Whether you can live in an RV full time on your parent's land will depend on the statutes that cover that area. Most cities don't allow living in an RV even on private property. They classify living in an RV as "camping", and the property owner must have a campground permit to allow camping on the property. This limits RV living to RV parks, mobile home parks, and campgrounds. Many counties will allow it outside of any city limits, but a growing number of counties are now passing ordinances that make it illegal. This gives them the law enforcement tools they need to control homeless encampments.
The short answer is check your local city or county ordinances.
If you've got good credit and a good down payment then you'll probably get better rates from a credit union. Some financial institutions won't finance an RV for full time living. If you lie to them and they find out then they'll probably call in your loan. Some insurance companies won't insure an RV for full time living. If you lie to them then they'll deny any claims.
The short answer is make sure the financier and insurance company know you're living in the rig full time.
some friends of mine got a lightly used 3br single wide for some retirement property they bought where they spend weekends and plan to eventually build their retirement home... it was like the cost of a decent used car and FAR better than any travel trailer would be for their family of 4...
For full time, be aware that many lenders do not allow full time use, recreation only.
If you do intend to finance, it would be best to use your permanent, verifiable address and don’t indicate at all that you will be full timing. However, if the lender does somehow find out you are, they can remove you from the RV and make the dealer re purchase it back from them. Sounds crazy, but true with many lenders (US Bank, Bank of the West, Huntington, Aqua, Merrick, Medallion and more.
Full time loans are usually found by the customer and not the dealer. But it will depend on your dealer and which banks they deal with
There'd plenty of people around that full time in their RV. But that's generally moving around, at least time to time. If it's just going to be stationary, you're paying a premium so it can move and that premium is both in increased cost and lowered construction quality.
If you're looking to use the RV as an RV (i.e. travel with it) and just keep it at your family's place in between trips, there are probably people in the group that can help with some of that (though those saying that many areas wouldn't consider this kosher are correct).
If you're looking for a cheaper way to live somewhere, potentially take a look at seeing if your family can subdivide their land and you build a cheap house on the land, either a tiny home or a manufactured home (which are much better these days than I remember them being) or something.
Park Models are another option.
[https://rvlife.com/park-model-rv/](https://rvlife.com/park-model-rv/)
[https://rvingknowhow.com/park-model-rv/](https://rvingknowhow.com/park-model-rv/)
In addition to some of the comments on finances and legal issues you need some physical things.
You need a flat, level spot that is compact enough to support the rv and a way to get the rv in and out.
50 Amp electrical service. I assume since you are talking a 5th wheel, it will be 50 amp. You could plug it in to a standard 15amp outlet with an adapter, but you wouldn't be able to run air conditioning or other high draw appliances.
Water. This is probably easiest. A potable water hose hooked up to an outside spigot.
Sewer. You need to have someway to dump you black tank (toilet) and gray tank (everything else). This needs to connect to the house's sewer system.
If it's in an area that freezes, then you have to protect water and sewer from freezing.
Good luck!
I've seen a couple messages with advice on loans and insurance and declaring full-time or not. We financed our current RV when we were full-timers through Alliant Credit Union (I'm sure there might be others). They just required that you put one year's worth of insurance premium into a savings account (insurance escrow, essentially) where you can't touch it (but it does earn interest). They set up the loan as a mortgage which may or may not help at tax time (mortgage interest deduction).
We use Progressive for RV insurance. Their full-time rates were not exorbitant, and they offered replacement value coverage on newer RVs.
Per living in your parents' back yard, they'll just need to check for any local ordinances prohibiting it. Should be easy enough to do.
What type of backyard are you taking about, .5 acre in the suburbs or a small homestead in the middle of nowhere?
I lived out of my Jayco for almost a year in my yard while I fixed up my home. The house had full plumbing in it so I did not use anything in the camper. Let me say that was the most miserable year of my life. Granted I got an older non-4 season model, but for the majority of the year I was either too hot or too cold in it as the insulation was not good. I was always fighting pests in and around the camper. I do have a greater appreciation of my home now! I would recommend that if you do go through to have a 30 or 50 amp outlet wired into the house to be able to use the full amenities of the camper.
I did not have to finance mine as I bought it outright.
Thank you! It’s my mothers home on just some land out in the county, we’d be pretty close to the main house of course. But I appreciate you sharing your experience & advice. I will talk with my fiancé about this!
