Best Mobile Home Insurance Companies Of 2024

• Erie – Best for Cost
• Allstate – Great for Discounts
• State Farm – Best for Add-ons

Mobile home insurance and manufactured home insurance is a contract between you and the home insurance company that specifies how you’re compensated for theft and damage. It offers many of the same protections as homeowners insurance.

Coverage reimburses you—up to your policy limits—if your home or other structures, like a shed or fence, are damaged by a problem covered by your policy. It also covers your belongings. Manufactured home insurance can also pay the cost of lawsuits if you’re found liable for injuries or property damage to others and you’re sued.

Manufactured Home vs. Mobile Home Insurance

Manufactured homes and mobile homes are virtually the same thing. The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) regulates both types of homes.

The key difference between the two is that HUD defines a mobile home as a factory-built mobile home created before June 15, 1976. Anything built after that date is considered to be a manufactured home.

Despite that difference, people often use the terms interchangeably. That’s why manufactured home insurance is sometimes called mobile home insurance.

Standard homeowners insurance doesn’t cover a manufactured home. There are eight types of home insurance policies. To insure a manufactured home, you need to purchase what is known as an HO-7 policy, which is specifically designed to protect these types of homes.

The national average of manufactured or mobile home insurance ranges from $700 to $1,500 a year, according to Trusted Choice, a group of independent insurance agents. For comparison, the national average for home insurance with $200,000 of dwelling coverage is $1,150 a year, according to our analysis.

The average cost of home insurance for mobile home insurance and manufactured home insurance depends on multiple factors. Insurance companies look at whether the home is in a high-crime area or susceptible to hurricanes or other severe weather. Other factors that can impact the cost include:

• The cost to rebuild the manufactured home if it were destroyed.
• Burglar, fire and smoke alarms.
• Coverage options.
• How long you’ve been with the insurance company.
• The home’s location.
• The model year of the manufactured home (age of the home).
• The park class, if you’re in a mobile home park.

Your age, credit history and past insurance claims also play a part in mobile home insurance costs.

The best way to save on manufactured and mobile home insurance is usually to shop around and compare quotes from different companies. Each insurer has its own formula for setting rates, so the key is to find the company that will offer you a good price based on your circumstances.

You could also cut costs by purchasing a perils-only policy. That type of policy covers only causes of damage to your home structure that are specifically named in the policy. The advantage of this type of policy is that it’s typically cheaper than a standard manufactured home policy. The downside of perils-only coverage is that if your home is damaged by something that isn’t named as a peril, insurance won’t cover the damage.

You can also ask your insurer about home insurance discounts. For example, insurance companies often offer a price break to people who bundle their manufactured home insurance policy with other types of insurance coverage, such as auto insurance.

Discounts might also be available for installing safety devices, such as fire alarms, or paying your policy term in full rather than in installments.

Decide on replacement cost coverage. Having replacement cost coverage will be valuable if your mobile home and belongings are heavily damaged or destroyed. But it will increase your mobile home insurance cost. The cheaper option is actual cash value, which pays only the depreciated value of your home and belongings. We found many mobile home insurers offering replacement cost coverage upgrades for both the home and the personal property.

Compare mobile home insurance quotes. Compare quotes for identical coverage limits from multiple insurers. Try to find a policy with replacement value.

Ask for discounts and special coverages. Be sure to get all the discounts that you can qualify for. For instance, if you pay in advance in a lump sum, pay electronically or install safety or security devices, you might qualify for price breaks. Additionally, some insurers allow you to buy extra benefits, like coverage that would replace the siding of the home if a portion gets damaged.

Research customer satisfaction. Don’t choose a company on price alone. You also want your insurer to be responsive and helpful with claims.

• Review your mobile home insurance policy regularly. That way you can be sure your coverage limits still match your needs and keep pace with rising building material costs and inflation. The amount you insure your mobile home for today might not be the amount you need in a few years.
• Make a list of your mobile home’s contents and update it each year. Having a home inventory helps expedite claims. It will also help ensure that you have enough coverage for what’s inside your home as you add to your possessions.
• Equip your mobile home with smoke detectors or security alarms. Before you buy these, ask your insurance agent if any particular devices qualify for a discount.
• Make sure additions and improvements such as extra rooms are reflected in your insurance policy limits, so you’re not underinsured.

Mobile home insurance pays to repair or replace your home and belongings. It also pays for the medical bills of injured guests and your legal fees if you’re sued over an accident covered by your mobile home insurance.

Here’s how the different portions of a comprehensive mobile home insurance policy work.

Dwelling Coverage

This pays to fix or replace your mobile home. Dwelling coverage pays up to your policy limits if your mobile home is damaged by fire, smoke, wind, hail, heavy rainfall, weight of ice and snow, falling objects, burst pipes, lightning, explosions or vandalism. In addition to the structure of your home, dwelling coverage for mobile homes usually covers:

• Attached structures
• Materials and supplies used in construction or repair of the mobile home
• Oil and gas drums
• Other structures separated from the mobile home such as a fence
• Steps
• Tanks
• Wall-to-wall carpeting

Personal Property Coverage

This coverage pays out if your personal items are damaged or stolen. There are limits to personal property coverage, so you may need to buy extra coverage if you have high-value items you want to insure.

Personal property coverage typically covers these causes of damage:

1. Accidental discharge or overflow of water or steam
2. Aircraft, including self-propelled missiles and spacecraft
3. Explosion
4. Falling objects
5. Fire or lightning
6. Freezing
7. Riot or civil commotion
8. Smoke
9. Sudden and accidental damage from artificially generated electrical current
10. Sudden and accidental tearing apart, cracking, burning or bulging
11. Theft
12. Vandalism or malicious mischief
13. Vehicles
14. Volcanic eruption
15. Weight of ice, snow or sleet
16. Windstorm or hail

Coverage amounts for belongings are usually a percentage of your dwelling coverage, but check your policy for the exact dollar amount.

