Home Featured The Most Common Questions We Get Asked About Full-Time RVing

The Most Common Questions We Get Asked About Full-Time RVing

by Kate McCallum
Full-Time RVing Questions

It’s now been almost a year and a half since Adam and I switched our lifestyles and started full-time RVing. Although we would hardly consider ourselves experts in the world of full-time RVing, through our website and Facebook, we receive plenty of messages from people who are looking to make the switch, too.

Those messages we read are filled with optimism and excitement. At the same time, you can also feel the nervousness about making the switch from a traditional type of lifestyle to one where your primary residence is 300 square feet or less.

The questions also remind us of ourselves before we started full-time RVing. We were full of questions, nerves, and really didn’t have a clue of where to or how to start planning.

It’s more than just downsizing and picking out an RV. You must consider full-time RV insurance, provincial medical insurance, having a permanent address, budgets and income, and a good warranty.

If you have children, that opens another spectrum of issues you would have to address. In this blog, I will share with you the answers to the most frequent questions we get asked about those who are dreaming of full-time RVing.

What works for us may not work for you, but it may give you some ideas. I have also included ways that our friends who full-time RV make it work for them.

What Do You Do For A Permanent Address?

To full-time RV in Canada, you will need a permanent address. Apparently, the government doesn’t like the idea of you roaming around without a “permanent” home. You need a permanent address for your license, passport, health care, insurance & taxes.

Because of our style of full-time RVing where we stay longer in certain locations rather than constant travel, we set up our permanent residence at our current location in Tofino, British Columbia.

Our permanent residence is the campground that we stay at where we’ve built a strong relationship with the manager who happily let us do it. We also plan on keeping Tofino our home base for a little while so it made sense to have this as our permanent residence.

If you move around more frequently than we do, you likely will need to figure out another solution for your permanent residence. The first step in doing so is to decide what your home province is going to be. Your home province is the province where you will live for at least 6 months of the year for the purpose of maintaining your healthcare and license.

Once you have your province of choice picked there are a few different options available to you. The simplest solution is to use the address of a close friend of a family members residence. Other solutions could include finding an RV park where you can buy a lot which would serve as your primary residence.

Crystal Cove Tofino Full-Time RV

Our home at Crystal Cove Beach Resort in Tofino.

How Do You Get Your Mail?

The natural follow up question we get once we answer questions about permanent residency is usually about mail. In a time where mail is less prevalent, the solution is usually pretty easy.

To eliminate mail as much as possible, we have all our bills sent via email, and we also have a Canada Post “EPOST” account where mail can be sent safely that may contain private information such as tax information. We have paperless banking, and we try and make sure everything goes through email.

Even with all the measures we take, we still get mail. But how do we get it?

Because our permanent residence is our campground we just use their address. Most campgrounds are happy to do this for guests that are staying long periods of time. We had the same arrangement with our campground in Prince Edward Island.

You can also set up a P.O. Box and then have your mail forwarded as you move. This can get costly, however, especially considering the limited amount of mail you’re likely receiving.

Using a friend or family members house as your primary residence would be a great solution as all your mail would go to them and you could easily trust it with them as well.

What Do You Do For Insurance?

Whether it’s vehicle, RV or health insurance, they’re all important to have when full-time RVing.

RV Insurance

Our 2008 Heartland Sundance is covered by Aviva Elite Insurance. This is the same company we used in New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island. Call an insurance broker and ask about Aviva Elite.

What we like is that for a full-time RV, they include coverage for accommodation if something bad happens to the RV. That is important if you need repairs or are waiting for a replacement RV which can leave you stranded without your home for days/weeks.

Also, have a talk with your agent about replacement value. For the first 6 months of full-time RVing, we actually did NOT have enough insurance for the replacement value of our RV.

The value was based on what we paid for the RV. If you think about that for a second, you could be putting yourself into a pickle if your RV burns down and you have to find a replacement for what you paid for the RV. In our case, our replacement value was around 25 thousand dollars. After talking to our new agent in BC, I upped that value to almost 60 thousand. It costs more, but it will be worth it if something happens. We will be able to go and get a newer RV and have a much bigger selection of RV’s to choose from simply because of the price point.

Vehicle Insurance

If you live anywhere outside of British Columbia you have a choice for insurance companies. In BC, we were kind of surprised to learn the government has a monopoly on the insurance industry. It’s called the Insurance Corporation of British Columbia (ICBC). Surprisingly, it isn’t outlandishly priced and we have not had any issues. It certainly cuts down on the time spent calling and asking for quotes.

Health Insurance  

Canadian health coverage varies from province to province. You will need to pick your home base province and then read everything you can about the rules regarding that insurance.

