Confused about vehicle insurance

[LeilaLight]

Hi, everyone -- I'm reading lots of threads here about van insurance, residency addresses, etc. and I'm getting myself pretty confused.  

I'm in Southern California.

My plan is to purchase a small cargo van and live in it.  Because I'm not particularly handy, I think I'll find ways to install what I need without actually building in the van (so modular or easily removable things that can be strapped or secured to the van, but not actually built in).  

I plan to give up my apartment and stealth camp in town while I'm working and get out to boondock as much as I can on weekends and vacations.

I can get a UPS or similar mail service for mailing addresses.  I can get a friend who lives in my county to let me use their address as my "residence address" (although I've never lived with them or at that address). 

My questions:

1.  If I do this, will I be committing insurance fraud or otherwise doing something that will void my vehicle insurance policy because I don't really live there?  

2.  What about my driver's license? If I don't really live at my "residence address," will I have a problem when it comes time to renew my DL?  I currently have the address where I live now (my current apartment) on my DL.  

3.  Will I have a problem insuring my van because it's a commercial vehicle, even though I'm going to use it as my "daily driver" and not build it as an RV, as far as anyone is concerned?  I'm intentionally getting a small cargo van (such as the Nissan NV200 or the Ford Transit Connect) so that I can be more stealthy in the city and also have the better mileage.  I thought I could just say I'm using it to travel, since I'll have a "residence address."  I don't have to insure my vehicle contents -- I just need to have vehicle insurance.

Thanks in advance for helping me get un-confused!

 

[John61CT]

No.

No.

Depends on the state and your story.

I would advise having a consistent cover story, never tell officialdom you're a permanent nomad living in a vehicle.

Just a normal wage slave S&B citizen, seeing the country, taking a break for a while, seeking work, whatever.

 

[rm.w/aview]

Depends

No

Depends

You say that you've read lots of threads here on your issues, so you're aware of what people are doing to meet a desire. Is it fraud? Depends on how you define it. There are folks on this forum that live vicariously through the mobile living community, using terms like we & our as if they're living the nomadic life. Is it fraud? Is it just pretending? And they're helpful & well liked so what's the harm. So as John says, if you're going to lie, have a consistent cover story. Official documents including your driver's license, registration, insurance, and any government tax forms will go to your friends place as if you're living there so it'll be no different than it is now. Insurance rates will be determined by that locale. Contact the various companies that you've been made aware of in your research and have it insured as a van.

 

[Van-Tramp]

1. You are basically required to have a permanent address by federal law. It does not actually require you to physically "live" (or sleep) at that location. You would not be committing any fraud. If you want to cover your bases, come up with a rental agreement with your friend for $1 per year, and then you have a paper trail as well.

2. California will give a license even to undocumented immigrants and homeless. How they deal with a person not having an actual address I do not know, but there must be a way. However, you are required to keep your address up to date and accurate on your ID, so doing that would be good.

3. Don't offer any more info than they ask for. It is a vehicle. They provide vehicle insurance. Tell them your address, the vehicle info, and the number of miles you expect to drive each year. What you do with that vehicle during that time is completely up to you, not them.

Now, why not move out of California and to a state that accommodates nomads, and save yourself thousands in state taxes every year as well. South Dakota has no state income tax, no emissions tests, cheap registration and insurance, and you can get yourself all setup as a resident over the phone. You would have to go to SD to pickup your actual license, but that does not need to be done immediately.

 

[John61CT]

If you will continue to be in CA, best to stay there on paper.

Very strict state for enforcing reg and residency laws.

 

[LeilaLight]

Thanks all. No, I’m not criticizing others or accusing them of fraud. I merely want to know if the authorities would accuse me of fraud. Far be it from me to try to step on another person exercising their divine given right to freedom.

Yes, I’ll be staying in CA, and even though other states are cheaper, it seems like I ought to keep everything here, since I plan to spend time wandering the state for the most part.