Get your Skoolie covered NATIONWIDE.

[maggs7319]

I just want to share some GREAT news that I received from speaking with Kelly Newsome. Hopefully, this helps others who are having insurance issues. My hubs and I have been planning this for over a decade and we kept running into issues with getting insurance. I live in TN and she is a licensed agent through ALLSTATE in FL.

Kelly was made aware that I was going to post this on EVERY site/group I am on! SO she is prepared to assist.

Allstate owns National General, Kelly has written over 7500 policies covering buses with liability, Full Coverage (Comp & Collison) & they even have Full-Time Occupancy Policies. She has been with the company for over 21 years and her daughter is also a licensed agent and they BOTH do bus conversion policies. Allstate is at capacity with conversion policies so they are covering all new conversions nationwide through National General.

Here are some questions I asked-

What is NOT allowed-
Roof-Top Decks...Woodburning stoves...No alterations of the exterior/frame of the bus (lifting the ceiling or cutting the back of the bus off to make a hauler)
Photos Required?
Yes, At the beginning of the conversion, they need to make sure there are windows, doors, and walls LOL no Fred Flintstone mobiles!
**You WILL need to contact the Department of Motor Vehicles in YOUR state to get the requirements list that your state has for classifying your bus as an RV/Motorhome.**
And AFTER completed, You will provide photos of what your state requires to be classified as a motorhome when the conversion is done to Kelly/National General.
Insurance DURING conversion -
Will be PLPD (Liability).
After full conversion, you can add (Comp & Collison) for Full-Coverage. You can get content coverage as well as coverage for outside stuff like solar panels, etc...
Agreed Value (AFTER conversion)-
This is what you will be paid if there is a claim. Save all of your receipts to show how much the value you are insuring is. You and National General will have an agreed value on your policy for when/if this event should happen.
For more information, you can reach Kelly-
Call- (352)326-9300
Email- kellynewsome1@allstate.com
I HOPE THAT THIS HELPS ��

[Doodlebee]

Why do you suppose roof raises are out? I know decks and fireplaces were a no-go in insurance, but this is the first time I've ever heard a roof raise will negate your insurance.

[musigenesis]

Originally Posted by Doodlebee

Why do you suppose roof raises are out? I know decks and fireplaces were a no-go in insurance, but this is the first time I've ever heard a roof raise will negate your insurance.

They have no way of knowing how well-done a skoolie roof raise was, although even an extremely sketchy job will still be stronger than any RV with its stapled- and glued-together 1x2 framing. Just one more example of skoolies being held to a higher standard than RVs.

They may also feel that raising the roof makes the vehicle more likely to tip, which is technically true but less than the effect of a full load of passengers.

[musigenesis]

I'd also add that my own Allstate agent (whom I found via Kelly Awesome) specified that in addition to wood stoves, no solid-fuel stoves of any kind are allowed (so no coal or pellet stoves and presumably no fondue pots).

[o1marc]

Can you write policies for every state?

[cadillackid]

all of it makes sense... since regular manufactured RVs are coverable.. regular manufactured RVs are road tested and built to an insurable spec.. as is a school bus.. once you alter that structure its no longer a tested and known insurable entitty.. im sure all-state insures busses in their stock form... whether they are full of children or full household items likely means less than if its been altered in structure..



im sure one of the reasons for wanting pictures is so they make sure you didnt just bungie cord a house refrigerator to the side of the bus set a rolling toolbox in for cabinets...



the fact of a bus meeting the requirements of the state for an RV and verifying it also means again the bus is Closer to a manufactured RV in its make-up.. and its legal to be on the highway.. technically if you register your bus as an RV without meeting the RV requirements for said state its registered in then it very well could be deemed not legal.. whether sticks and staples or steel.. as an insurance company they dont want the liability from another driver which sued them for insuring an illegal vehicle..



the no roof raise no deck no solid fuel stove is all about liability.. im sure there are roof raises that are much safer than a manufactured RV but sorry to say it there are a damn lot of shoddy skoolie builds out there.. the community here is not the norm when it comes to builds.. I see more than a few slapped together busses on the highways that i never see here..

[maggs7319]

Originally Posted by Doodlebee

Why do you suppose roof raises are out? I know decks and fireplaces were a no-go in insurance, but this is the first time I've ever heard a roof raise will negate your insurance.

It alters the original structure.

[maggs7319]

Originally Posted by o1marc

Can you write policies for every state?

I'm not the agent ☺️ Kelly writes policies in every state through National General some are effective within hours others take a week or so it just depends on where you're located.

[Danjo]

When National General told me they are the only ones, I guess that’s a factual statement.

EDIT: so it that’s the case, if you run afoul with your insurance company, you might be out of luck entirely. I wondered about Rolling Vistas downsizing their setup might have been insurance-related because their YouTube videos often prominently displayed their wood stove.

[Jolly Roger bus 223]

my local nationwide has no problem.
commercial policy as a bus for personal use.
VIN number and done.
but we have been with them for over 20-years.

[Bus'n it]

Time for me to sell I guess. If we are down to one insurance carrier then I think this whole thing is done for.

[Danjo]

Originally Posted by Bus'n it

Time for me to sell I guess. If we are down to one insurance carrier then I think this whole thing is done for.

I think it’s been that way for a while

As in, one underwriter with multiple carriers.

