What is a liveaboard addendum?
Many marinas allow a limited number of liveaboards, but only on written terms, because people living on the docks raise questions that ordinary slip holders don't: sewage, shore power, parking, overnight guests, noise late at night, and whether the boat could actually leave the slip in a storm. This addendum attaches to the existing slip agreement and answers them.
It names the people who may live aboard and any pets, and bans sewage discharge outright. The owner pumps out the holding tank by the method and at the frequency you set, with records and a dye test on request. It covers electricity (metered or included) and safety equipment aboard, then parking, a limit on overnight guests in a row, quiet hours and a tidy dock. The vessel must stay seaworthy and movable. The marina can inspect sanitation and electrics on notice, and you set a monthly liveaboard fee, an optional deposit and the insurance required. Either side can end the permission on notice without ending the slip agreement itself.
- Best for
- Marinas, yacht clubs and harbours approving a liveaboard in an existing slip
- Signed by
- Marina and boat owner, initialled on every page
- Key rule
- No discharge, with a set pump-out method and frequency
- Length
- 2 pages
When to use a liveaboard addendum
- A couple moving aboard their sailboat full time
- A marina formalising its existing liveaboards with consistent terms
- A slip holder living aboard for the summer season while working nearby
- A yacht club allowing a member to stay aboard during a refit
- A harbour with a capped number of liveaboard permits
What you fill in
22 blanks, then the name and email of each person who signs: marina, boat owner.
1 Slip and vessel
- Date of this addendum*
- Marina*
- Boat owner*
- Date of the slip agreement*
- Slip number*
- Vessel name, type and length*
- Registration or documentation number*
- Liveaboard permission starts*
2 Living aboard
- People living aboard*
- Pets aboard (optional)
- Overnight guests allowed for up to (nights in a row)*
- Quiet hours*
- Parking*
3 Waste and utilities
- Holding tank pump-out* at the marina's pump-out station · by the marina's mobile pump-out service, at its posted fee · by a licensed pump-out service the Boat Owner arranges, with records kept
- Pump-out at least*
- Electricity* metered at the pedestal and billed monthly at the marina's posted rate · included in the liveaboard fee, up to the slip's standard shore-power connection
4 Fees and insurance
- Currency*
- Liveaboard fee per month*
- Liveaboard deposit (optional)
- Insurance required*
- Notice to end the liveaboard permission (days)*
- Governing law*
5 Who signs
- Marina signature and date, job title, initials on every page · The marina, yacht club or harbour operator, signed by its manager or another authorised person.
- Boat owner signature and date, initials on every page · The owner of the vessel who will live aboard. Every adult living aboard should also sign if possible.
What the liveaboard addendum covers
- Permission to live aboard
- Sewage and waste
- Utilities and safety aboard
- Parking, guests and quiet
- Condition of the Vessel and inspections
- Fees and insurance
- Ending the permission
- General
Using the liveaboard addendum, step by step
1 Identify the slip and vessel
Enter the marina, boat owner, slip agreement date, slip number, the vessel's name, type, length and registration, and the start date.
2 Name who lives aboard
List the occupants and any pets, then set the overnight guest limit, quiet hours and parking.
3 Set waste and power
Choose the pump-out method and frequency and whether electricity is metered or included.
4 Fees, insurance and notice
Enter the monthly liveaboard fee, any deposit, the insurance required and the notice period, then send it to the boat owner.
Tips before you send it
- Check whether your harbour authority or local government limits liveaboards or needs a permit, before you agree one.
- Keep pump-out receipts or the marina's log. It's the easiest way to show compliance.
- Ask your insurer to confirm in writing that the policy covers full-time liveaboard use. Some standard boat policies exclude it.
- Save the addendum and the insurance certificate in FileIt with the policy renewal date as its expiry date, so it's renewed before the marina asks.
Sign it online in minutes
- Fill in the blanks. Names, dates and amounts go straight into the agreement — the preview shows exactly where.
- Name who signs. Tick “This is me” for your own part. FileIt builds the PDF with every signature, date and initials box on the right line, and you can check or move anything before sending.
- Send it. Each signer gets a secure link and signs from any device — no account needed. The signed PDF, with an audit trail and a Certificate of Completion, is filed in your vault and emailed to everyone.
Liveaboard addendum: frequently asked questions
Does this make the marina my landlord?
The addendum is a permission to live aboard under the slip agreement, not a lease of the slip or of land. Where the law gives occupants extra protection, it still applies.
What happens if the permission ends?
The occupants stop living aboard, but the boat can stay in its slip under the slip agreement, unless the notice also ends that.
Can the marina board my boat?
Only to inspect sanitation, electrical connections and safety equipment, on at least 24 hours' notice and in your presence where possible, or at any time in an emergency such as fire, flooding or a pollution risk.
Can I have guests stay over?
Yes, for up to the number of nights in a row you set. You're responsible for their conduct and the marina's rules apply to them too.