According to the Manufactured Housing Institute, roughly 22 million Americans live in a mobile home. Purchasing a mobile home is a great investment for people who are looking to downsize or reduce their living expenses. After all, the average cost per square foot to build a manufactured home is $55, compared to $114 for a site-built home. But before you move in, consider getting mobile home insurance to protect your home against damage and theft.
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Manufactured home insurance is similar to traditional homeowners insurance. Most mobile home insurance policies cover the structure of your home, your personal belongings and basic liability. Certain events are covered under your policy, and you’ll have to meet a specific deductible before the insurance will pay for a claim.
Why trust The Simple Dollar in finding the best mobile home insurance
We’ve put together a Simplescore to help you save time finding the best mobile home insurance companies. To rate a manufactured home insurance company with an objective Simplescore, we analyze several data points from dozens of carriers to find the best mobile home insurance company for your needs. As you can imagine, we evaluate hundreds of details to bring you a Simplescore.
Some of the points we carefully analyze include customer reviews from independent third-party sources such as J.D. Power and financial strength ratings from credit agencies including A.M. Best, Standard & Poor’s and Moody’s. In addition, we compare an insurance company’s coverage options, number and quality of discount options and how easy it is to get a quote or file a claim. The top-rated mobile home insurance companies didn’t make the list casually — they ranked well in our rigorous process.
The best mobile home insurance companies of 2021
- Best Mobile Home Insurance for Retirees: Allstate
- Best Discounts for Mobile Home Insurance: American Family
- Best Mobile Home Insurance for Non-Smokers: Farmers
- Best Mobile Home Insurance Company for Extra Coverage: Foremost
- Best Mobile Home Insurance Company for Basic Coverage: Geico
Compare the best mobile home insurance
| Provider | AM Best | J.D. Power | Standard and Poor’s | SimpleScore |
| Allstate | A+ | 4/5 | A- | 4.6/5 |
| American Family | A | 3/5 | A | 4.3/5 |
| Farmers | A | 3/5 | A | 3.2/5 |
| Foremost | A | n/a | A | 4/5 |
| Geico | A++ | n/a | AA+ | 3.5/5 |
Best mobile home insurance for retirees – Allstate
You’re in good hands with Allstate — especially when you’re older.
You know you’re getting closer to retiring when you start dreaming of life in an affordable manufactured home located at a warm, sunny beach location somewhere. But retiring to your mobile home at a sunny, tropical destination somewhere comes with real-world problems. Besides Margaritas after lunch, expect the occasional hurricane, flood or hail storm.
Fortunately, Allstate’s mobile home insurance has you covered, even if you’re on a fixed budget. Allstate’s insurance includes property, dwelling and liability coverage, as well as coverage for other structures such as a carport or tool shed outside. And anyone aged 55 or older is eligible for 10% off their manufactured home insurance premiums.
Best discounts for mobile home insurance – American Family
American Family is like an all-you-can-eat salad buffet — the abundance is real and you’re welcome to top up your plate with as many discounts as you’d like.
Most mobile home insurance companies have the standard, minimal fare of discounts. American Family goes the extra mile. You can qualify for discounts based on your age, choosing paperless billing, paying in advance, setting up automatic payments, having multiple policies with Am Fam and more.
Some of American Family’s most unique discounts for mobile homeowners are its new home discount, which reduces your annual premium if your manufactured home is no more than four years old. In addition, embracing smart home technology comes with savings. Equipping your manufactured home with a smart alarm system, smart fire detector or automated sprinklers will not only save you time and hassles, but also qualify you for the special discount.
Best mobile home insurance for non-smokers – Farmers
Farmers says quitting cigarettes is good for your health — and your pocketbook.
Farmers Insurance has good coverage options for mobile home owners, especially those with higher-end features such as skylights and upgraded interior finishes. Farmers offers the option of replacement value coverage, which will replace lost or damaged contents with a new version of the claimed item. In addition, upgrade to replacement cost coverage and Farmers will approve repairs of damages caused by windstorms.
But perhaps the most unique feature of insuring your mobile home with Farmers is the discount non-smokers get. Farmers believes households with smokers are more at risk of causing fires. If you haven’t smoked for at least two years, be sure to let your Farmers agent know to get a discount.
Best mobile home insurance for extra coverage – Foremost Insurance
Foremost Insurance is for people who can’t order off the Starbucks menu without requesting a bunch of changes.
Foremost underwrites mobile home insurance for members of USAA and AARP, two of the largest membership organizations in the country. USAA has 13 million military members and AARP represents 38 million retired folks. Clearly, Foremost Insurance is doing something right to earn their business. The variety of coverages available may be why.
There are too many mobile home insurance extras to list them all, but some of the most notable include additional living expenses, coverage for trees, shrubs and lawns, fire department service, trip coverage, business liability and water damage caused by sewers and drains. The only drawback is Foremost does not operate in all states. Residents of Hawaii and Washington, D.C. will have to look at their second-best mobile home insurance choice.
Best mobile home insurance for basic coverage – Geico
If you think bells and whistles are for posers, Geico delivers quality, no-frills mobile home insurance better than its competitors.