If you plan to spend time south of the border or a lot of time in other Canadian provinces, you need to find out how much time you are allowed to stay outside of your home base province. For example, if you are covered by the province of New Brunswick, you need to tell them anytime you are going outside of the province. That includes a month-long visit to a campground in Quebec. They want to know where you are.

In British Columbia, we actually have to pay the province for our health coverage which is called Medical Services Plan (MSP). MSP is based on your income. If you make over $42,000 you pay $75 a month for a single person. If you make $24,000 or less, you pay nothing. Married couples pay more, and again it is based on income. You can apply for assistance to pay for it, and the provincial government is in the process of lowering the prices. Children do not have to pay for MSP.

We were shocked to learn that we had to pay for health care in British Columbia because you don’t in other provinces. In my opinion, it stinks because you must pay for it, but at the same time while living in Tofino I have truly had the best medical experiences. I wait no more than a day or two for an appointment. The hospital, while small, has just about everything you need including doctors who vacation and work in this town. Specialists come into town to surf and work. It’s really kind of a sweet deal for the doctors and the patients.

Should I Get Extended Warranty Coverage for My RV?

When you’re buying your RV, you’ll come to the part of negotiations where your RV salesman will ask you about whether or not you want the extended warranty. In our opinion, the answer should always be yes. It can be a bit expensive at nearly $1000 or more a year but it’s more than worth it.

While RV’s are pretty fancy these days, they’re still made pretty cheap and have some questionable craftsmanship. This is for a couple of reasons. Because RV’s need to be light for transportation, a lot of the parts are very light and less durable as a result. RV’s are also mostly made on assembly lines and it’s easy to have things that are overlooked during the assembly process.

Having an RV warranty is also great should you want to sell your RV as warranties are usually transferable and come with tremendous value to the new owner.

When we purchased our RV, we went for the maximum warranty available at 4 years. A lot of newer RV’s have extended warranties that extend past 10 years.

In the year and a half that we’ve had our RV, we’ve used our warranty coverage multiple times and it’s saved us A LOT of money. We’ve replaced our trailer-to-truck electrical cord, air conditioner, and the converter. Total that all up and it would have cost us almost $3000. As you can see, the warranty pays for itself.

Should I Get Roadside Assistance?

A roadside assistance plan is one of those things you hate to spend money on, because you may not need it. That said, we use Coach-Net and also have a backup with Aviva Elite Insurance. Our thought is it’s better to be safe than sorry. Having roadside assistance for your home is a must for peace of mind and to save you money.coach-net-rv-roadside-assistance

What Can I Do For Internet?

“How do you have a reliable internet source while full-time RVing?” This is something you will see on every full-time RV Facebook page. The internet is something almost all of us need now for work or even just to play Candy Crush or to stream live bear cams in Alaska.

If you’re staying at a park a little longer term as we do, you may have some good options available to you. In PEI, the park manager ran a few hundred feet of cable directly to our RV so we would have a direct, high-speed connection. That was pretty sweet.

As we made our journey from PEI to Tofino, though, we discovered RV park WiFi is pretty weak and inconsistent. Most parks haven’t yet invested the money into having a quality system installed. Some, even with great systems installed still run slow based on high occupancy levels of the park.

To try and overcome poor WiFi we installed a WiFiRanger unit. WiFiRanger is a WiFi booster that will help to amplify nearby WiFi signals so that you can still connect and do whatever work may need to get done.

WiFi Ranger RV Internet

The WiFiRanger EliteAC Pack FM roof mounted unit & GoAC router.

Thankfully, the park we’re now at just finished installing a high-quality system with many access points throughout the park. This has allowed us to have the best WiFi experience that we’ve experienced at any park throughout Canada.

Others have installed some pretty high-tech, pricey systems to allow them to have high-speed connections wherever they travel. This is something we’ll be looking more into in the future.

Can You Full-Time RV in the Winter?

There are full-time RVers in almost every province of Canada. This includes brave souls that spend freezing cold winters with insulated basements, skirting, and thick wool blankets. There are plenty of Canadians that have many tips for full-time RVing in the cold Canadian winters. We have even heard of people who have wood stoves in their RV. I’m not sure how you would get insurance for that, but hey, whatever works for you.

But yes, you can full-time RV in the winter. It just means a lot of modifications to your RV. Some of which can be costly.

We despise the snow and cold. We love snow in the mountain tops, or a freshly fallen snow in the woods, but only for one day.

We chose to stay in Tofino, British Columbia during the winter for a mostly snow free winter. We put up with a lot of rain, but at least you don’t have to shovel it. Plus, we get to live in a temperate rainforest. Life is good.

