Long shot, anyone used WA state as home base?

[Jfet]

We want to go full time next year and are current residents of Washington state. Washington state doesn't come up on the usual suspects of RV'r domicile choices for some reason (South Dakota, Florida, and Texas being the three).

The only mail forwarding service I have found is called Wanderers. By any chance have one of you used this?

Also interested in health care plans with national coverage.

We may end up switching domicile to Florida since there seems to be a big support system there for full time RVing. The initial hit on vehicle registrations is big though (we have up to 4 things that need registering, so $800 plus fees unless motorcycles and sailboat are cheaper)

[RoadXYZ]

Free Range Human wrote:
The reason no one uses WA for a domicile is that you have to have a PHYSICAL address in WA.

There is currently no insurance plan anywhere that is friendly to permanent "travelers" in the US, but stay tuned.

We do not own a house, but use a house address of a relative, and will gladly "rent" a room if it comes to that. So far after 11 years not a problem.

We use Progressive Insurance, and also use UPS as both a physical address on most things, such as CC, mailing address, etc. All of this we have done for almost 11 years .. yes, one of the rigs has the UPS address as the "physical" address, the other two have the relative's address as the physical address.

So far have not had a problem with Federal, State or County regarding the addresses. We use the UPS mail forwarding as we request it via email with a tracking number. We simply give them a Post Office with General Delivery, or wherever we are staying as a viable address. Many, many private RV parks receive mail for registered guests, and a number of state parks will receive mail for volunteers at their parks.

Our health insurance comes thru the company we both retired from. Just have to ensure that the clinic will accept Medicare (haven't found a refusal yet), and our supplemental health insurance policy. The only burr in our full-time Lifestyle has been barbers or beauty shops.

As to our vehicle license tabs - we simply go on-line, give them a CC, and pick them up at a county seat across into the Washington Border ... yes, we have to plan our trips out of state, etc., but so far have had no snags (knock on wood).

[gotsmart]

Free Range Human wrote:
The reason no one uses WA for a domicile is that you have to have a PHYSICAL address in WA.

This is why several of us are talking about renting private mailboxes (PMB). With the exception noted previously, P.O. Boxes cannot be used for a domicile because they do not have a physical street address in the mailing address. A private mailbox has a physical street address. Examples:

John Doe
100 Main St PMB 3456
Chicago, IL 60609

John Doe
PMB 3456
100 Main St
Chicago, IL 60609

There is currently no insurance plan anywhere that is friendly to permanent "travelers" in the US, but stay tuned.

I would bet that Oregon residents who have "Continuous Traveler" listed on their driver licenses and live out of a mailbox have figured out a way.

[Free_Range_Huma]

The reason no one uses WA for a domicile is that you have to have a PHYSICAL address in WA.

There is currently no insurance plan anywhere that is friendly to permanent "travelers" in the US, but stay tuned.

[Fleetwood_Coupl]

We are full timing it in WA. Heck we bought the rv in MD and I was able to get tags for it from the court house 6 months before we drove it here. No hassle $111 a year no inspections. Same for my other trucks. We use a family address and that's also where we're parked for now. Change everything you can to electronic mail. Car tags and drivers license match and so does the address for the insurance, if you gone your on vacation.

[n7bsn]

gotsmart wrote:

...

(yes I know, cancelling voter registration does not guarantee that I won't get selected for jury duty, but it reduces it. I was the presiding juror (foreman) on a criminal trial and I don't want to be the foreman again, because the foreman is the one who has to sign their name to the verdict sheet.)

Due to Washington's Motor/Voter law you will once more be both a voter and subject to jury duty in the next cycle, which I think (?) is 2016.
A friend, who has never voted nor registered got a jury duty call this fall.

[Jfet]

I think it was easier to build our camper from scratch than understand all the nuances of maintaining/picking a domicile. :R

IF I can locate reasonable insurance for our Isuzu 19,500 GVWR truck/camper in WA from a agent who knows I do not have a physical presence in WA and

IF I can figure out a health care exchange plan that provides a decent national network, doesn't require a physical presence in WA and provides some help for balance billing/out of network care (as in we are up in Alaska and hit a moose and rack up $30,000 at the local out of network hospital before we can be transferred).

Then maybe WA state will stay our residence.

