This whole "domicile" business is starting to make my head hurt

[ganchan]

Just finished taking some ibuprofen after a morning of sorting out the various aspects of establishing and maintaining domicile status-- even though, in theory, the whole concept amounts to "Here's what I regard as my stomping grounds."


Maybe you can help me sort out my situation:

1. I've established a lifelong record as a TX resident, with the last 20 years in Austin. I bank here, my insurance agent and CPA are here, my storage unit will probably be here, and I will continue to visit here a lot on business. I was planning on leaving my physical address info  with the financial institutions untouched, and renewing my TX drivers license while I still have that address (I don't start vandwelling till this summer). I would also direct all these folks to my mailing address for all paper transactions. This would supposedly minimize any Patriot Act-related issues the financial institutions may have with me.

2. I know that, as a full-time nomad, I need a mail forwarding service. There are several of these that can provide a "real" street address for me, including Texas Home Base in Wichita Falls and Escapees in Livingston. Still in TX, so all is well, right? EXCEPT, voter and auto registration must occur in my "domicile county." So I think that means I must always perform these tasks in Travis County, regardless of my residential address's county....

What it boils down to is: 
-I want to leave my old physical address on all my financial accounts so as not to rock the boat with them
-I can either renew my DL now so it matches the financial accounts, or I can put the mail-forwarding address on a new DL later (I think); 
-Auto insurance: Keep using old physical address, or use mail-forwarding address? Would a claim end up being denied either way?

I can't sort it out. I broke my brain. Somebody tell me what to do. 

 

[TrainChaser]

I haven't gotten too deeply into this matter, because it IS very confusing.

The one thing that I would question is keeping the old address:  "I want to leave my old physical address on all my financial accounts so as not to rock the boat with them".

In the event that they DO have to contact you by mailing something to your (former) address, and it is returned to them, isn't it rather likely that they might freeze your account until they know what is going on?  And if one of the accounts happens to be the active one you're using for something like access to cash, could you be 'surprised' by them making your funds inaccessible?

Also -- and I wouldn't swear to this -- but I read somewhere several years ago that banks can confiscate your accounts if they don't have any contact with you for a certain period of time.  (I guess they assume you're dead)

Do you have a reliable relative or friend who could accept your mail, open it and call you for instructions if something needs to be done?

It is really infuriating that all of this crap is happening just to "protect" us from terrorists.

It will be interesting what to see what others are doing about this.

 

[Wabbit]

Which state do you want for a residency state? Texas?

 

[ccbreder]

No, not confiscate. They will turn the money to the state's Unclaimed Property.

 

[DrJean]

I think you have analysis paralysis.

The Post Office will forward all 1st class mail for a year, I think. That might help you figure out exactly what you want.

If you have the old domicile address, keep it! It makes your insurance company happy, too... and especially if that's where you're storing things.. well then that's your home base imo. You might even take out insurance on the stuff, thus hardening your domicile.

If I read correctly, what I would do is keep your domicile address on all legal matters, notify PO to forward mail to you (to your other mailing address?)

I have a POB anyway, even with my home address. ALL my billing goes to the mailing address as having home delivery doesn't assure I get it. hahaha I have it this way on my DL too, but seems that might have to change with next renewal (Patriot act? yeah like I'm the bad guy). As long as the police have the actual "home address" in their computer they see both if they pull it up (mailing and physical).

 

[Queen]

You are dealing with the same thing I did here in Illinois. Bottom line, after tons of emails and phone calls, I will not be considered a resident if I do not have a permanent domicile in this state. I do not have anyone with an address I can use, primarily because without a lease or deed, the DMV requires a sworn affidavit (on a state provided document) from the friend saying I legally reside there, that is way too much to ask a friend.

The DMV said my only option was to get a letter through a social service provider saying I'm homeless but using their services and address. Otherwise I cannot renew my plates and registration

My insurance agent didn't care one way of the other and said they'd be happy to take the mail forwarding address.

If we go full time for a while before coming back to IL (state retirees with health insurance tied to the state), we are considering trying to find a cheap efficiency apartment with a lease and just using it for storage.

It feels like we're living in a 1970's communist country

 

[ganchan]

You are dealing with the same thing I did here in Illinois.  Bottom line, after tons of emails and phone calls, I will not be considered a resident if I do not have a permanent domicile in this state.  I do not have anyone with an address I can use, primarily because without a lease or deed, the DMV requires a sworn affidavit (on a state provided document) from the friend saying I legally reside there, that is way too much to ask a friend.

The DMV said my only option was to get a letter through a social service provider saying I'm homeless but using their services and address.  Otherwise I cannot renew my plates and registration

My insurance agent didn't care one way of the other and said they'd be happy to take the mail forwarding address.

If we go full time for a while before coming back to IL (state retirees with health insurance tied to the state), we are considering trying to find a cheap efficiency apartment with a lease and just using it for storage.

It feels like we're living in a 1970's communist country

An added wrinkle is the fact that my vehicle will be an un-modded minivan. Which brings up the whole "auto insurance won't honor claims for people living in cars, while RV insurance won't cover non-RVs" thing. So it sounds like I may be doing something very much like you're considering -- I may just rent the cheapest room I can find and use it as the world's most overpriced climate-controlled storage unit. As unfortunate as that sounds, that one simple choice could iron out EVERY one of these tangles in one fell swoop -- and if worse comes to worse and I have to get off the road for a while, I have a place to flop.

