Although looking for cheap park home insurance may be understandable – especially in these tough economic times – understanding that what is cheap for one person may not be cheap for you if the policy does not provide the cover you require may be key to finding suitable cover. With that in mind, here are some top tips on finding park home cover:

• park home insurance is not to be confused with static caravan insurance – a static caravan is one that you use occasionally for holiday purposes whereas a park home is your permanent and normal place of residence;
• if you are seeking park home insurance, note that the insurance providers may only agree to cover your park home if it is sited somewhere that has full local authority approval to be used as a permanent park home site;
• the cost of your park home insurance may rise significantly if the site is located in a known flooding area (in fact, some insurers may not offer cover for such locations) – the risks may be checked through sources such as potential insurers, local authorities etc;
• if your park home is equipped and furnished to a high standard, it might be advisable to think carefully about having new-for-old replacement contents insurance – some cheap park home insurance may provide only market valuation replacement;
• some park home owners may have extensive external fixtures, fittings and accessories such as swimming pools, patios, picnic tables and awnings – not all park home insurance policies will necessarily cover such items;
• it may be worth examining the policy documentation carefully for opportunities relating to premium discounts – for example, you may be able to obtain some form of reduction if your park home is protected via an alarm system etc;
• finally, when looking for insurance for park homes, try to keep the emphasis on a search for appropriate cover rather than exclusively for cheap park home insurance – a low-cost insurance solution may suddenly not be as important to you if you need to make a claim.

Insurance for park homes may be the only thing that saves you from financial ruin in the event you have a major problem with your park home.

Understanding it is, therefore, important.

What is the difference between a static caravan and a park home?

A park home is typically defined as a dwelling built to professional standards as being suitable for permanent occupancy. It is typically occupied as your permanent place of residence.

Some insurers may also consider that to qualify as a park home, it must be situated on a professional local council licensed site defined as suitable for park home residency.

Most park home sites do not allow you to rent out your park home, and some have age restrictions (such as specialist park home sites for the over 50s).

By contrast, a static caravan is a caravan permanently located in one spot (and typically secured by professional anchorage) that you use at times for holiday purposes only. It is not your place of normal residence and you may well rent it out when you are not using it.

The definitions of the differences between the exact periods of occupancy may vary (e.g. how many days per annum you can occupy your static without it being defined as permanently occupied). So, checking your insurance quotation is advisable.

So what?

It isn’t just an academic difference because the risk profiles for the two forms of use are very different.

This means that to obtain suitable cover, you need either a policy providing insurance for park homes or one that does the same thing for static caravans.

Having the wrong sort of policy in place may invalidate your cover.

What if I’m not sure?

It’s important to ask advice from someone that understands caravan and insurance for park homes well.

We would be pleased to help you if you’re unclear about points of detail relating to this important area – so don’t hesitate to call us.

I have a chalet that was once a caravan?

Sometimes there are variations that are hard to categorise at a glance and space here doesn’t permit a full discussion of them all!

Once again, we have a telephone service that would love to hear from you and we will do our best to clarify any ambiguities around your particular caravan or accommodation type.

Taking the time to ensure you understand your requirements and what insurance for park homes can do for you may be very important.