Geico is known to deliver the most affordable insurance products across the board. If you’re in search of the best deal on car, renters, homeowners or mobile home insurance, add Geico to your shortlist of companies to get a quote from.
Geico doesn’t provide a variety of coverage options, such as insurance for your lawn and shrubs or an agreed loss settlement. But if that works for you and you want to keep coverage simple, then you’ll be happy with Geico.
Buying mobile home insurance with Geico is ideal for the indecisive and easily overwhelmed. Choose standard coverage. You’ll be asked if you’d like to add either of the only two optional coverages available of sports equipment or musical instruments. In the next step, you may opt for flood insurance, identity theft protection or a rider for your more expensive jewelry. That’s all. No further decisions needed.
What is mobile home insurance?
Mobile home insurance is luckily pretty self-explanatory. It covers your mobile or manufactured home and its contents. If you live in a mobile home, a standard home insurance policy won’t work. That’s because mobile homes are set up differently than a house. Manufactured or mobile homes are more vulnerable to weather damage due to their construction. They’re not set into a foundation the same way a house is. Your mobile home may be moved, but with movement comes additional risks to your investment. You’ll need coverage for any damages that could happen during the move.
Most manufactured home dwellers choose to live in a mobile home community. You don’t own the land the mobile home sits on — you’re only leasing it. Therefore, part of the liability for your mobile home falls on the mobile home park. To offset the risks, most mobile home communities will require you to have a dedicated mobile home insurance policy.
What do mobile home insurance policies cover?
If you’ve ever had traditional homeowners insurance, you’ll notice that mobile home insurance is similar to a more traditional option. Here is what is covered under most mobile home insurance policies:
- Dwelling coverage: Dwelling coverage protects the physical structure of your home.
- Detached structures: Most insurance policies also cover structures that aren’t connected to your main home. This includes fences, garages or sheds.
- Personal property coverage: Personal property coverage pays to replace the items inside your home if they get damaged by a covered peril or if they’re stolen.
- Liability coverage: Liability coverage pays to protect you in a lawsuit if someone gets injured on your property. It will also help you pay for damages that you cause to someone else’s property.
- Loss-of-use coverage: Loss of use will pay for a reasonable amount of living expenses if your mobile home becomes uninhabitable. You may find yourself homeless while smoke or water damage is being fixed. Loss of use coverage steps in to pay for a hotel stay or alternative rental, as well as meals and utilities until you can move back in.
Typically, the covered perils for a mobile home insurance policy are the same for each provider. Expect all basic policies to cover damage from fire, wind, explosions, theft, snow and ice and vandalism. Earthquake and flood damage are not covered under mobile home insurance policies—those require a separate policy.
How much does mobile home insurance cost?
The cost of mobile home insurance depends on many factors. As you can imagine, insuring a mobile home in Florida will probably be more expensive, because of hurricanes and flooding, than insuring a mobile home in Arizona. Expect to pay an average of $300 to $1,000 per year for manufactured home insurance.
What factors affect the cost of mobile home insurance?
There are many factors that can affect your premiums. Insurance companies use proprietary methods to determine how much you’ll pay for coverage. We may not have access to the data, but by getting insurance quotes based on location and different types of policyholder profiles, we can get a good idea of the factors impacting your premiums. They include:
- Your claims history with the insurer: If you don’t have any previous claims, your premiums are likely cheaper.
- The age and quality of the manufactured home: Newer manufactured homes are typically cheaper to insure than older homes because their electrical, structural and heating systems are built to more stringent standards and haven’t suffered the same wear and tear as older mobile homes.
- The location and the type of perils common in your area: If your manufactured home is set in an area where flooding, earthquakes or hurricanes are common, your premiums will likely be higher than other areas that don’t experience extreme weather.
- The value of your mobile home: Mobile homes can come with a number of upgrades equivalent to the finest of traditional homes. If your manufactured home includes hardwood floors, marble or granite details and spa-like bathrooms, your insurance premiums will reflect the home’s higher value.
Mobile home insurance FAQs
Older mobile homes may be more difficult to insure. You’d have to look harder for an insurance company that is willing to insure yours or forego coverage, if permitted.
Mobile homes are built differently than a traditional home and are more vulnerable to damage. Mobile homes can be moved, but the move increases the risk of damage. In addition, mobile homes don’t withstand extreme weather as well as a standard home.
Not every insurance company covers manufactured homes. If you’re in search of manufactured home insurance, the following companies provide coverage:
Too long, didn’t read?
If you plan on buying a manufactured home or already own one, you’ll need dedicated mobile home insurance — a standard homeowners insurance policy won’t work. Not every insurance company insures mobile homes, but some of the top carriers, such as Allstate, American Family, Farmers, Foremost and Geico do. As with all types of insurance, get multiple quotes to compare rates and the type of coverage you’ll get.
We welcome your feedback on this article and would love to hear about your experience with the mobile home insurance companies we recommend. Contact us at [email protected] with comments or questions.
Source: thesimpledollar.com