Moving a mobile home represents one of the most significant risks you'll take with your property investment. Your home will travel down highways at speeds up to 55 mph, navigate tight turns, potentially cross state lines, and endure stresses it was never designed to handle after decades of settlement. Understanding insurance coverage for this journey isn't just important—it's absolutely critical to protecting yourself from potentially devastating financial losses.

Your Homeowners Policy Won't Cover the Move

One of the most dangerous misconceptions mobile home owners have is believing their existing homeowners insurance will cover damage during relocation. Standard homeowners policies explicitly exclude coverage for damage that occurs during transport. The moment your home is disconnected from its utilities and lifted onto the transport chassis, your regular policy ceases to provide protection.

This coverage gap can be financially catastrophic. A mobile home damaged during transport—whether from frame failure, collision, weather exposure, or vandalism—becomes your responsibility without proper transit insurance. Repairs can easily run into tens of thousands of dollars, and in severe cases, the home may be deemed a total loss with no compensation.

Understanding Transit Insurance

Transit insurance, also called in-transport or mobile home moving insurance, provides coverage specifically for the period when your home is being relocated. This specialized insurance typically covers physical damage to the structure from accidents, road hazards, weather events, and vandalism during the move. Most policies activate when the home begins teardown and remain in effect until setup is complete at the new location.

Premium costs for transit insurance generally range from $500 to $2,000, depending on several factors: the declared value of your home, the distance traveled, the age and condition of the structure, and the route complexity. While this might seem expensive, it represents a small fraction of your home's value and the potential cost of uninsured damage.

Coverage limits vary widely. Some basic policies only cover the depreciated value of your home, which for older mobile homes might be disappointingly low. Always seek replacement cost coverage if available, which pays to repair or replace damaged components at current prices rather than depreciated value. This distinction can mean the difference between adequate compensation and financial disaster.

What Transit Insurance Typically Covers

Standard transit insurance policies generally cover collision damage if the transport vehicle is involved in an accident, damage from road debris or hazards, fire damage during transport, weather-related damage including wind and hail, theft or vandalism while the home is in transit or temporarily stored, and damage from improper loading or unloading when performed by the insured transport company.

However, exclusions are equally important to understand. Most policies don't cover pre-existing damage or conditions, damage from improper home preparation, contents inside the home during the move, damage to landscaping or attached structures like decks and porches, and mechanical breakdown of the transport vehicle itself. Some policies also exclude coverage in certain weather conditions—if you move during a declared hurricane watch in Florida, for instance, weather damage might not be covered.

Cargo vs. Liability Insurance: Know the Difference

Transport companies carry their own insurance, but understanding what it covers is crucial. Liability insurance, which all legitimate transporters must carry, covers damage the moving operation causes to third parties—other vehicles, property, or people. However, it typically doesn't cover damage to your home itself.

Cargo insurance, on the other hand, covers the "cargo" being transported—your mobile home. Reputable transport companies carry cargo insurance, but coverage limits vary dramatically. Some transporters carry minimal coverage that might not fully protect a higher-value home. Always ask for a certificate of insurance and verify the coverage limits before signing a contract.

In states like California and Texas, minimum insurance requirements for mobile home transporters are regulated, but these minimums may not adequately cover your home's full value. Never assume the transporter's insurance is sufficient without reviewing the actual policy details.

The Freight Brokerage Advantage

This is where working with a reputable freight brokerage like Mobile Home Haulers provides significant additional protection and peace of mind. Unlike working directly with an individual transporter, freight brokerages maintain networks of vetted, insured carriers and add an extra layer of oversight and accountability to your move.

Freight brokerages verify that every transporter in their network carries adequate insurance coverage, including both liability and cargo insurance meeting or exceeding industry standards. This vetting process eliminates the risk of hiring an underinsured or uninsured operator—a surprisingly common problem when homeowners hire transporters directly through classified ads or word-of-mouth.

Mobile Home Haulers and similar reputable brokerages also maintain their own contingent cargo insurance, which provides additional coverage if a carrier's insurance proves inadequate or if disputes arise about coverage responsibility. This layered insurance approach means multiple policies may potentially respond to a claim, significantly increasing your protection.

Perhaps most importantly, freight brokerages handle claims coordination. If damage occurs during your move, you're not left alone to navigate disputes with a transport company that may become unresponsive or adversarial. The brokerage advocates on your behalf, leveraging their ongoing business relationship with carriers to ensure claims are processed fairly and efficiently.

Brokerages also maintain detailed documentation of the entire moving process, including pre-move condition reports, transport agreements, and delivery verification. This documentation proves invaluable if insurance claims arise, as it establishes clear evidence of when and how damage occurred.

Getting Adequate Coverage

When arranging transit insurance, whether through your transporter, a freight brokerage, or an independent insurance provider, insist on coverage that reflects your home's actual replacement value. Have your home appraised if necessary—the modest cost of an appraisal is worthwhile if it ensures adequate coverage.

Request a written certificate of insurance before any work begins, and verify the certificate directly with the insurance company. Unfortunately, insurance fraud exists in the moving industry, with some disreputable operators providing fake certificates. A quick phone call to the insurer can prevent future heartache.

Understand your deductible obligations. Transit insurance policies typically carry deductibles ranging from $500 to $2,500. Higher deductibles reduce premium costs but increase your out-of-pocket expense if damage occurs. Choose a deductible you can comfortably afford to pay.

Multi-State Considerations

If your move crosses state lines, insurance becomes more complex. Different states have varying regulations about insurance requirements, and some insurance policies have geographic limitations. Moves from states like Maine to Florida, or from Washington to Texas, require policies that provide continuous coverage throughout the journey.

Reputable freight brokerages understand these interstate insurance complexities and ensure appropriate coverage across all jurisdictions your home will travel through. This expertise is particularly valuable for long-distance relocations where homeowners might not understand the regulatory requirements of states along their route.

Contents and Separate Structures

Transit insurance for your mobile home doesn't cover personal belongings inside it. Most transporters prohibit keeping items in the home during the move, but if allowed, you'll need separate contents coverage through a moving insurance policy or rider on your homeowners insurance.

Separate structures like decks, porches, carports, and storage sheds that must be dismantled and potentially reconstructed require their own coverage considerations. Clarify whether teardown and reconstruction of these structures is covered under your transit policy or requires separate insurance.

Documentation Is Your Best Defense

Before your move begins, document everything. Take extensive photographs and videos of your home's condition from every angle, inside and out. Date-stamp this documentation and store copies in cloud storage or email them to yourself. If damage occurs, you'll need to prove the home's pre-move condition.

Conduct a formal walkthrough with the transport company representative before and after the move, noting any damage on the bill of lading or transport agreement. Never sign off on delivery without thoroughly inspecting your home first, even if this means delaying final payment.

The Bottom Line

Adequate insurance coverage for your mobile home move isn't optional—it's essential. While it adds to your upfront costs, transit insurance and the enhanced protection provided by working with established freight brokerages like Mobile Home Haulers protects you from potentially overwhelming financial losses. The peace of mind knowing that multiple layers of insurance coverage and professional oversight protect your investment makes these costs some of the wisest money you'll spend on your relocation project.

What You Need to Know About Insurance for Mobile Home Moves - Mobile Home Haulers