[musigenesis]

I just got an email from my Allstate agent which started off by saying she noticed that I did not have Auto or Property insurance bundled with my RV policy, which gave me a bit of panic since some people have said Allstate was requiring them to have all their policies with Allstate. Seems not to be the case, fortunately.

If Allstate is indeed "at capacity" (?) with conversion policies, I'm glad I got in with them early. "At capacity" is something I've never heard with insurance before - if a line of business is profitable why wouldn't you expand it? And if it's not profitable, why wouldn't you end it altogether?

[Danjo]

Originally Posted by musigenesis

I just got an email from my Allstate agent which started off by saying she noticed that I did not have Auto or Property insurance bundled with my RV policy, which gave me a bit of panic since some people have said Allstate was requiring them to have all their policies with Allstate. Seems not to be the case, fortunately.

If Allstate is indeed "at capacity" (?) with conversion policies, I'm glad I got in with them early. "At capacity" is something I've never heard with insurance before - if a line of business is profitable why wouldn't you expand it? And if it's not profitable, why wouldn't you end it altogether?

Maybe NG only allows them to write so many?

I recognized early on that NG is doing something that is hard to come by, so I move all my vehicles and homeowners over to them

[maggs7319]

Originally Posted by cadillackid

all of it makes sense... since regular manufactured RVs are coverable.. regular manufactured RVs are road tested and built to an insurable spec.. as is a school bus.. once you alter that structure its no longer a tested and known insurable entitty.. im sure all-state insures busses in their stock form... whether they are full of children or full household items likely means less than if its been altered in structure..



im sure one of the reasons for wanting pictures is so they make sure you didnt just bungie cord a house refrigerator to the side of the bus set a rolling toolbox in for cabinets...



the fact of a bus meeting the requirements of the state for an RV and verifying it also means again the bus is Closer to a manufactured RV in its make-up.. and its legal to be on the highway.. technically if you register your bus as an RV without meeting the RV requirements for said state its registered in then it very well could be deemed not legal.. whether sticks and staples or steel.. as an insurance company they dont want the liability from another driver which sued them for insuring an illegal vehicle..



the no roof raise no deck no solid fuel stove is all about liability.. im sure there are roof raises that are much safer than a manufactured RV but sorry to say it there are a damn lot of shoddy skoolie builds out there.. the community here is not the norm when it comes to builds.. I see more than a few slapped together busses on the highways that i never see here..

Well said. I live in TN and I see how some of the cars drive down the road, missing fenders, doors, hoods, etc...so there have to be regulations.

[maggs7319]

Originally Posted by Danjo

Maybe NG only allows them to write so many?

I recognized early on that NG is doing something that is hard to come by, so I move all my vehicles and homeowners over to them

Allstate owns National General. Allstate is at capacity (Per Kelly) so they are insuring all skoolie conversions through National General.
I called the DMV (title and registration office) in Nashville and asked for the specifications of the state for converting from a bus to an RV/Motorhome.

TN only requires that you don't alter the main/original structure. I then called my clerk's office where I title and plate my vehicle and they said they don't want to see the bus, they will change the type of vehicle from bus to motorhome if I just bring in the title.

I hope that this information I shared helps others.

[Bert06840]

Originally Posted by musigenesis

I just got an email from my Allstate agent which started off by saying she noticed that I did not have Auto or Property insurance bundled with my RV policy, which gave me a bit of panic since some people have said Allstate was requiring them to have all their policies with Allstate. Seems not to be the case, fortunately.

I got less lucky. I have been on Allstate for a decade, I’ve never made a claim, and my only run-in with the law was a minor speed violation three years ago. I had no problems getting a policy with them for the bus just a few months ago. Now I received notification they have cancelled my insurance and when I called them up they didn’t want to elaborate too much. They did say that getting it reinstated is not going to happen no matter what. Yay. Now the scrambling starts.

[maggs7319]

Originally Posted by Bert06840

I got less lucky. I have been on Allstate for a decade, I’ve never made a claim, and my only run-in with the law was a minor speed violation three years ago. I had no problems getting a policy with them for the bus just a few months ago. Now I received notification they have cancelled my insurance and when I called them up they didn’t want to elaborate too much. They did say that getting it reinstated is not going to happen no matter what. Yay. Now the scrambling starts.

Maybe try calling Kelly, I have no clue about what is going on with that. I do know she said that Allstate was at capacity for skoolies. Maybe she can get you through Nat General if you wanna try it. Sorry I haven't been an insurance agent since 2015 and things have changed so much.

[maggs7319]

Originally Posted by musigenesis

I just got an email from my Allstate agent which started off by saying she noticed that I did not have Auto or Property insurance bundled with my RV policy, which gave me a bit of panic since some people have said Allstate was requiring them to have all their policies with Allstate. Seems not to be the case, fortunately.

If Allstate is indeed "at capacity" (?) with conversion policies, I'm glad I got in with them early. "At capacity" is something I've never heard with insurance before - if a line of business is profitable why wouldn't you expand it? And if it's not profitable, why wouldn't you end it altogether?

I asked Kelly today if I had to have any other policies with Allstate or Nat General to get my bus insured and she told me no. She said that agents are required to suggest it but you're not required to bundle.

[Bus'n it]

So those of you with roof raises, does this bring on any concerns? I am at a crossroads to whether continue spending on the build or cash out. I am with National General now under a minimum liability policy while the bus gets converted. Renews in September. Perhaps finding an engineer that would sign off?