everything bolted down and permanently affixed) would be part of the RV itself and included in the value of the vehicle. Common examples would include tools, cameras, clothing, cookware, bikes etc...
In general this coverage has traditionally been split into two categories: Standard and Valuable. With the standard coverage, items valued up to $1,000 are covered pretty much as a blanket case, meaning it is not necessary to inform your agent specifics about the items before a loss. With the standard coverage the most the underwriters will usually payout on any one individual item or in some cases a set of items is $1,000 even if your coverage limits are $10,000. What about my $2,000 set of golf clubs? These should be covered under a similar but separate coverage called Valuable Personal Property or Scheduled Personal Property . The cost of the coverage is a bit more but definitely worth it if you have a loss. Often ith Valuable Personal Property Coverage you will need to provide your receipts and/or appraisals and itemize the items to be covered. It's good practice to keep an inventory list off site to help in the event of a claim.
Personal Effects Coverage is absolutely essential for full-timers. Some underwriters will offer full timers standard coverage option up to 20% of the value of the RV and some up to about $100,000. For the same reason you carry Total Loss Replacement coverage, nobody\expects to have a total loss but if you do you'd be surprised at how quickly all those belongings add up.
Doesn't my homeowners cover me?
Yes, kind of, sort of, maybe.... In truth, those of you with homeowners policies will likely have some kind of coverage that will carry with you while you are out on the road\, but each underwriter is different so you will need to check with your carrier to see what limitations would apply. For instance, some companies may exclude items kept permanently in your RV, some have reduced limits for losses away from the home while other exclude any collision related loss all together.
While we hope for the best we are here to make sure you are prepared for the worst. From burglary to unlatched awnings and "Ooops, that bridge was a lot lower than it looked" we have you covered. Our partnerships with the industry's leading specialty RV underwriters allow us to offer these and many more exclusive programs to ensure you have the coverage you need when it counts. For more information or to add RV Personal Effects Coverage to your policy call us today toll free 800-507-8467.
Tiffanie Novosel
220 Licensed
Nationwide RV Specialist