It is priced off the home rather than the land, so the premium tracks the replacement value of the structure, its year, the wind zone it was built for, the age of the roof and whether the policy pays replacement cost or actual cash value, and it commonly lands below a site-built homeowners policy because there is less value to insure.
Nobody can quote you a premium from a web page, and the ones that try are quoting an average that describes no actual home. What is worth knowing instead is what a manufactured home policy is, why it is underwritten differently from a policy on a site-built house, and which handful of facts about your home decide the number. Those you can check before you call anyone.
It is a different policy, not a cheaper one
A site-built house is normally insured on a standardised homeowners form, the HO-3, whose wording is broadly the same across carriers. A manufactured home is usually insured on a mobile homeowners form, often labelled HO-7, and those forms are not standardised: two carriers' versions can differ on what is covered, on how a loss is valued and on what the deductible applies to. Read the declarations page rather than assuming the coverage matches a friend's.
The parts are familiar. Coverage on the structure itself; other structures such as a carport, shed, deck or the skirting; personal property inside; loss of use if the home is uninhabitable after a covered loss; personal liability; and medical payments. Manufactured home policies also commonly offer endorsements the site-built world does not need, the important one being transit or relocation coverage for the home while it is being moved, which the ordinary policy excludes.
Why it is underwritten differently
The structure is lighter and, unless it is on an engineered permanent foundation, it sits on piers and is held down by anchors rather than bolted to a slab. That makes wind the dominant peril in the underwriting: uplift on the roof, the condition and number of the tie-downs, and the wind zone the home was built for, which is printed on the data plate inside. In some regions the carrier will ask for an anchoring inspection.
Two more things shape the pricing. Depreciation is treated more aggressively than on a site-built home, so many carriers offer actual cash value rather than replacement cost on older homes, which pays the depreciated value after a loss rather than the cost of a new one. And the build date matters absolutely: homes finished before 15 June 1976, when the federal HUD code took effect, are declined by many carriers outright, and several of those that write them write actual cash value only.
The facts that move your number
Before you shop, collect these. They are what every quote will turn on:
- The year of manufacture and the wind and thermal zones, from the data plate, and the HUD label numbers from the outside of each section.
- The replacement value of the home, which is what is being insured, not what you paid and not what the county assessor has it at.
- The age and material of the roof, and the age of the wiring, plumbing and heating and cooling unit. Roof age alone can decide whether a carrier will write the risk.
- Whether the home is on a permanent foundation with an engineer's certification, or on piers and tie-downs.
- Whether the policy pays replacement cost or actual cash value, and whether wind and hail carry a separate deductible, often stated as a percentage of the insured value rather than a flat sum.
- Whether the home is owner-occupied or rented out, and whether it is in a park or on land you own.
What the park does not cover, and what your lender requires
A park's own insurance covers the park's property: the roads, the office, the clubhouse, the pool. It covers nothing of yours, and it does not give you liability cover for something that happens on your space. Residents are sometimes surprised by this after a fire.
If there is a loan on the home, the lender requires a policy and will be named on it, and a chattel lender's requirements are usually stated as a minimum coverage amount rather than as a form. Do not confuse that minimum with adequate cover: it protects their collateral, not your ability to replace the home. If the home is on a rented space, price the policy before you buy, because a home an insurer will not write is also a home the next buyer's lender will not finance.
Questions people ask
Is mobile home insurance cheaper than homeowners insurance?
Commonly yes for the same coverage types, because the insured value of the structure is lower. It is not automatic. An older home in a high wind zone with an aged roof can be priced above a newer site-built house, and it may only be offered on an actual cash value basis, which is less cover for the money.
Is mobile home insurance required?
Not by law in the way vehicle insurance is, but effectively yes in two situations: a lender holding a loan on the home requires it and will be named on the policy, and most parks require residents to carry liability cover as a condition of the rental agreement.
Does mobile home insurance cover the home while it is being moved?
Not under the standard policy, which excludes transit. Carriers sell a separate transit or relocation endorsement for the move, and the transporter carries its own cover. Arrange both before the home leaves the space, because a move is when the structural damage happens.
Will an insurer cover a pre-1976 mobile home?
Many will not write one at all, and several of those that do offer actual cash value rather than replacement cost. The cutoff is 15 June 1976, when the federal HUD code took effect, and the red HUD certification label on each section is the proof carriers ask for.