Here’s an example of why we chose to stay away from snow…

Can You Full-Time RV with Kids?

A lot of people who are looking to make the lifestyle change have children. This is definitely a whole different challenge that we don’t have to worry about. That being said, we’ve seen and read about a lot of families who full-time RV.

What this mainly means is that one or both of the parents will home school the children. We think it’s great when families choose this lifestyle. It’s a fantastic way for kids to travel and learn more about their country. The road is an incredible classroom.

The most difficult aspect for children is the lack of a consistent social circle as it’s hard to develop long lasting friendships when you’re constantly moving around.

How Do You Do Your Banking?

We all need some place to keep our money. Thankfully, these days stepping foot into an actual bank is mostly unnecessary. You can literally have a bank account in any province in Canada and do your banking online.

Most banks now allowing cheques to be deposited via photo/email which also saves you from having to go to an actual bank.

If you need a void cheque or direct deposit forms for a job, you can also download them directly from your online account.


The switch to full-time RVing can be a difficult one. The unknowns can play havoc on your mind at times. Hopefully answering some of these common questions will give you a better idea of what you’re getting yourself into before starting this amazing lifestyle. If you still have any questions or concerns about full-time RVing, drop us a comment below or send us an email.

Also, make sure to join full-time RVing Facebook groups as they are an incredible source of information from people who live this lifestyle.

 

Are you full-time RVing in Canada? How have you overcome some of these issues?

44 comments
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44 comments

Linda November 6, 2018 - 12:42 pm

New to this rving and so far ready to sell our 5th wheel we just bought it’s way to expensive and I’m thinking renting a real place is the way to go. We haven’t had much advice and we are going through $$$ that we can’t afford just to heat this thing. Helpful tips would be greatly appreciated.

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Christina December 7, 2018 - 10:31 pm

Hey Linda,

My family and I are new RVers in Ontario we have a ton of tips and tricks for heating in fact we have only turned our furnace on twice so far!

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Kate January 6, 2019 - 7:22 pm

Hi Linda,

I am sorry to read that you are having a rough time. The keys to our successful fulltime RV’ing was to buy a unit we could afford. So we do not owe on the RV. Plastic on the window, reflectix as well goes in at night to keep it warmer. We even bring in the slides when it is really cold. A mattress heater helps a lot.

I hope this help a little and I hope things look up for you soon.

Kate -FullTime Canada

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Rafael January 3, 2019 - 7:24 pm

Hello!
Thanks for the tips.

My wife and I are planning to become a full time RV, we would like to working during the trip, if your home address is in Torino for example, can you work in another province? Have you ever had this experience?

Thank you for your time.

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Kate January 6, 2019 - 7:35 pm

Hi Rafael!

This is exciting for you!
You can work in other provinces, but you must be in your province for a set number of months to keep your health care. Please check with your provinces health care website.

Kate-Full Time Canada

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Rafael Almeida April 9, 2019 - 8:55 am

Hello Kate, thank you very much for your answer. Are you planning to stop in Vancouver something? My wife and I would love to meet you to chat about Fulltime RVing.

Best Regards,
Rafael 🙂

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Rafael Almeida April 9, 2019 - 8:56 am

Someday*

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Kelly January 6, 2019 - 6:42 pm

We are planning to become full timers next month. Our biggest issue is finding full time RV insurance as Canadians. We are waiting on a call back from a broker with Aviva. Is this company our only option? Just reading reviews on this company andd they are amazingly bad!

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Milton February 2, 2019 - 2:52 am

Aviva is the worse nightmare a human being can have!!!

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Carleen March 6, 2019 - 7:43 am

Have you had any luck finding another option besides Wayfarer for full time RV insurance? I just got off the phone with them and they only offer full coverage for retirees that go south for the winter.

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Monika krall September 8, 2019 - 2:26 pm

Hi Kelly we are full timers in our28’ Wildcat in BC. We just signed with Echelon, more reasonable than Aviva elite for the same coverage. Talk to your broker. Also we have tried reflecting on windows and they frost up way too much. We are stationary in an RV Park, insulated and solid skirting. We have two Propane tanks, 700 ltr capacity, hooked up and built a roof over our unit and deck. Winter, even at -25 for a few nights is not that bad. Leaving the bathroom vent open 1/2” helps to get moisture out as does Damp Rid. Small fans keep air circulating and defrost windows fast during really cold nights. We are going on our 3rd winter here, and it gets easier. 😊

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Kate January 6, 2019 - 7:38 pm

Hi Kelly!