Fortunately, Texas has some of the cheaper apartment/room rates in the country, depending on where you go. Even shifting my base of operations from Austin to San Antonio could make a big difference there. (For what it's worth to those tuning in, I recently read that the cheapest average rental rate in America is Toledo OH.)

 

[ganchan]

Which state do you want for a residency state? Texas?

Yeah, I think so.

 

[Crow]

If you keep your vehicle registered with a Travis county address you still have to get the vehicle emissions test with the annual inspection. The counties that Livingston and Wichita Falls are in don't require emissions testing. Could be a future PITA avoided.

 

[Queen]

An added wrinkle is the fact that my vehicle will be an un-modded minivan. Which brings up the whole "auto insurance won't honor claims for people living in cars, while RV insurance won't cover non-RVs" thing. So it sounds like I may be doing something very much like you're considering -- I may just rent the cheapest room I can find and use it as the world's most overpriced climate-controlled storage unit. As unfortunate as that sounds, that one simple choice could iron out EVERY one of these tangles in one fell swoop -- and if worse comes to worse and I have to get off the road for a while, I have a place to flop.

Fortunately, Texas has some of the cheaper apartment/room rates in the country, depending on where you go. Even shifting my base of operations from Austin to San Antonio could make a big difference there. (For what it's worth to those tuning in, I recently read that the cheapest average rental rate in America is Toledo OH.)

That's where our thinking landed as well. Having a place to come home to, even though it's a ridiculous state requirement isn't awful. We'd have a place to crash when we come back for medical reasons.

 

[Ballenxj]

Can't you just leave your physical address alone and use a P.O.Box as your mailing address?

 

[bullfrog]

I believe with thousands of Escapees doing exactly what you are talking about with tax, insurance, and finance advisers on property I would take a trip to Rainbows End for a visit or at least call and talk to some of the staff. They are really helpful, not all are rich snobs, and for conventional RVer's have all the answers.

 

[ganchan]

If you keep your vehicle registered with a Travis county address you still have to get the vehicle emissions test with the annual inspection.   The counties that Livingston and Wichita Falls are in don't require emissions testing.   Could be a future PITA avoided.

Looks like Bexar County (San Antonio) doesn't require it either, so if I do end up renting a room, that would be a pretty quick and easy relocation.

 

[DannyB1954]

Some places, Like Nye county Nevada), has no smog checks and you can re register a vehicle over the internet. No State income tax in Nevada as well.

 

[MrNoodly]

I switched everything to my South Dakota mail forwarder when I hit the road in 2013. The DMV was fine with it, the bank was fine with it, the insurance company was fine with it. Plus there's no vehicle inspection of any kind in SD. SD makes it all so easy -- except needing to go back to renew my driver license. If it weren't for that, I'd have no reason to go back to SD.

Out of curiosity, I spent part of last night going over the residency requirements of various western states. I decided it's MUCH easier to just swing through SD every five years.

 

[VanGrrl57]

I switched everything to my South Dakota mail forwarder when I hit the road in 2013. The DMV was fine with it, the bank was fine with it, the insurance company was fine with it. Plus there's no vehicle inspection of any kind in SD. SD makes it all so easy -- except needing to go back to renew my driver license. If it weren't for that, I'd have no reason to go back to SD.

Out of curiosity, I spent part of last night going over the residency requirements of various western states. I decided it's MUCH easier to just swing through SD every five years.

Yeah, I use my daughter's physical address and she just lets me know when I have mail, so it's not a problem. Plus, I'm staying in her driveway for right now. I also have my van registered in SD and a SD license. When I leave to go to Yellowstone for the season, I can either rent a mailbox up there to get my mail or get it using the store's address (for free!) which they allow employees of the store the employee works in to do. You just notify everyone two weeks before the season ends to stop sending mail to that address. My daughter will simply forward any important mail to me at the store's address for the season or hold it depending on my decision.

VanGrrl57

 

[ArtW]

This is why I continue to rent to own my piece of dirt here in Garwood, I'll have a domicile automagically, because i has a residence

 

[Every Road Leads Home]

I think this would be my ultimate hang up from being a true full timer. I'd also always be worried that god forbid I got in an accident and someone was seriously hurt, even myself that insurance wouldn't cover it if they found out you weren't actually living at your "legal address" And i'd have a never ending hospital bill as my parting gift and possibly a lawsuit.
I'd certainly do a fair amount of due diligence before picking my address, maybe none of my concerns are actual issues. I'm always looking at cheap real estate places. In Maine I've seen houses for sale as low as 10 to 15k. Florida has some cheap homes and that's one of the first states on my list to check out. They're in pretty rough shape usually, but it's a legal residence with a mailbox. I'll probably buy a property like this when I do hit the road full time. I know they exist in other parts of the country too.

 

[arpisme]

Sounds like the vandwelling community needs a "co-op" of sorts. One that a group of people put money into to obtain a small house or apartment so they all have a home base address to satisfy the bureaucrats, a place to store some stuff and a place to crash for a bit when they're not wandering.
Would be easy to keep in touch with each member (cell phones) and you'd know when the place is available or not.
You could even have a "caretaker" live there by offering cheap rent or ? so there is someone there all the time.
Jus' thinkin' out loud. There's gotta be a way to do it!

 

[ganchan]

That's where our thinking landed as well. Having a place to come home to, even though it's a ridiculous state requirement isn't awful. We'd have a place to crash when we come back for medical reasons.

And that last point is a good one as well. If I need to use my TX health insurance for a major surgery or other serious health issue, I may need "all the comforts of home" for a period of time before diving back into vandwelling. In that event, I don't want to be dragging my ailing carcass around town looking for available rooms to rent.