What is the insurance risk of allowing someone to live in a RV/ trailer on your already occupied land?

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What is the insurance risk of allowing someone to live in a RV/ trailer on your already occupied land?

I have a family member who has asked to move their fifth wheel trailer on to my property to live for a short amount of time. What is the insurance/ legal risk I would be taking by letting them do so?

Asked on June 2, 2019 under Real Estate Law, Washington

Answers:

SJZ, Member, New York Bar / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney

Answered 4 years ago | Contributor

The main risk is this: if anyone is injured in or due to the some dangerous condition in or on the RV (a broken step, bad wiring, a fire in it, etc.), *you* can be held liable because you allowed a dangerous condition to come onto and exist on your land. But since your homeowner's insurance was not purchased with an RV on the land in mind and does not include an occupied RV among its disclosures, if you are liable and sued for an RV-related cause(s) of action, it is likely that your insurance will not cover you. Property owners are liable for any dangerous conditions on their property, but homeowner's, etc. insurance only covers what you disclose to the insurer in terms of potential risks or uses of your land.
Secondarily, some municipalities do not allow people to live in RVs; if your municipality has a law or ordinance or regulation like that, you could be fined.


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