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Question about mailing address


deppeler

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Hi,

Weird question....

We have our mailing address (legal address) in Livingston (Escapees Mail Service). We have been traveling full time, my wife decided we needed a 'home base' so we purchased a small (really small) house in another county in Texas than Polk. My question is can I still use my Escapees address as our legal address instead of our house address? One reason is, I checked Health Ins for 2018 and the same plan is about $200 less a month in Polk county than where our house is located. I know we would have to travel to Polk etc for medical etc. Can we keep the Escapees address on our driving licenses, etc?????

 

thanks

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3 hours ago, deppeler said:

We have been traveling full time, my wife decided we needed a 'home base' so we purchased a small (really small) house in another county in Texas than Polk. My question is can I still use my Escapees address as our legal address instead of our house address? One reason is, I checked Health Ins for 2018 and the same plan is about $200 more a month in Polk county than where our house is located.

Do you plan to move into the house or rent it out or...................  That part matters. With the difference in premium, they are likely to watch for a conflict. With most things, the issue is pretty minor but you are talking about $2400/year. Technically speaking,  you are supposed to have your vehicle registration & insurance, driver's license, and all other insurance in your home county. If there is that much difference in health premiums, the same could prove to be true for other insurance. You will need some means to have any mail to that house forwarded to the Escapee address. I think you may want to visit with your health insurance agent if you know him well. 

Good travelin !...............Kirk

Full-time 11+ years...... Now seasonal travelers.
Kirk & Pam's Great RV Adventure

            images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQqFswi_bvvojaMvanTWAI

 

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Thanks for the replies.

I meant to say (and have edited it) that the insurance is $200 cheaper in Polk Co than where we bought the house.

At present our legal address is (licenses etc.) Escapees.

We would continue to use Escapees as our mail service on the road, then have our mail forwarded to the new house when home.

Just wasn’t sure if this would be an issue.

 

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One common definition of domicile is: "the place where a person has his/her permanent principal home to which he/she returns or intends to return."

So when you are not on the road will you return to Rainbows End or your property?

Motor vehicles are generally registered and insured based on where they are garaged. Again, when you are in Texas, where will you stay and garage your RV and other vehicles if any. I am not familiar with Texas motor vehicle registration. Do they issue county tags? Is there a difference in vehicle registration fees from county to county? I mention this because discrepancies in vehicle tags/registration is often the first issue identified and can lead to investigation of other residency issues.

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Being full time most full timers may never actually park in Livingston at all. We come to Livingston to go to the doctor just one week a year and we may or may not stay at Rainbows End Park. Sometimes we stay in a different county during our stay and drive to Livingston. So vehicles are registered in a Polk Co but are never garaged there which could be the case for many full timers. With having a house in TX we would not have a domicile issue as far as Texas is concerned. This is more about can we continue to use our legal Escapees address and not our new home address for Health Ins, licenses, etc. My wife seems to believe because Escapees is a legal address why would we ever have to even use the home address for anything (utilities would be home address but mailing address would be Escapees). If we were to stay in the new home for less than 6 months a year could this then classed as a second residence?

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31 minutes ago, deppeler said:

...With having a house in TX we would not have a domicile issue as far as Texas is concerned...

I agree that there would not be an issue with the state of Texas. The issues may be with the counties if there are any fees that go to the counties, the department of motor vehicles, and motor vehicle or health insurance companies that base their rates on residency/domicile location. The reason I asked about county plates in Texas and where you will stay when in Texas is because there have been a number of high profile cases where vehicle registration has been questioned and led to discovery that the vehicle was not registered in the proper jurisdiction and that then spilled over into other areas. If you never stay at the property you own, then there will likely be no issue. If you stay there more than any other location in Texas, then there may be. I believe this is why Kirk asked if you are renting the property out.

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I am assuming that you did not take a homestead exemption on the house taxes.

There is such a thing as declaring your homestead (primary residence) with the county clerk.  While this is done to avoid bankruptcy proceedings involving one's primary residence, such a declaration could be made by you regarding your RV.  Most would assume that the fixed house is your primary residence and this would help to counter that idea.   

You could probably have a consultation with an attorney on this that would not cost much, or maybe even free.  Law firms make up such an affidavit and some are available to use, however, they are written with a fixed residence in mind. While you can do one yourself, you might want to just pay up to have your RV declared your primary residence because you are in an unusual situation.

The problem you still might have is the time you spend in the house when in Texas vs. time in the RV.  While that should not matter (given that most months you are apparently on the road in the RV) no telling if it would matter in some situation where your residence might be at issue.  Perhaps an attorney can advise on that. 

 

 

Cathy (Catharine) Summerfield Hana

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6 hours ago, deppeler said:

Being full time most full timers may never actually park in Livingston at all.

Oy vey. You're looking for "permission" to potentially commit fraud. Take the advice of others here -- consult an attorney.

SKP #79313 / Full-Timing / 2001 National RV Sea View / 2008 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon
www.rvSeniorMoments.com
DISH TV for RVs

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8 hours ago, trailertraveler said:

If you never stay at the property you own, then there will likely be no issue. If you stay there more than any other location in Texas, then there may be. I believe this is why Kirk asked if you are renting the property out.

 

You need to discuss this with your insurance agent. The county tax issue could be a problem, but not probable but the $2400 difference in premiums in all probability will be. Will you be establishing a relationship with a doctor that is near to the home-base?  If you do so it will be a red flag. This could be extremely important!

Good travelin !...............Kirk

Full-time 11+ years...... Now seasonal travelers.
Kirk & Pam's Great RV Adventure

            images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQqFswi_bvvojaMvanTWAI

 

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5 hours ago, Zulu said:

Oy vey. You're looking for "permission" to potentially commit fraud. Take the advice of others here -- consult an attorney.

I am not looking to commit fraud at all. I am trying to work out if I can continue to use my Escapees address as my legal address. Those who submitted helpful comments, thanks.

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