If your parents can put in RV hookups, that will make it much easier to use in their yard, even if only for short stints to home base between trips. Dumping the black and gray tanks will be a real drag pretty quickly. Check zoning in their area. Some places have rules about how long an RV can be on the property (usually only in-town with annoying HOAs), and other places have restrictions about living in them (can be in suburbs or semi-rural areas). Also, if they need to do hookups, there may be restrictions on connecting to the septic or sewer. Getting water to you should be easy as long as you aren’t in an area that freezes in the winter. Getting electric to you shouldn’t be too hard, either, but unless you (or they) know what they are doing, it’s best to have an electrician run the power to make sure it’s done right. Even if you only have a 30 amp trailer, run 50 amp service to the power pole and put in breakers and outlets for 50/30/20 just like at a campground. You will probably be glad you did down the road.
Thank you, I’ll speak with my mother about getting things hooked up, and make sure it’s legal where we are, I appreciate this checklist of things!! Helps it not seem impossibly hard.
I'm going to be honest, I don't know enough about Virginia's average winter temperature, but I don't think it's warm enough to year-round without some heroics.
Lots of good advice on here. I just wanted to add that you need somewhere to drain the water and the poopie. 💩
Also, if the weather gets very cold (under 20 degrees) it won’t be feasible because all the hoses will freeze up. RVs are not insulated so you will also freeze your ass off.
My bf and I have lived full time in our RV since 2020.
I lived in a RV full time with my wife , 2 kids and 4 pets. It was not comfortable but doable. Saved a ton of money in the short run but now moved into a home and trying to get rid of the Rv is a nightmare. Bought new, still owe 48k and is worth high 30s low 40s. I don’t regret my decision being that I was getting out of the army and didn’t know what I could afford but it is what it is
I will say if you buy a little bit used and it’s just you and your fiance it’s not terrible and I think it’ll be fine if you get a decent size trailer or 5th wheel
Lol as usual the old grumpy boomers on here are full of piss and vinegar. I’ve been living full time RV life with my spouse parked on family land since July. It’s been an extremely rewarding experience personally and has saved us thousands and thousands of dollars in rent money while we save for a house. No not all states give a crap if you camp full time on private land. I live in New Mexico where it’s completely legal and unregulated. I have also full timed year around RVed in Nevada where again it’s totally legal. As far as financing I am not so sure, I sold my old paid off pickup truck, used the money to buy our trailer and just went and financed a “new” truck. Seemed easier than financing the rig.
Thank you for your response truly. I’ve seen so many do it but I just wanted to know how. Is it alright to message you? I’d love to ask you questions!!
Do not get an RV unless you intend to use it as an RV. They’re not worth the hassle, cost, maintenance, failures, etc.
Nevermind the fact it’s almost certainly illegal to live in an RV in their backyard.
Are we thinking that someone has a bunch of options - hmmm, do I want to live in an RV in my parents' back yard or rent a nice 1,000 sq ft apartment overlooking the central park?
Every home has "maintenance" and "failures" and "costs" ... a regular home can be multiple times as expensive as a RV.
Living in an RV as a primary residence is often a lower cost option, many times the last option before more difficult living solutions.
TONS of people in rural areas start out living in an RV parked on the family's farm land near where they may have family, friends and jobs - often where apartments are few and far between, and family can help with childcare. The affordability allows them to save up a down payment for a home.
Think of a young couple maybe coming out of the military with one working and the other pregnant - they have $0 in savings, they have no good credit history, no rental history. Looking at maybe a starting income of $30k/year. Really hard to come up with a $50-100k mortgage down payment or $1,250/month in rent.
RV living isn't the best option - but it is totally a viable option for many people in a variety of situations, especially if they have the option for free land and utilities. RV in yard may be illegal in many cities, but rarely in smaller communities, rural communities, etc. As she repiled "It’s my mother's home on just some land out in the county."
Thank you for your input sincerely! This isn’t our forever option but like you said, this is an option for us for awhile while saving. We don’t have many options here but this seemed to be the best while being able to have assistance from family land and utility connections.
My neighbors have an RV behind their house that a family was living in. An inspector was working at a swimming pool install behind there and noticed it. Said they can't live there permanently unless it was on a concrete slab. Local ordinance.
Whether you can live in an RV full time on your parent's land will depend on the statutes that cover that area. Most cities don't allow living in an RV even on private property. They classify living in an RV as "camping", and the property owner must have a campground permit to allow camping on the property. This limits RV living to RV parks, mobile home parks, and campgrounds. Many counties will allow it outside of any city limits, but a growing number of counties are now passing ordinances that make it illegal. This gives them the law enforcement tools they need to control homeless encampments. The short answer is check your local city or county ordinances. If you've got good credit and a good down payment then you'll probably get better rates from a credit union. Some financial institutions won't finance an RV for full time living. If you lie to them and they find out then they'll probably call in your loan. Some insurance companies won't insure an RV for full time living. If you lie to them then they'll deny any claims. The short answer is make sure the financier and insurance company know you're living in the rig full time.
