A static caravan

A static caravan is relatively commonplace and therefore definitions between insurance providers may be broadly similar.

They may typically see it as a caravan used for a few weeks a year for holidays and other forms of recreational pastime.

The caravans may be theoretically mobile in that they have wheels, however, they will typically be semi-permanently anchored and secured to a single location on the caravan site.  Some policies may require that they are fully jacked up off of their wheels and anchored using specified methods and materials.

In some cases, insurance providers may also require that the caravan be connected to mains services.

It is worth being aware that static caravan insurance quotes are typically not applicable in situations where you are living in your caravan on a permanent basis.

You may also need to make additional insurance arrangements in situations where you are considering letting out your caravan to others for commercial reasons.

The cover required

Each individual caravan owner needs to ask him or herself the question as to how they see the risks and what insurance cover they regard as being the minimum to enable them to sleep easily at night.

The caravan cover provided by insurance providers may come under certain generic headings that are broadly familiar (the caravan, its contents and third party liability) but within those headings there may be significant variations and subtleties meaning that one policy may prove to be more suitable for you than another.

For example, policies may adopt quite different approaches to the subject of discounts.

These discounts may be available for a number of different things but some insurance providers may be more flexible than others.  Some, for example, may offer the caravan club insurance discounts if you are a member.

Shopping around

A major indication of the different approaches adopted by different insurance providers is that it typically pays to shop around and to examine a number of different static caravan insurance quotes.  There may be no obvious reason why you should jump to accept a single quotation from a single insurer.

This confusion may arise due to the use of static and home in the same sentence.

Why is this confusing?

The problem is that when you are searching for what may generally be described as caravan insurance, you may find that caravans are typically divided into certain categories as defined by the way they are used.  The classic categories are typically regarded as:

• static caravans;

• touring caravans;

• motorhomes;

• collapsible caravans and trailer tents;

• park homes;

• motorhomes.

So, if you have a touring caravan, you will typically be looking for insurance for touring caravans.

In the above list you will also see static caravans and park homes.

There may be a number of technical differences between these two types of accommodation but the most significant from an insurance viewpoint is that park homes typically constitute your permanent place of residence whereas static caravans are used occasionally for holiday and recreational purposes.

The difference between the two is important from an insurance perspective and there are specific policies for each.

In the case of describing something as static home caravan insurance, there may be room for confusion due to ambiguity.

If you are looking for static home caravan insurance because you live permanently in your caravan as your normal place of domicile, static caravan cover may not be valid for your situation and park home insurance may be.

However, the position may be slightly complicated by the fact that insurance providers may define something as a park home based upon a number of factors and not just whether you live in it on a permanent basis

For example, a typical static caravan insurance policy may not allow you to permanently occupy your static caravan as your permanent place of residence.  However, park home insurance may not cover your situation unless the site of your caravan meets certain requirements relating to services and security etc.

For typical park home or static caravan owners, the distinctions are clear and may never be cause for confusion.  There may be more scope for falling into what may be considered a grey area in situations where, for example, you have moved permanently into your static caravan whilst your main house is undergoing rebuilding and renovation work.

If you find yourself in the position of thinking that you need static home caravan insurance because you are occupying a static caravan on a permanent basis, it may be advisable to contact us for a discussion and clarification of what your position may mean for your insurance cover. We will always be more than happy to help!

More variation than just price

It is perhaps easy to understand how one can drift into the slightly cynical assumption that the only real difference between one policy and another is the price.

In fact, cover for caravans may differ in several respects apart from the financial.  Those differences might include things such as:

• the specific details of the caravan cover that is provided (and therefore also not provided);

• the nature of the policy’s terms and conditions, some of which may be more to your liking than others;

• the requirements placed upon you, as policyholder, if the cover is to remain in  force.

None of these things are typically trivial and as a result, it may be worthwhile dragging your eyes away from the price tag and making a little effort to read the static caravan insurance quote in some detail.

