Manufactured Home Insurance

• Named peril policy—usually covers losses to your manufactured home and its contents in the event of specific perils including fire, lightning, explosion, transportation, theft, windstorm, riot or civil commotion, and personal effects.
  
  
• Comprehensive policy—covers losses from damage to your property as long as two conditions are met: 
• ​cause of the damage must be direct, sudden, and accidental 
• cause of the damage is not listed as excluded from your policy. A comprehensive policy covers all perils not specifically listed on the policy as excluded.

• Personal property coverage​ - protects you if any of your possessions are stolen from your manufactured home. A list of your personal property and its value will be helpful if you make a claim​. Try the free app for a convenient way to take your personal property inventory. ​
  
  
• Personal liability coverage - protects you against a claim or lawsuit resulting from bodily injury or property damage to others. This applies to nonauto accidents on and off your property if the injury or damage is caused by you, a member of your family or your pet.
  
  
• Medical payments coverage - pays medical expenses for injuries to other people occurring on your property or elsewhere if the injury was caused by you, your pet, or a family member. Payment is made regardless of fault.
  
  
• Fire and extended coverage policy - provides coverage for fire and other perils, including windstorm, explosion, and smoke damage. This policy does not automatically cover theft, personal liability, the contents of your manufactured home, or other extra coverages. However, you can purchase additional insurance to include these coverages.

Some policies also provide for extensions of coverage, such as:

• Additional living expenses - pays you and members of your family for additional living expenses when your manufactured home is rendered uninhabitable due to damage or destroyed by an insured peril.
  
  
• Emergency removal expense - covers the cost of reasonable expenses for removing damaged property.

• Consent to move - endorsement​ waives the prohibition against moving the manufactured home and may extend coverage for a specific number of days.​
  
  
• Trip/transportation coverage - provides collision coverage for your manufactured home and its contents against damage by collision or upset while being transported from one location to another.
  
  
• Lienholder’s single interest coverage - provides coverage to protect a lienholder’s interest in a manufactured home and its equipment against loss due to collision damage or embezzlement, conversion, or secretion while the manufactured home is in lawful possession of the insured​. The premium​ charged for such coverage must be paid for by the lienholder and not by the tenant or the person who owns the manufactured home.
  

• Replacement cost​ is the amount it would take to replace, rebuild, or repair damages with materials of similar kind and quality, without deducting for depreciation up to your policy limits.
  
  
• Actual cash value is the value of your property when it is damaged or destroyed.

• How much of your property could you afford to lose if it were damaged or stolen?
  
  
• What property could be damaged or stolen, and how much would it cost to replace it?
  
  
• If you were sued by someone who suffered injuries because of your negligence, how would you pay the legal costs and possible damage awards?

• Install smoke and heat detectors near sleeping areas.
• Keep your manufactured home clear of accumulated trash, oily rags, and combustible materials.
• Check lamps, lamp cords, and light switches to make sure there is no faulty wiring.
• Practice home fire drills. Make sure everyone (especially children) knows what to do in case of fire.
• Keep matches away from children.
• Install adequate locks on your manufactured home.

Companies may choose the people they wish to insure. For this type of policy, insurers may not refuse coverage to a class of risks solely on the basis of past criminal record, physical disability, past mental disability, age, marital status, sexual preference, or “moral" character. Insurers may not use these classifications to charge different rates without credible supporting information.

If you are turned down by one company, check with others. Companies have different underwriting standards.

If you try several companies and cannot find coverage, you may be insured through the Wisconsin Insurance Plan. This is a risk-pooling arrangement in which all companies selling property insurance in the state share the risk of property owners who have difficulty securing insurance from usual market sources. You may apply through an insurance agent to see if your manufactured home qualifies. For more information on the Wisconsin Insurance Plan contact:​

• Make an accurate list of your home’s personal contents and their value every year. OCI offers a Personal Property Home Inventory publication or a convenient app.  Make it a habit to attach receipts of your more expensive purchases to your home inventory. Keep the list in a fire-proof box or with a relative or friend. An accurate list will be helpful if you need to make a claim​.
  
  
• Make sure your manufactured home is equipped with a smoke or heat detector and test it monthly.
  
  
• Protect your property. Keep your property in good repair. When installing awnings or air-conditioners, be sure they are secure. The more damage resistant you make your manufactured home, the more likely you are to get the most favorable rates​ when buying insurance protection.
  
  
• Make sure any additions to the manufactured home are added to your insurance policy. Contact your agent to be sure adjacent sheds, tipout rooms, skirting, and additional rooms are covered by your policy.
  
  
• If your manufactured home is moved by a common carrier, you should be sure the carrier provides adequate protection in the event of a loss. The common carrier’s protection may not be enough. Contact your insurance agent before you move your manufactured home to another location.