Aviva is really your only choice, unless you are in Ontario. There is a place up north that you can try if you live in Ontario(Wayfarer Insurance, I believe they have access to another company that is not Aviva.) It is truly unfortunate the reviews are bad. We have not had any issues with Aviva and we haven’t heard of anyone having a tough time making a claim.

I hope this helps, and good luck to you!

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Kate McCallum March 12, 2019 - 12:04 pm

Hi Carleen! We use Aviva. Are you in Ontario? – Kate

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Ernie Quintal January 15, 2019 - 8:13 pm

Here’s another question. We are full-timers, have been for 1.5 years. We are having a problem with the shoulder seasons and the time limitations to be out of our province (Saskatchewan). We want to avoid having to buy a house or condo to stay comfortable during the shoulder seasons. We value are freedom and don’t want a stick home tying us down. Last year we spent April on Vancouver Island and waited for Sask to warm up. We’re in Florida now, and don’t plan on driving all the way back to BC. I’d be interested if you know of anyone with the same problem and how they handled this. Thanks!

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Kate January 15, 2019 - 8:21 pm

Hi Ernie,

I would prefer to answer this question via email. Send me an email and I will try and help you out as best as I can. [email protected]
Kate

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Brenda Cook March 29, 2019 - 2:28 pm

Hi Kate , I would’ve really liked to see your answer to Ernie as myself and my husband are trying to start our journey to full time Rv’ers very soon, we are also from Saskatchewan. We are in a different predicament tho, because of my husbands job , we need to find some place relitively close to full time park for his work . I have checked and re checked every option I can think of , and nothing . The only thing left is either friends or re locating and a different job for him ?! Don’t know what else to do ?? Any suggestions from you or anyone else would be greatly appreciated !!

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fulltimecanada March 29, 2019 - 3:20 pm

Hi Brenda. To be completely honest with you, there are ways around it and I would prefer to do that in a private email. I will send you an answer to your hotmail address. ~Kate

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Ashley February 12, 2020 - 4:53 am

Please email us your answers too! We are in Ontario.

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Jacqui Weber May 7, 2019 - 9:45 am

We are planning on making the transition to full time RV’ing, and are starting to research our questions. I’ve heard a lot about HOW it’s possible to stay in Canada during the winter, but no one ever says WHERE. WHERE is it possible to stay once all the parks have closed for the season? Where does everyone go?

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rick McNIVEN May 20, 2019 - 6:08 am

assooyos or victoria BC

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Brandi September 27, 2019 - 11:10 am

We stayed in red deer for a winter a few years ago there were a couple different parks available to stay at.

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Jason May 9, 2019 - 3:40 pm

Hi Kate, thanks for the tips! My wife and I have decided we want to buy a fifth wheel and become full-time RVers in a year or two. Just in one place though, not roaming. Our biggest hurdle so far is finding a place that allows us to live in the RV year-round. Most places allow you to leave your RV as the lot is yours after purchase, but won’t allow you ti live there in winter.

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Erik Meinders May 19, 2020 - 9:42 pm

I think you said BC. We live in Harrison river RV park and campground. Full-time

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rick McNIVEN May 20, 2019 - 6:09 am

assooyos or victoria BC

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Rob in Germany May 26, 2019 - 10:58 am

Excellent post, loads of points that I never thoughr of. My wife is about (T-3 years 9 months). We’re Canadian but live abroad so no issue with residency but DL and insurance well that’s a completely different issue.

Rob

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Meg May 29, 2019 - 7:39 pm

Try Cooperators insurance 🙂 They will insure School bus conversions, hopefully they will insure yours. good luck

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Kayla Erskine July 16, 2019 - 5:50 am

Hi Kate ! I live close to Dover so thats awesome you are from Langton! I had a question I cannot seem to find anywhere and thought maybe you knew – how many days can you stay in a stationery RV before its classed as illegal. I always thought I heard up to 28 days and after that its illegal- but you can go sleep at someones house to kind of reset the time. Any feedback is appreciated 🙂

Kayla

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Ann July 21, 2019 - 12:41 pm

Which campround un PEI accept to give you a permanent adresse?

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Marg August 19, 2019 - 4:23 pm

Thanks for the info. We are soon going to be buying either a fifth wheel or motor home by the first of the year. Going to do some extensive travelling. Any tips for us are welcome.
Just a note Kate: Amy husband and l are from a Tillsonburg Ontario

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Marg August 19, 2019 - 4:24 pm

Can anyone tell me how you find out base rates for a KIA camps here in Canada and the U.S.

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Jeff August 24, 2019 - 8:48 am

Public auto insurance programs

In British Columbia and Manitoba, automobile insurance is provided through government-owned corporations. In Saskatchewan, the government insurer provides compulsory auto insurance and private companies are permitted to offer additional extension coverage. In Quebec, the government administers insurance covering minimum limits for bodily injury, while property damage coverage is provided by private insurers.