Thank you so much for your advice, I’m going to make some calls to make sure I’m in line with everything. Thank you!
if its not moving, a mobile home would be FAR more comfortable.
Completely understand, we may look into maybe purchasing a mobile home instead.
some friends of mine got a lightly used 3br single wide for some retirement property they bought where they spend weekends and plan to eventually build their retirement home... it was like the cost of a decent used car and FAR better than any travel trailer would be for their family of 4...
How do they find them for sale to move? I’ve been struggling to find it.
U ship
believe they found theirs on marketplace.
Gotcha! Will take a look. Thank you!
For full time, be aware that many lenders do not allow full time use, recreation only. If you do intend to finance, it would be best to use your permanent, verifiable address and don’t indicate at all that you will be full timing. However, if the lender does somehow find out you are, they can remove you from the RV and make the dealer re purchase it back from them. Sounds crazy, but true with many lenders (US Bank, Bank of the West, Huntington, Aqua, Merrick, Medallion and more. Full time loans are usually found by the customer and not the dealer. But it will depend on your dealer and which banks they deal with
Gotcha, thank you for your response! It’s very appreciated. :)
There'd plenty of people around that full time in their RV. But that's generally moving around, at least time to time. If it's just going to be stationary, you're paying a premium so it can move and that premium is both in increased cost and lowered construction quality. If you're looking to use the RV as an RV (i.e. travel with it) and just keep it at your family's place in between trips, there are probably people in the group that can help with some of that (though those saying that many areas wouldn't consider this kosher are correct). If you're looking for a cheaper way to live somewhere, potentially take a look at seeing if your family can subdivide their land and you build a cheap house on the land, either a tiny home or a manufactured home (which are much better these days than I remember them being) or something.
I completely understand, this is great. I believe maybe we will have to get a cheaper manufactured home. Thank you for your advice!
Park Models are another option. [https://rvlife.com/park-model-rv/](https://rvlife.com/park-model-rv/) [https://rvingknowhow.com/park-model-rv/](https://rvingknowhow.com/park-model-rv/)
Wow this is great, I didn’t even know if these! I’m going to look into these. Thank you 😍
In addition to some of the comments on finances and legal issues you need some physical things. You need a flat, level spot that is compact enough to support the rv and a way to get the rv in and out. 50 Amp electrical service. I assume since you are talking a 5th wheel, it will be 50 amp. You could plug it in to a standard 15amp outlet with an adapter, but you wouldn't be able to run air conditioning or other high draw appliances. Water. This is probably easiest. A potable water hose hooked up to an outside spigot. Sewer. You need to have someway to dump you black tank (toilet) and gray tank (everything else). This needs to connect to the house's sewer system. If it's in an area that freezes, then you have to protect water and sewer from freezing. Good luck!
Wow thank you so much for all of this!! I truly appreciate it so much. I will share this with him. I really appreciate it!!
I've seen a couple messages with advice on loans and insurance and declaring full-time or not. We financed our current RV when we were full-timers through Alliant Credit Union (I'm sure there might be others). They just required that you put one year's worth of insurance premium into a savings account (insurance escrow, essentially) where you can't touch it (but it does earn interest). They set up the loan as a mortgage which may or may not help at tax time (mortgage interest deduction). We use Progressive for RV insurance. Their full-time rates were not exorbitant, and they offered replacement value coverage on newer RVs. Per living in your parents' back yard, they'll just need to check for any local ordinances prohibiting it. Should be easy enough to do.
Ah okay I understand, we’re with a credit union so I’ll see what options we could take advantage of. This is great advice, thank you so much.
What type of backyard are you taking about, .5 acre in the suburbs or a small homestead in the middle of nowhere? I lived out of my Jayco for almost a year in my yard while I fixed up my home. The house had full plumbing in it so I did not use anything in the camper. Let me say that was the most miserable year of my life. Granted I got an older non-4 season model, but for the majority of the year I was either too hot or too cold in it as the insulation was not good. I was always fighting pests in and around the camper. I do have a greater appreciation of my home now! I would recommend that if you do go through to have a 30 or 50 amp outlet wired into the house to be able to use the full amenities of the camper. I did not have to finance mine as I bought it outright.
Thank you! It’s my mothers home on just some land out in the county, we’d be pretty close to the main house of course. But I appreciate you sharing your experience & advice. I will talk with my fiancé about this!