Variables on a static caravan insurance quote

Static holiday home insurance policies may vary in a number of ways and what follows can only be a brief summary of some of the things that may be worth looking for:

• new for old replacement – different policies may have very different conditions regarding under what circumstances you may be eligible for a new caravan to replace one that has been damaged beyond economic repair;

• awnings and other external items cover – some policies may be able to cover awnings but others may not;

• excess – some policies may have a higher mandatory excess than others or alternatively, you may find some policies which have a greater potential for allowing you to reduce the total price of your premium by agreeing to a higher voluntary excess;

• flood risk – some policies may not cover flood damage at all, some may only cover it if your site is located outside of a known flood-risk area and for other policies it may be considered to be standard in the protection;

• site requirements – you may find that some insurance providers have more demanding expectations of the site your caravan is based upon than others (e.g. permanent on-site security, connection to all services and so on).

So, one static caravan insurance quote may be significantly different to another in any one of a number of respects or indeed several of them.  The advantages of taking your time over your selection cannot be stressed strongly enough.

Finally, do note that while buying static home cover from your site owner may be convenient, in most cases it is not obligatory to buy your caravan cover from them. So shop around using our service or get in touch – you may find yourself a more cost-efficient and attractive deal!

• if you currently use caravan site insurance provided by the site owners, keep in mind that you may be under no obligation to do so and that you may be able to find more cost-effective solutions by purchasing your cover from a caravan insurance specialist such as ourselves;

• even if you are content with the cover provided by your existing policy, carrying out a static caravan insurance comparison may indicate that things have changed in the marketplace since you last looked – once again, that may offer you opportunities for more cost-attractive policies, broader cover or both;

• while you are engaged in a static caravan insurance compare, try to avoid being overly swayed by advertisements claiming to offer cheap static caravan insurance – the cover provided may not be adequate for your situation and you run the risk of discovering the hard way that what is cheap for somebody else may not end up being cheap for you;

• while reviewing your insurance position for your static caravan, be aware that typical static caravan insurance may not cover the full-time occupation of your caravan if you are living in it on a permanent basis – if you are, you may need to consider park home insurance or something similar;

• some policies may be markedly more flexible in terms of their approach to new for old caravan cover than others, particularly if your caravan is up to five years old and you have been the sole owner, or three years old or under but with previous owners;

• all caravan insurance typically contains its own set of terms and conditions and these may be considerably different from one policy to another. Therefore, it is important that when comparing policies, you include these Ts and Cs in your considerations and look out for clauses that may not suit you and the way you use your caravan;

• as you may expect, caravan insurance policies may offer different aspects of cover, however, you may also find that they offer different opportunities for discounts – and these may make a significant difference to your final price;

• your static caravan insurance comparison activities may end up making a noticeable improvement in your cover or saving you money but they may also consume a little of your time – we may be able to help reduce this time even further for you by presenting you with the different options, so that all you need to do is select the caravan cover that most suits your needs.

What follows is in general explanation of the two, however, not all insurers will necessarily adopt the same definitions and you may need to read an individual policy detail to be sure.

Static caravan insurance

Insurers may typically see a static caravan as being one that is sited and anchored on a single spot.  They are not typically regarded as being mobile although some may be moved to secure winter storage during the closed season.

They are typically used for some weeks or months every year for the purposes of holidays and recreation.

They are not permanently occupied and are not typically regarded as being your normal place of domicile.

To qualify for static caravan insurance cover, some insurers may require that sites conform to certain requirements relating to things such as the provision of services or supervision etc.

Park homes and parkhome insurance

A park home is typically defined by virtue of where it is and how it is occupied rather than the nature of its structure.

There are park homes sites approved by local councils for permanent occupation and these are typically fully connected to various forms of services.

If you live in a park home, you would typically occupy it as your main and permanent place of residence.

In such circumstances, park home insurance will typically be required.

The logic of this requirement simply relates to the typical insurer’s risk perception that you may have more contents and of higher value in your permanent place of residence than would typically be the case in a static caravan used for the occasional holiday.

