The question of coverage is important. With today’s economy many “fly by night” storage operations have opened up illegally. They never went through the mandatory city process so they have no permits and no way to get a legal business license. If the storage facility is not a legal business, it’s impossible to get insurance from any insurance carrier. Most of these back yard and chain linked fenced storage lots try and make you sign a waiver, not holding them responsible for anything! Watch out! This could really cost you! Even some of the legal businesses have dropped their insurance coverage because of the hard economical times. This issue leaves the customer in a serious predicament because most customers assume they are covered. It is highly recommended that you don’t store your RV at shady storage facilities.

A good storage facility, where you park the vehicle, lock it and take the keys with you should have liability insurance. That way the storage facility has coverage in case an employee should make a mistake. This is similar to when you rent an apartment. You are renting property (or a space) and as the renter you are ultimately responsible for your own insurance. But, the apartment complex (or storage facility) has insurance that covers any damage or negligence that an employee might make.

There’s another type of RV storage facility like indoor RV storage facilities. With this type of storage, you will leave your keys with them. They park and lock your vehicle and take possession of it. These storage facilities have created the legal term “bailment” (legal term that means “Custody or Possession of”) and they are required and should have “Garage Keeper” insurance. Garage keeper insurance is a policy that covers the replacement cost of the vehicles that are in the possession of the storage facility. Ask to see proof of insurance before you agree to store your vehicle.

What about customers who think they’re covered under their own insurance policies? Here is the issue. Most normal insurance policies have a “customer negligence” clause in their policy. This means their customers are required to take reasonable steps to insure that their vehicle is safe (example: making sure the vehicle is locked or parked in a legal place) and not willfully or unintentionally putting the vehicle in harms way. So, if you choose to store your RV in an illegal storage facility to save money, you could be entering the area of the customer negligence clause on your insurance policy. Therefore your insurance policy could decline coverage. Don’t take a chance trying to save money or cut corners. Make sure the RV storage facility is legal and has the proper insurance coverage.

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