Sigh.

[gotsmart]

...and one more item for the OP. The USPS has an FAQ that says that your address for your private mailbox has to use PMB as the first address line or on the street address line UNLESS you can't use the PMB designator. Then you can use the # sign. Figure that one out.

Now, the place that I rent my mailbox from told me that as long as my box number is somewhere on the address so that they don't have to look me up on the computer - that they don't care if I use PMB, UNIT, #, STE, BLDG, ROOM, APT, FLOOR, etc.

So for banking, insurance, pension, health insurance, credit card, cell phone, utility bills, federal/state taxes, TurboTax, etc - I type in: PMB xxxx on the street address line. If PMB isn't accepted I type in # xxxx on the street address line. If the # sign isn't accepted I look for a line (or box) to enter an apartment number and I type in my mailbox number. That's it.

I have not had the address police come after me for incorrect labeling of my private mailbox address and have yet to have any mail not delivered because I did not have the "approved" syntax for a private mailbox on the address line.

[gotsmart]

path1 wrote:

...
There is a lot of terminology problems with "legal" address. I did a change of address for driver lic and other lic stuff and I don't think the people doing it even know what's right. Example: changed my address and can not find terminology for what WA calls "residence" address. But yet they say they will mail lic stuff to my "residence" even though I no longer have a mail box out on the street. State says it will not be forwarded as delivery confirms address. So how am I going to get it if their envelope says "do not forward"?

When asked by anybody legal wise about address, I ask them "do you want my mailing address or where you can touch me"? That lets them decide what terminology they want to use to avoid confusion. To much confusion with "domicile address, residence address, legal address, etc"

OK hope any of this helps

but wait.... it gets better...
From this link: http://dor.wa.gov/content/contactus/con_residdef.aspx

Persons are considered residents of this state for sales and use tax purposes if they take actions which indicate that they intend to live in this state on more than a temporary or transient basis. A person may be considered a resident of this state even though the person is a resident of another state.


The Department of Revenue presumes that a person is a resident of this state if he or she does any of the following:

• Maintains a residence in Washington for personal use;
  
• Lives in a motor home or vessel which is not permanently attached to any property if the person previously lived in this state and does not have a permanent residence in any other state;
  
• Is registered to vote in this state;
  
• Receives benefits under one of Washington's public assistance programs;
  
• Has a state professional or business license in this state;
  
• Is attending school in this state and paying tuition as a Washington resident or is a custodial parent with a child attending a public school in this state;
  
• Uses a Washington address for federal or state taxes;
  
• Has a Washington State driver's license; or
  
• Claims Washington as a residence for obtaining a hunting or fishing license, eligibility to hold public office or for judicial actions.

Persons may rebut the presumption of residency if they provide other facts which show that they do not intend to reside in this state on either a temporary or permanent basis. A Washington resident who intends to move at a future date, however, will be considered a Washington resident.

I live in a motor home. I use a WA address for Federal taxes. I have a WA fishing license. I'm a resident!! I used to be a WA registered voter too, but I got nabbed for jury doody {sic} and I detest the vote by mail system here so I cancelled my voter registration. No more ballots or voter guides filling up my mailbox! WooHoo!!!

(yes I know, cancelling voter registration does not guarantee that I won't get selected for jury duty, but it reduces it. I was the presiding juror (foreman) on a criminal trial and I don't want to be the foreman again, because the foreman is the one who has to sign their name to the verdict sheet.)

[n7bsn]

RE: Washington DOL and PO Boxes

If you "live" in one of the small-towns that have a PO but do NOT do to-the-door mail delivery the Washington DOL will exempt you from the "only mail to street addresses"

Well, they also exempt you if you are in one of their "confidential street address" programs. A friend is in one (stalker) and her Drivers License does not even list her street address on it.

[gotsmart]

Jfet wrote:

Would the physical street address of something like that place in Aberdeen be usable and legal as a home address? I would hate to get in a $100,000 auto accident and have my claim denied because I used an improper address for my RV insurance.

Call insurance companies. Tell them that you have an RV and that you want to live in it full time and use a private mailbox as your domicile as you don't have friends or family who will let you use their home address for your domicile. Ask them what they require in a policy to do this.

