Dear All

Well the Christmas shopping is all done bar the food thanks to my very efficient partner, she has organised everything to a military precision and this is because she is better than me at these things!

Whilst the Caravan season is over for the moment and our Renewals Team are working very hard at maintaining this area of the business. If you do have any queries our Team are available on freephone 0800 9707172.

I will be attending Dagenham’s game against Port Vale on Saturday for my Mum’s birthday, she recently went to see Paul McCartney at the O2 as another treat. She has been a fan of his for many years and I gather she really enjoyed herself.

It is also my father in laws birthday on Saturday and I hope he has a great day.

Well back to the grindstone

Mike

Park home insurance typically differs from that used for static caravans. Here are a few key points relating to it versus mobile caravan insurance:

• a park home is typically seen by insurers to be a permanent dwelling that is more or less fixed in one permanent location;

• to qualify for cover, the site may need to be formally registered with the local authorities and certified as being suitable for permanent habitation;

• typically, your park home will be your normal permanent residence and you may, for example, be registered there on the local electoral roll – by contrast, static caravans are used occasionally for a few weeks per year for holidays and related purposes;

• park home insurance and mobile caravan insurance cover are not typically interchangeable – it is important to insure caravan for the right form of usage;

• some park home sites are located in very rural areas and some of those may be prone to flooding. If they are, you may find that you’re either paying a little more for your insurance or that your cover is subject to special terms and conditions;

• your park home may have a higher level of furnishings than would typically be the case for some static caravans, therefore, it is important to ensure that your policy offers you appropriate cover – it may also be important to check whether or not the policy requires the site to be supervised or otherwise protected;

• one similarity between the two forms of insurance is that in both cases, you may need to think about notifying your insurers if you plan to rent out your caravan/park home for commercial reasons – such use may not be covered by a typical policy;

• the typical foundation of static caravan insurance cover is based around the idea that your caravan is used for just a few weeks per year for holidays whereas park homes are permanently occupied, however, in the case of park home cover, if you plan to leave your home unoccupied for more than typically 30 consecutive days, you may need to take out some additional cover as insurers may regard an unoccupied property to be at higher risk;

• being careful and obtaining the most suitable park home insurance is only sensible – given the amount of money you may have tied up in your property.

Here are a few points that may come in useful if you’re thinking about cheap park home insurance:

• a park home is typically regarded by insurers as one that is permanently inhabited as your normal place of residence;

• if you only use a caravan for occasional recreational use, then you may find that static caravans insurance may be more appropriate;

• cheap park home insurance policies may require that your site is formally licensed by the local authorities and certified as being legally habitable on a permanent basis;

• policies may also demand that your site meets certain minimum criteria such as having a permanent supervisory presence;

• it may pay to be cautious if you are thinking of a park home located on a site with a predisposition towards flood, as some insurers may impose special conditions in such circumstances or refuse cover in totality – you may typically be able to check the flood risk situation by making enquiries at the local town hall, through local press and media sources or through the environment agency (some insurers may also be able to assist);

• don’t overlook the fact that what may be cheap park home insurance for somebody else may not work out as such for you, if the cover provided does not give the protection you require or need;

• residential caravan insurance, as per all insurance, may come with certain exclusions such as the flood risk cover mentioned above, however, there may also be similar restrictions and they are worth noting carefully – an example might be those policies that exclude claims unless certain minimum security precautions are taken such as using deadlocks etc;

• policies may also vary in the extent to which they provide cover for external areas (e.g. awnings etc) so again, checking this area may be a good idea;

• given that your park home may be your permanent place of residence, you may have contents of higher average values than may be the norm in some other types of caravan. It may therefore be worthwhile checking things such as the maximum cover value in total or the maximum cover for individual items etc;

• if you are away from your park home for a period of more than typically 30 consecutive days, you may need to investigate whether or not you will require unoccupied insurance cover – something that is worth keeping in mind if you are thinking about cheap park home insurance and which may arise in a number of circumstances (such as extended holidays, lengthy overseas business trips etc).

Here are a few hopefully useful tips relating to park home insurance:

• don’t confuse park home insurance with static caravan cover – static caravan insurance typically only applies in situations where you occupy your caravan for a few weeks per year for recreational purposes (in passing, remember that not all static caravan insurance will include cover if you’re renting your static out to others);

• it may not be uncommon for a park home policy to require that your dwelling is connected to all mains services and is on a formally registered and approved (by the local authorities) site suitable for permanent occupation – if your site isn’t, it may be advisable to urgently review your insurance position;

• some policies may also make a distinction between a park home being a fixed dwelling and mobile caravans that are permanently parked on a park home site and used as your place of domicile – there is no firm answer to this other than to read your policy carefully and decide what cover it is offering and based upon what definitions (for example, you may see some cover described as mobile caravan insurance but this might refer to tourers or theoretically mobile caravans on a permanent site – you’ll have to read the cover to be sure);

• you may be able to avoid certain additional premium components if you select a park home site that is not located in a flood-prone area (you may be able to check with the local press, local council, some insurers or the local environment agency, to check the actual position of a site you’re considering);

• some sites may be located in rural or relatively isolated areas and as a result, be a little more vulnerable to the attentions of thieves and vandals – you may, therefore, be able to obtain more cost-attractive cover options if you fit burglar alarms and security bolts or if your site has 24×7 supervision (some policies may make that a condition of cover);

• the residential home insurance marketplace is typically very competitive – it may only make sense to shop around for your park home insurance rather than accept the first quotation you see.

If you are considering residential park home insurance, you may find the following questions and answers useful – and we would, of course, be only too happy to clarify any additional questions you may have.

What is the difference between residential park home insurance and static caravan insurance?

There may, of course, be significant differences between the structure of a custom-build park home and a static caravan.

However, the more significant difference from an insurance viewpoint is that a static caravan is not typically considered by insurers to be your normal place of permanent residence. It is seen as somewhere you may spend a few weeks per annum for the purposes of holidays etc.

By contrast, a park home is typically defined as being your normal and permanent place of domicile.

That may also have a knock-on effect on things such as the level and value of contents and furnishings you may have (and therefore need to protect) in your home as opposed to a holiday caravan.

That is why residential park home insurance exists.

Does that mean that a caravan cannot be considered to be a park home?

No it does not, however, it’s typically advisable to read the definitions sections of your policy carefully to see how it states the requirements of a park home.

Some may have strict requirements meaning that a park home is incapable of being towed – that may naturally preclude some caravan types.

Residential caravan insurance may, for example, demand that your dwelling is located on a site formally licensed by local authorities for the purposes of permanent occupation.  They may also require that it be connected to various forms of main services.

In the case of such policies, a static caravan permanently occupied and parked in, say, a private field, may not meet the definitions of being a park home.

Equally, some static caravan insurance may not cover permanent occupation of the caravan.

I’ve seen mention of flood clauses – what does that mean?

It is not unusual for park home sites to be located in rural areas close to water sources such as rivers, lakes or in some cases, the sea.

Some sites may have a documented history of flooding and as such, some residential caravan insurance may contain special conditions that relate to caravans so sited.

In some cases, the insurance providers may not cover flood risk if you choose such a site or they may apply special conditions and payout limitations.

It’s typically advisable to check carefully and that entails finding the time to read a residential park home insurance policy very carefully before you decide to purchase it.