The average cost for a new manufactured home in 2024 was $109,400 with existing homes costing an average of around $81,000. (Credit: Liga Cerina/Shutterstock)
California state Senate Minority Leader Brian W. Jones has announced the passage of a bill that will allow owners of manufactured or mobile homes to acquire full replacement costs from their insurance policies and give them access to the state's insurer of last resort.
At this time, Jones noted in a release, there is no California insurer that provides full replacement cost coverage for mobile or manufactured homes. These homeowners are also unable to acquire coverage under the state’s FAIR Plan, which SB 525 will change by redefining “basic property insurance” to include manufactured and mobile homes “under the same terms and conditions as basic property insurance sold for other residential dwellings.”
The bill notes that “basic property insurance” does not include insurance on automobile risks, commercial agricultural commodities or livestock, or equipment used to cultivate or transport agricultural commodities or livestock.
“Mobile home owners should not be treated like second rate citizens when it comes to protecting their property,” said Jones. “A home is a home and nobody should have to live with the fear that when disaster strikes, they won’t be able to rebuild.”
There are an estimated 4.3 million manufactured home sites in the U.S. and around 44,000 manufactured home communities. The average cost for a new manufactured home in 2024 was $109,400 with existing homes costing an average of around $81,000.
“There’s over 500,000 mobile homes in California and I’m just not comfortable leaving that many people out to dry when the worst happens,” Jones continued in his release from September 12. “This bill finally brings some sense to the mobile home insurance market and I’m proud of its passage here today.”
The bill will now move to Governor Gavin Newsom’s desk for his signature.
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