What to look for in static caravan insurance

One of the main risks you should insure yourself against is theft. If you are using your static caravan as a holiday home, the chances are it will be left uninhabited for long periods at a time. It may also be situated in quite a remote area.

You should therefore look for an insurance policy that covers your contents whilst you are not resident in the caravan. Make sure also that you have all the necessary security devices and locks that your insurance policy demands.

You should also consider how you plan to use the static caravan. If you are planning to rent it out during the year, you need to ensure that your insurance provides protection against theft, flood or other damage even if it’s not you that is living in the caravan at the time. If you don’t, you may find your insurance is invalid if it is not you living in the caravan at the time of a claim.

Most policies won’t cover you if you are living in the caravan as your permanent residence. Make sure you are specific with the usage and select the most appropriate cover.

Benefits of static caravan insurance

Good quality static caravan insurance can offer you all the peace of mind that your holiday home is protected. For example, caravans are generally covered on a ‘new for old’ basis in the event of damage caused by fire or flood. The cost of disconnecting services and transporting your static caravan to be repaired are also covered.

Most policies also include cover which provides a cash sum for you to pay for alternative accommodation if your static caravan is rendered uninhabitable. The loss of hiring charges can also be covered to protect you if a booking you had taken for the caravan has to be cancelled due to it being uninhabitable.

Your contents can be covered against theft or accidental damage and most policies also provide a high sum of third party liability insurance cover.

The men were said to have been involved in the large scale conspiracy since 2004, they stole the caravans and motor homes from driveways and motorway service stations. That information should stand as advise to any caravan or motor home owner. Most people are more careful once they are on holiday, but criminals often target driveways and service stations as people sometimes do not take all of the necessary measures to secure their caravans or motor homes in these places.

Insurance officials reported that in 2007, the year that the men were arrested, caravan theft almost halved. It dropped from 848 to 454 in just one year. All of the men had previous convictions relating to the theft of caravans and the judge described the operation as “well organised”.

It is worth remembering to adequately secure your caravan. There are a number of tools available to you to make sure that you are not the victim of organised or opportunistic crime.

Firstly ensure that your caravan is registered with C.R.I.S. (The Caravan Registration and Identification Scheme). If your caravan was manufactured after 1992 it will already be part of the scheme, if it was manufactured before this date you can apply to have it registered. The scheme makes it significantly harder for criminals to sell on your caravan once it has been stolen. If you are buying a second hand caravan you should definitely perform a C.R.I.S. Check and ensure that it has all of the necessary documents.

There are lots of other security measures that you can undertake, including fitting alarm, electronic tracking devices, wheel clamps and hitch locks.

If you would like more detailed information about caravan security please follow this link to our earlier caravan security blog post.

1. Caravan storage can affect your insurance premiums.
2. Most caravan theft occurs in the months when caravans are not being used.

3. Bad weather can damage your caravan.

4. You are likely to want to do some work on your caravan when you are not using it.

5. You may want to take spontaneous trips with your caravan.

There are a number of options for seasonal caravan storage available to you, depending on your priorities. It is a good idea to look into all of the available caravan storage options before making a decision, you may find that it is cost effective to store your caravan in a secure site as your insurance premiums may drop but this can be inconvenient in other ways. Always read the small print in your insurance documentation as there are likely to be clauses that specify how winter caravan storage must be done.

Home Storage

Many people choose to store their caravan at home, normally on a driveway. This is the cheapest place that you can store your caravan and it has the advantage that your caravan is easily accessible. You can carry out routine maintenance without much hassle, you can go away for the weekend without having to sign out and into a secure site. But there are disadvantages, firstly the presence of your caravan becomes an indicator for thieves whether or not you are at home. Secondly your neighbours may not like your caravan being visible on your driveway. There may also be legal issues with storing your caravan on your drive, it is forbidden in the deeds of some houses. Always check before you begin storing your caravan at home. Insurance premiums are likely to be higher if you are storing your touring caravan at home, contact your insurance provider and ask them their policy about home storage.

Open Air Storage

If you do not have room or do not want to store your caravan at home storing it at an open air facility is likely to be the next cheapest option. Prices start from around £3 per week. Not all of these facilities will have hard standing areas on which you can secure your caravan. Those that do will be more expensive. If your caravan is placed on the earth you need to ensure that it is firmly anchored. One of the major drawbacks to this type of storage is that your caravan will be exposed to the elements whenever it is not being used. The chance of weather damage, particularly in the winter, is quite high. Additionally a lot of these sites do not have great security measures in place, increasing the risk of theft. Ultimately if there are any issues with damage or with theft it is likely to take longer for them to be noticed, unless you regularly go and check your caravan.

Permanent Siting

If you consistently return to the same caravan site you could consider getting a permanent siting on that site. This will mean that you do not have to move your caravan when you wish to go on holiday. It is likely to be relatively inexpensive to do this but the drawbacks of storing your caravan in the open air are still present. Weather damage and potentially low levels of security are issues with permanent sitings. On the plus side if it is a busy location there are likely to be lots of people around who will inform you if there are any problems.

Undercover Storage Sites

There are now many facilities which over undercover storage for touring caravans. Across the country there are large warehouses and barns which have been converted into caravan storage areas. The main advantage of these undercover caravan storage sites is that the caravan is kept away from potentially being damaged by the weather and it is kept under lock and key meaning that it is extremely unlikely that you will be the victim of theft. These sites cost substantially more, but they are monitored and will have a varying number of security measures in place. Some sites will pick up your caravan for you, which is especially useful if you are uncomfortable reversing it into tight spaces.

Registered Undercover Storage Sites

There are a number of organisations that offer exceptionally good security and are regulated by trusted organisations. The Caravan Club, the Camping and Caravanning Club and the Caravan Storage Site Owners’ Association (CaSSOA) all offer high standards of undercover storage. Protecting your caravan from both theft and weather damage. Although the cost may seem at first glance to be prohibitive you may find that your insurance premium will drop substantially if you use one of these accredited sites. It is advisable to contact your insurance provider and ask them what their policies are about storage sites. The waiting lists can be long for a spot at one of these sites so it is worth contacting your local caravan storage site in order to check availability of places and to be added to a waiting list if necessary.