Day-to-day, we encounter many types of touring caravan that people wish to insure against harm. From grandiose Hobby’s to the demure Swift classic but the one caravan manafacturing powerhouse we cater for more than any other is BAILEY. Steeped in tradition from their humble beginnings as Bailey’s of Bristol and responsible for a series of innovations that have helped shape how caravans are built down to the bare bones with their Alu-tech shell technology. The result of 100 bespoke tools and 5 patents pending combining to produce a truly resilient framework which reduces the number of fixture points by an impressive 90%, Bailey’s remain as an innovator in caravan design.

This is employed in all the leading lights of the Bailey production line – Olympus, Pegasus and Unicorn which in 2011 are continuing to sweep up praise and acknowledgement within the industry most notably with it’s Unicorn Barcelona receiving numerous nods for not only tourer of the year but also for best luxury caravan for Go Caravan magazine. It’s this that underpins a reputation for not only aesthetically pleasing design but also value for money in a time when buyers are looking for their purchase to be a sound investment. This also supports us in the insurance side of things down to the ground because they also want to be sure their investment is protected aswell!

I hope you found this useful

Tony Thorne

Account Handler

If you own, or have ever contemplated owning, a Hobby caravan then you probably know that getting competitively-priced Hobby caravan insurance may have been a problem in the past.

Obtaining cover could be difficult and when you did find it, the price may have been high compared to some other makes of caravan.

That arose simply, if paradoxically, from the fact that Hobby caravans had (and have) such a good reputation for quality of build and their fittings.

Why is cheap Hobby caravan insurance so hard to come by?

The problems for the insurance of a Hobby caravan were that:

• if they were damaged in an accident or via burglary/vandalism, the parts were expensive to import from Germany;
• the caravans attracted admiration not only from other legitimate caravan owners but also from thieves.

Therefore Hobby caravans were and to some extent still are, regarded as being higher risk by some insurers. Some caravan insurance providers may not even consider offering cover, while others may cover insure your Hobby caravan – but at a price that you may not deem acceptable.

The good news is that things are starting to change – with us offering what we believe is competitively-priced Hobby caravan insurance. We spoke to insurers for some time in order to get cover for Hobby Caravans and found that with the right security devices in place, these caravans deserved a realistic premium to be offered.
Our current policy features include benefits such as caravan and contents sums insured up to £17,000; a £350 policy excess; and cover for accidental damage, theft and malicious damage.

Hobby caravan insurance restrictions

Of course, as with all insurance cover, there are a few restrictions such as your Hobby caravan insurance not being valid if you take your caravan outside of the UK and the use of certain security devices such as hitchlocks and wheel clamps are obligatory (as it may also be with other tourer caravan types).

These restrictions are designed to lessen the risk of something happening to your Hobby caravan insurance which would necessitate a claim, thereby allowing us to offer you what we believe are competitively-priced premiums.

So, if you are a Hobby caravan owner, then why not get in touch and see how our insurance may help protect your asset?

Dear All

A client contacted us this morning for a quotation on their Hobby Caravan and where they can store the van with us.

We currently only cover Hobby Caravans on Home Address or CASSOA registered sites.

If this alters we will advise on this section

Mike

If you have owned a Hobby caravan for any length of time, then your history with Hobby caravan insurance may have followed a moderately familiar path.

Frustration

Many people admire Hobby caravans for their style, equipment and build quality.

They have an enviable reputation for these things but also they have previously had another less pleasing one also. Put simply, they could be difficult and/or often expensive to insure.

The problem had its origin in three factors:

• being a continental (German) make, their parts were expensive to purchase and bring in for things such as repairs following an accident to the caravan;
• the sheer quality of the build and fittings meant that they were expensive to replace – irrespective of the fact they were coming from Germany;
• the reputation for quality meant they may also have been just that little bit more attractive to thieves.

These things meant that some insurers would not provide Hobby caravan insurance and some of those that did, often saw them as being subject to special terms or justifying high premiums.

Some Hobby owners were far from happy with this position but, in reality, couldn’t do an awful lot about it.

Evolution and change

However, the just to remind you that we can provide you with what we believe is competitively-priced Hobby caravan cover.

Because of the additional risks faced by Hobby caravan owners, certain conditions have to be met, which may be different to those you have encountered with touring caravan insurance for other models.

These include:

• your Hobby will be restricted to UK use only;
• when you’re not using it, your Hobby must be stored at your home address on the driveway (not on the public road) or on a CaSSOA approved storage site;
• you may be obliged to have one of a specified range of tracking devices fitted;
• there may be specific instructions relating to the use of hitchlocks and wheel clamps.

Peace of mind

Your Hobby caravan probably represents a very significant capital asset and you won’t want to take chances with it. Having Hobby caravan insurance in place can give you the peace of mind it is properly protected, so why not get a Hobby caravan insurance quote now or, if you prefer, give us a call? We are always happy to help, whether you require a quote or have a question relating to caravan insurance.

Just a reminder that we are now able to offer what we consider to be competitively-priced Hobby caravan insurance – and that may be hugely good news for some Hobby owners.

Why?

If you don’t know, Hobby caravans are German.  Some caravanners regard them very highly, due to their excellent reputation for design, build quality and superb fittings/fixtures.

They’re a highly attractive marque and typically receive some good press.

So what’s the problem?

Unfortunately, Hobby caravans had another reputation – typically for:

• being very appealing to thieves;
• being expensive to repair and re-equip following accidents as their parts were shipped in from Germany (and were often expensive).

As a result of this, some insurers weren’t exactly confident in terms of insuring these great caravans and this meant that for some owners, finding Hobby caravan insurance was something of an endeavour.

Some caravan insurers wouldn’t cover them at all and others may have done so but perhaps typically under special terms.

Sometimes it was necessary to seek special niche insurers or take specialist cover from caravan dealers and suppliers.

That may have meant that choice was slightly restricted and whenever that happens, it’s typically not exactly good news for consumers and the prices being paid.

Hobby owners in the past may have become accustomed to needing to sign some fairly big cheques in order to obtain insurance cover.

In fact, it wasn’t unusual to see some sources suggesting that potential buyers may wish to carefully consider the insurance implications before they purchased their Hobby caravan.

We can help insure your Hobby caravan!

However, we have now reviewed the position and are pleased to offer what we believe is good, cost-effective cover for Hobby caravans.

You may no longer have to trawl around extensively to find that protection or hold your breath waiting for the quotation to tell you the worst.

Of course, it is prudent to take into account, in advance of purchase, the insurance implications of any make of caravan you’re considering. We do ask that you comply with some additional, commonsense security protection for Hobby caravans – these are outlined in the relevant documentation.

Yet our insurance for Hobby caravans now means that the choices available to you have increased.  That has to be good news for those that love Hobby caravans and don’t want difficulties with Hobby caravan insurance to hold them back!