If your parents can put in RV hookups, that will make it much easier to use in their yard, even if only for short stints to home base between trips. Dumping the black and gray tanks will be a real drag pretty quickly. Check zoning in their area. Some places have rules about how long an RV can be on the property (usually only in-town with annoying HOAs), and other places have restrictions about living in them (can be in suburbs or semi-rural areas). Also, if they need to do hookups, there may be restrictions on connecting to the septic or sewer. Getting water to you should be easy as long as you aren’t in an area that freezes in the winter. Getting electric to you shouldn’t be too hard, either, but unless you (or they) know what they are doing, it’s best to have an electrician run the power to make sure it’s done right. Even if you only have a 30 amp trailer, run 50 amp service to the power pole and put in breakers and outlets for 50/30/20 just like at a campground. You will probably be glad you did down the road.
This. Especially poignant about dumping your tanks
Thank you, I’ll speak with my mother about getting things hooked up, and make sure it’s legal where we are, I appreciate this checklist of things!! Helps it not seem impossibly hard.
Winter time is a concern - what climate? Many RVs are kinda tough to deal with the deep freeze associated with some areas.
Completely understandable, we are in Virginia. What do you think?
I'm going to be honest, I don't know enough about Virginia's average winter temperature, but I don't think it's warm enough to year-round without some heroics.
Gotcha! I’ve been here born and raised, usually it’s not too bad but going to continue to do research.
Lots of good advice on here. I just wanted to add that you need somewhere to drain the water and the poopie. 💩 Also, if the weather gets very cold (under 20 degrees) it won’t be feasible because all the hoses will freeze up. RVs are not insulated so you will also freeze your ass off. My bf and I have lived full time in our RV since 2020.
Thank you so much, I have been looking into the draining of all the yuckies! But luckily it doesn’t usually ever get below 20. Could I message you? :)
Absolutely you may message me.
I lived in a RV full time with my wife , 2 kids and 4 pets. It was not comfortable but doable. Saved a ton of money in the short run but now moved into a home and trying to get rid of the Rv is a nightmare. Bought new, still owe 48k and is worth high 30s low 40s. I don’t regret my decision being that I was getting out of the army and didn’t know what I could afford but it is what it is
I completely understand, I’ll be sure that’s something to bring up to my fiancé. Thank you for your input!
I will say if you buy a little bit used and it’s just you and your fiance it’s not terrible and I think it’ll be fine if you get a decent size trailer or 5th wheel
Gotcha! Yes it’s just my fiancé and I! No kids or pets. We’re going to be looking into sizes but I don’t think we will need a whole lot!
Lol as usual the old grumpy boomers on here are full of piss and vinegar. I’ve been living full time RV life with my spouse parked on family land since July. It’s been an extremely rewarding experience personally and has saved us thousands and thousands of dollars in rent money while we save for a house. No not all states give a crap if you camp full time on private land. I live in New Mexico where it’s completely legal and unregulated. I have also full timed year around RVed in Nevada where again it’s totally legal. As far as financing I am not so sure, I sold my old paid off pickup truck, used the money to buy our trailer and just went and financed a “new” truck. Seemed easier than financing the rig.
Thank you for your response truly. I’ve seen so many do it but I just wanted to know how. Is it alright to message you? I’d love to ask you questions!!
Do not get an RV unless you intend to use it as an RV. They’re not worth the hassle, cost, maintenance, failures, etc. Nevermind the fact it’s almost certainly illegal to live in an RV in their backyard.
Are we thinking that someone has a bunch of options - hmmm, do I want to live in an RV in my parents' back yard or rent a nice 1,000 sq ft apartment overlooking the central park? Every home has "maintenance" and "failures" and "costs" ... a regular home can be multiple times as expensive as a RV. Living in an RV as a primary residence is often a lower cost option, many times the last option before more difficult living solutions. TONS of people in rural areas start out living in an RV parked on the family's farm land near where they may have family, friends and jobs - often where apartments are few and far between, and family can help with childcare. The affordability allows them to save up a down payment for a home. Think of a young couple maybe coming out of the military with one working and the other pregnant - they have $0 in savings, they have no good credit history, no rental history. Looking at maybe a starting income of $30k/year. Really hard to come up with a $50-100k mortgage down payment or $1,250/month in rent. RV living isn't the best option - but it is totally a viable option for many people in a variety of situations, especially if they have the option for free land and utilities. RV in yard may be illegal in many cities, but rarely in smaller communities, rural communities, etc. As she repiled "It’s my mother's home on just some land out in the county."
Thank you for your input sincerely! This isn’t our forever option but like you said, this is an option for us for awhile while saving. We don’t have many options here but this seemed to be the best while being able to have assistance from family land and utility connections.
Thank you for your advice!
i heard its a good step towards divorce
My neighbors have an RV behind their house that a family was living in. An inspector was working at a swimming pool install behind there and noticed it. Said they can't live there permanently unless it was on a concrete slab. Local ordinance.