Thinking carefully about park home insurance

Some people may wonder whether or not standard home buildings and contents insurance will be suitable for a park home. The answer is typically ‘no’ and park home insurance will be required – here’s a brief summary as to why:

• park homes are typically located in very rural open locations – such locations may be rather more susceptible to the vagaries of nature (and therefore damage) than urban and suburban areas;
• that same rural location may make park home sites a little more susceptible to the attentions of thieves and vandals – which is why some park home insurance providers may offer premium reductions if your site is under permanent supervision;
• some park home sites may be particularly vulnerable to flooding due, once again, to their locations, which are sometimes in low-lying or coastal areas – note that in some cases, some park home cover providers may refuse to offer cover if the site has a well-known history of prior flooding;
• standard buildings and contents insurance cover may make certain presumptions about the construction of a dwelling – these assumptions may not apply in the case of park homes;
• although park homes are considered to be permanent dwelling places, some owners may still seek to go elsewhere during the winter months leaving their park home unoccupied – this may increase risks and it is worth checking carefully what the insurance position would be if your park home was left unoccupied for more than 30 consecutive days;
• park homes may have a greater tendency to have associated external fittings and accessories (e.g. awnings, paddling pools and garden furniture) than would be the case with a classic residential property – it might be a very good idea to check your policy’s cover on these specific points;
• finally, normal buildings and contents insurance is not the only form that would typically be invalid for park homes – the same thing may apply to trying to use static caravan insurance to cover a park home. There is typically no alternative other than to use specific park home insurance protection.