I went through 4 insurances companies before I found one that would work with me. Much of what I posted in that link came from them. They told me about the street address. They told me that "PMB" doesn't work with the DOL and to list it as an apartment number. I asked why. They said that even they run audits against their own policy holders and PMB might generate a phone call from them about my policy. On their advice the address on my policy reads like an apartment address.

I'm not going to handhold you through the process. Don't fixate on the private mailbox so much. WA doesn't care in the least if a PMB is your domicile. Find an insurance company that will work with you and give you everything you need for what you want to do, at a cost that is acceptable to you. It's doable. Just put in the sweat equity.

[path1]

The only mail forwarding service I have found is called Wanderers. By any chance have one of you used this?

Yes, just started last month. Not long enough to give any opinion but I'll try. Located at Pike place market...IE wade through a mess of people, parking a mess etc. You are already residence's of King County and WA state and all the things that come with it. Good and bad. We needed/wanted to keep our address in western WA for medical insurance reasons or we'd be back to SD for everything. And search on here about some states that full timers have a difficult time with medical.

We did get the letter from Post Office saying Wagners is responsible for forwarding when we leave them. (Which is interesting that the PO would care or track anybody.) This comes into effect when you leave your forwarder (not just Wagners). Which means if you want mail forward after you leave your forwarder, you'll either have to sign up for time or build that into your plan. I would ask before you sign up.

2.2.7 Mail Addressed to CMRA Customers

Mail addressed to an addressee at a commercial mail receiving agency (CMRA) is not forwarded through the USPS. The CMRA customer may make special arrangements for the CMRA operator to remail the mail with payment of new postage. A CMRA must accept and remail mail to former customers for at least 6 months after termination of the agency relationship. After the 6-month period, the CMRA may refuse mail addressed to a former customer

http://pe.usps.gov/archive/html/DMMArchive0106/507.htm#wp1113059

The place is just a tiny hole in the wall but interesting every time we go there. Met a person coming in after sailing around the world for 3 years. And some girls trying to mail some "American tobacco" to their parents in Asia somewhere. (I never knew US mail will not ship tabacco). If you read Wagners history it is interesting that they started for the Alaska gold rush.

I also thought I could get "general delivery" at my local PO. Not true in our area! Only at one location close that is to us. Part of that reason I understand is homeless people wanting general delivery everywhere and PO put there foot down and will only do one location. what they call "downtown" http://law.justia.com/cases/federal/district-courts/FSupp2/190/1221/2504079/


OK hope any of this helps

[Techie]

While now a resident of WA, when we fulltimed we were residents of Nevada. Used a UPS store and they would forward our mail wherever, whenever, however (UPS, US mail) when we sent them an e-mail requesting it. They would also toss all ads/circulars.

Worked very well for us for 4+ years including for DMV, insurance, etc.

At the time -- don't know about current rules -- we were allowed to us an address that listed the box number without stating that it was a box, so most people just assumed it was an apartment or condo #.

[gotsmart]

My domicile is my private mailbox. I posted how I did it in this link:

http://forums.goodsamclub.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/thread/tid/26844437/gotomsg/26845136.cfm#26845136

The trick to it is:
1) to have a street address that isn't red flagged by your auto insurance company as a commercial address,
and/or
2) call up your insurance company and ask them if they care.

Your insurance company may balk at you fulltiming. Sign up with one that is OK with FT RVing.
Your insurance company may be OK with FT RVing, BUT may require upgrading the RV policy to include home owners coverage.

I called my insurance company for guidance. They told me they have policies for FT RVers, BUT they don't promote it and would rather I not promote it either as they don't want to become a haven for FTers.

*EDIT*
One could choose any state to homebase from as a FT RVer. Some states don't make it easy at all. Others like WA make it easy.

[Jfet]

Old-Biscuit wrote:


What do you use for your 'legal address' for drivers license, vehicle registrations, ins. (medical/vehicle) IRS etc. etc. ?

Yes, this! What do you tell Hartford Insurance is your home address, or Premera Blue Cross, or all of the other places.

Would the physical street address of something like that place in Aberdeen be usable and legal as a home address? I would hate to get in a $100,000 auto accident and have my claim denied because I used an improper address for my RV insurance.

The only really good info I have found for this stuff is the work Escapees has done in Texas, but I would rather keep my Washington status if at all possible.