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Kim Suchard September 12, 2019 - 2:19 pm

My husband and I were thinking of buying a fifthwheel to retire in and putting it on my daughters property of 10 acres and making it stationary do u have any pointers on how to make it winter warm we live near London On Thanks

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Marc September 28, 2019 - 5:10 pm

In about to start living in my 1980 28′ class c honey motor home in Manitoba for the first winter. Wish me luck

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Susan Thayer October 7, 2019 - 4:51 pm

Wow, thanks for all the insurance suggestions in Ontario! I was stymied before about how to get decent insurance on our new-to-us motorhome that we are planning to work/live out of for the next six months. Now I have plenty of calls to make tomorrow!

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Clara November 4, 2019 - 6:48 pm

I really love the idea of freedom RVing full time would give my family. But I’ve looking for a place to park an rv and I can’t find one in B C. I’d rally love suggestions. I don’t want to get tied to a mortgage.

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Sheila December 18, 2019 - 12:52 pm

Does anyone know of a web page for people who plan on going to the US for winter (mainly shoulder months) and live the rest of the year in Canada. We plan on becoming full time RVers this summer.

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Patsy February 12, 2020 - 9:53 am

My husband and I recently retired and this is our goal in about a years time. We are planning on selling our acreage home to one of our grown children for two reasons this seems like a great solution, first it gives us a home base for all the government stuff and a place to come home to family (we have 6 grown children), and second, it will free us the cash to buy the rv and truck of our our choice (no payments), a larger fifth wheel. it’s really scary, we have lived in the place for 25 years and raised our family here, but it’s also very exciting, we love being out on the road.
I am concerned about campgrounds for a 42′ fifth wheel, do you think this will be an issue of size as we travel? We love spending a lot of time on Vancouver Island (Tofino area is great but not seeing much available there, any tips would be helpful), and also making a trip to see all of eastern Canada as we have never been east of Saskatchewan. I would love some tips and advise.

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fulltimecanada February 17, 2020 - 7:22 pm

Hi Patsy! It’s exciting to see you’re getting ready for the big switch. Trust us – it may be scary at first but you’ll quickly realize how amazing it is. In regards to RV size. Through our travel throughout Canada we learned that our RV which is about 30-32 feet was a good size. There are a lot of campgrounds that do not have the sites to fit larger RVs or they only have so many and they book up in advance. It’s also harder to park larger RVs into certain sites at certain campgrounds which can be very frustrating at times. Pull-through sites are the best if they’re available.

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soloman April 5, 2020 - 2:30 pm

I’m starting to full time as soon as COVID restrictions are listed. I am new to thisand I have lots of questions. I am a single senior with a small dog and am driving to Nanaimo from Toronto for the winter. Transcanada or US route, where to stay along the way, do I really need askirt for my 5th wheel? etc.

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Alanna April 26, 2020 - 10:16 pm

Hi Kate, my partner and I currently live in okanagan and we are researching into rving full time to see if it would work with our lifestyle. We would love any information you have about rving full time in a permanent spot/city.

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fulltimecanada May 16, 2020 - 10:23 pm

Feel free to email us with any of your questions [email protected]

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Christian April 27, 2020 - 3:53 pm

Hi Kate. I am in Ontario and look forward to jump in this Full Time Life Style. I have hard time to find Insurance coverage providing Personal Liability with worldwide coverage (like I do have with Home Policy), when I tell brokers that I will not have any apartment/house to get such coverage included. Also, I just learned today that Wayfarer and Aviva would be the same (getting a partial quote from Wayfarer on Aviva Fax). So its seems that there is no much choice in Canada, or least in Ontario. Despite I own a vacant lot, having a civic address and a mailbox associated to it, I cannot use this property to get Home Coverage in order to get Personal Liability; not sure if it can be considered as “permanent residence” by governments. I feel a bit stuck with this. I did not received any favorable answer from brokers so far, after few weeks of research. If any have some idea, it would be welcome. Thanks!

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fulltimecanada May 16, 2020 - 10:24 pm

Hi Christian, feel free to email us at [email protected] and we’ll touch base through there!

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Wayne ronerts June 1, 2020 - 12:58 pm

I myself had a trailer that due to damages had to be written off. Still have the lot truck tow vehicle. I am staying temporarily at a friend’s place. Being out of province means the sixth month clock is ticking. Looking to continue full time. Doesn’t see, to be any places on Vancouver island to full time and have an address for government purposes. Any suggestions.

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