Unusual cases

Some people may occasionally choose to live permanently in what would otherwise be regarded as a static caravan.  Examples of this may include situations where you temporarily moved into your static caravan for an extended period of time during building work etc.

Such occupancy may, in some cases, invalidate any static caravan insurance you have in place but your caravan may also not meet certain criteria relating to the definitions of being a park home for parkhome insurance.  In such cases, we will be happy to advise on your options for insurance cover be it residential home insurance or something else.

• even if you are reasonably happy with your existing cover and policy, periodically checking the market, by looking at static caravan insurance quotes, may make sense – it may indicate whether or not your existing insurance solution is still providing optimal cover at a cost effective price;

• bear in mind that quotations for static holiday home insurance will typically not be adequate for situations where you reside permanently in your caravan and consider it to be your main place of residence – in such situations, you may be in need of park home insurance or some other form of related cover;

• static caravan insurance may contain a number of conditions relating to the site you have chosen as the location for your caravan – these may include things such as it not being in a known high-risk flooding area and it being fully connected to services (some insurers may also require that the site is under supervision);

• you may be able to reduce the overall cost of your premium if you use additional security features such as a burglar alarm and security locks;

• the same may be true if you are able to store your caravan securely away in an approved site for the winter period;

• not all caravan policies of this type will include cover for external components such as awnings – if you use such accessories, it may be advisable to look for a policy that does not exclude them;

• it might also be a good idea to look carefully at the contents cover offered by a policy, as some may exclude certain categories of possessions (e.g. electronic gadgets or jewellery) that may be an issue for you;

• insurers may also offer static caravan insurance quotes relating to policies that contain significantly different positions regarding new-for-old replacement of your caravan – there are number of different options here depending upon the age of your caravan and whether or not it has had previous owners, so it may be worth taking the time to ensure that you have cover in this area that you believe to be suitable for your individual situation.

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

Many of you may remember that we were taking a very keen interest in the story of the Atlas Caravan workers who were made redundant three years ago, and I was suprised that the issue is still ongoing all these years later.

This is from the BBC Website:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-humber-16040733

Shocking that they have not had their pay yet.

Mike

“There was a man

Who bought a caravan

He insured it through Cover4

C O V E R

C O V E R

C O V E R

He Insured it through Cover4

The price was great

The Service too

He insured it through Cover4

C O V E R

C O V E R

C O V E R

He insured it through Cover4

The policy included

All that he needed

He insured it through Cover4

C O V E R

C O V E R

C O V E R

He insured it through Cover4

He recommended to his friends

To insure their caravans with them

C O V E R

C O V E R

C O V E R

He insured it through Cover4″

They may feel that it’s something of a waste of time and that such insurance is either all much the same or mandatory as part of your site’s conditions.

In fact, these assumptions may be incorrect and you may find more appropriate cover and more cost-effective solutions, if you do take the trouble to compare static caravan insurance.

This is hardly a difficult thing to do as today’s telephone and internet services, such as those we provide, typically make it easy to be able to look at alternative solutions. Once you have choice, you may find that you benefit accordingly.

It is also typically found to be the case that insurance policies may vary quite significantly and are simply not all the same.

The position with respect to caravan site insurance is a little more complicated but still worth thinking about.

Some site owners may attempt to suggest that it is obligatory to purchase your insurance from them whereas in fact, it may typically not be and you may find that more cost-effective solutions are available through insurance you have purchased yourself.

Differences may also exist not just in the price but also in areas such as the cover provided.

For example, some static caravan insurance may include cover for awnings whereas other polices may not.  You may also find that some policies contain far more exclusions than others – something that you may wish to discover in advance rather than in the context of a claim.

In all of these things, you may find it difficult to ascertain what is in your best interests unless you are prepared to look around a little. Given the sums of money you may have invested in your caravan, it would appear to only make sense and through our services, we would be only too glad to help.

So, rather than dismissing the efforts of some to compare static caravan insurance as a waste of time, it may be something worth taking a little more seriously.