Personal Liability Coverage

Liability insurance for manufactured insurance and mobile homes can pay for lawsuits filed against you for accidental injuries or property damage you cause to others. This can include injuries that happen on and off your property. For instance, If your friend slips on your wet kitchen floor and hits his head on your counter, your liability coverage could pay the hospital bills. If your friend sues you, it would also pay for your legal defense.

Medical Payments Coverage

This coverage pays the smaller medical bills of people who are accidentally hurt and blame you, regardless of actual fault. Medical payments coverage is usually capped at $5,000 so it can be used for minor injuries that result in small medical bills. This way guests are less likely to sue you for minor incidents and the insurance company does not have to determine fault.

Manufactured and mobile home insurance isn’t required by law, but you may need the insurance if a mortgage lender or mobile home community requires coverage. Even if you’re not required to buy coverage, manufactured and mobile home insurance may make sense because it helps protect a big investment (your home).

Without manufactured or mobile home insurance, you would have to pay to repair and replace your home if it’s damaged by a fire or other issue that would have been covered by insurance.

In addition, a policy’s personal property coverage pays you if your belongings are stolen or damaged by a problem covered by the policy. And personal liability insurance covers accidental injuries and property damage that you or other members of your household do to others and legal costs if someone sues you.

For those reasons, manufactured and mobile home insurance can be a wise decision.

You’ll generally want enough mobile home insurance to pay to replace your home and belongings with equitable replacements.

Dwelling Amount

You want to get dwelling coverage in the amount equal to what it would cost to rebuild or replace your mobile home with comparable materials. Or, at least you should get as much as you can afford.

If you file a claim, your insurer will reimburse you only up to the limits in your policy. Depending on your policy, you will either be paid the actual cash value, replacement cost or an agreed upon value of your mobile home.

Replacement cost coverage is better than actual cash value. With replacement cost you get the amount of money needed to rebuild your home with equitable materials without deductions for depreciation. Note that not all insurance companies offer replacement value for mobile homes.

Actual cash value takes into account your mobile home’s depreciation and thus would pay out less if your home is destroyed.

An agreed lost settlement amount is the amount of coverage you and your insurer agree to when your policy is drafted. You’re guaranteed to get that amount in the event of a total loss.

Personal Property Amount

The personal property amount for your belongings is usually set between 50% to 70% of your dwelling coverage amount. For example, if your mobile home is insured for $90,000, and your personal property coverage is set at 50%, you’ll have $45,000 in contents coverage. You can buy extra protection for high-value possessions if you want.

Liability Amount

Generally you want a liability insurance amount that matches what you could lose in a lawsuit. In a worst case scenario, if you face a big lawsuit, you don’t want to have inadequate liability coverage.

Liability coverage typically starts at $100,000, but you want to have enough coverage based on what you could lose in a lawsuit. You may decide to go with $300,000 or $500,000 in liability coverage instead, or buy umbrella insurance for even more liability insurance.

Additional living expenses coverage will pay for your living expenses when you are unable to live in your mobile home while it’s being repaired due to a problem covered by your policy. Additional living expenses can pay for meals, hotels and other costs.

Emergency removal expense coverage pays for the cost of removing damaged property from your mobile home.

Trip/transportation coverage provides your mobile home with collision coverage when it’s being transported to another location.

Breakdown protection is coverage that includes the repair or replacement of major appliances and electronics in your mobile home when the breakdown of these items is due to mechanical or electrical failures.

Identity theft recovery insurance provides help if you are a victim of identity theft including expense reimbursement, such as $15,000.

Insurance coverage is designed to protect you from accidents and the unexpected. But no insurance policy covers everything, and mobile home insurance is no exception.

The following types of damage are not generally covered in mobile home insurance policies:

• Insects
• Contamination
• Deterioration
• Mold
• Rodents
• Rust
• Scratching
• Smog
• Vermin
• Water damage from sewers and drain back ups (but add-on coverage is available)
• Wear and tear
• Wet or dry rot

A standard mobile home insurance policy won’t cover damage from earthquakes or flooding. You can typically buy additional coverage for earthquakes as an add-on benefit to a mobile home insurance policy.

Flood damage would also need a separate flood insurance policy. If your community is part of the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), you are eligible to buy federally sponsored flood insurance. Check with your home insurance agent for details.

Unless your mobile home is secured to the ground with a permanent foundation, your insurance company may require your mobile home be secured with approved tie-downs and ground anchors.

Tie-down requirements can vary among insurance companies. If you are shopping for new mobile home insurance, you will want to find out the specific tie downs required. Determine if your old tie downs will suffice or if you will need to buy new ones.

There are “named peril” policies for mobile homes that provide limited coverage just for damage from lightning, explosions, fire, wind and riots. A named peril policy might be tempting because it costs less than a broader policy. The drawback is that you’ll have to spend your own money to repair your home or replace your belongings if they’re damaged by anything not listed in the policy.

To find the best mobile home insurance we scored companies based on these factors:

• Home insurance rates (90% of score): We analyzed home insurance rates with dwelling coverage of $200,000 to identify the cheapest options. Source: Quadrant Information Services.
• Complaints (10% of score): We looked at complaints about home insurance that were upheld by state insurance departments. Source: National Association of Insurance Commissioners.

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