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Posts Tagged ‘caravan insurance’
Holidaying in caravans is becoming increasingly popular according to the Caravan Club. As with any other valuable asset it is imperative to make sure you have adequate protection and so it is vital that you get the right caravan insurance for your caravan. There are also a number of steps you can take to ensure your insurance premiums are minimised.
Firstly, you should make sure you do as much as possible when it comes to the security of your caravan. According to figures from the National Caravan Council (NCC) there were 1,400 touring caravan thefts in the UK in 2008 and so it is vital you take the necessary security precautions. You may want to think about immobilisers, wheel clamps, hitch locks, alarms and tracking devices will not only improve the security of your touring caravan but also help you reduce your touring caravan insurance premium.
It is also vital that you make sure you have the right level of cover against items being stolen from the caravan. If you do not have expensive or valuable belongings in the caravan it might not be worth you paying large amount for contents cover. However, if you do have valuable electrical or camping equipment you should ensure your policy covers these as well as associated items such as steps and awnings.
You should also decide whether you are looking for ‘third party’ cover or ‘comprehensive’ cover. Third party protection is typically a cheaper way of taking out insurance if your caravan is an older model or you use it only on occasion. If you have a new, valuable caravan or if you use it on a regular basis then fully comprehensive cover might be more appropriate.
You may also wish to give some thought to the excess on your insurance policy. All insurance providers state a minimum amount that you usually have to pay in the event that a claim is made, however you can choose to pay out more in order to keep down the cost of the policy. However when choosing your excess you may wish to give some thought to the fact that you have to find this in a lump sum should you need to make a claim. When thinking about the policy excess you should also check to find out if you would have to pay out any additional excess for damage to the windscreen or windows of your caravan.
Finally, if you have no intention of taking your caravan abroad then you might want to consider a cheaper ‘UK only’ policy. Insurers also offer policies which include Europe and so whilst this is vital if you are planning to head overseas, you may be able to save money on your cover if you do not need European insurance.
To some, the word 'caravan' conjures up idyllic visions of the freedom of the open road, relaxing summers jumping from place to place as and when you wish, and a little bit of home that you can hitch to the back of your car and bring around with you. To a lot of people caravans bring up visions of monstrous traffic jams, rainy July afternoons spent inside and a cramped living space. That is however, until you look at static caravans. Static caravans are, as the name quite plainly suggests, a caravan that is taken to one place and fixed there, and should only be moved by specialists with the right equipment and vehicles. Static caravans tend to be much larger in size, and can accommodate a lot more people in much more comfort than a conventional caravan. A static can also be fitted with proper plumbing for toilet and bathroom facilities, as well as having a proper kitchen with fitted oven and other amenities; in other words, it is pretty much a house without foundations!
Whilst a static caravan has significantly reduced risk in terms of it not being out on the road and moving around, the fact that it is essentially a small house brings its own issues. Searching for cheap static caravan insurance is always difficult, as it is a delicate balancing act between paying as little as you can whilst making sure you are getting sufficient cover.
One way to reduce your insurance premium on a static caravan is to make it as Fort Knox-ian as you can! If you can make your static caravan as difficult as possible for a burglar to get into then you will see a commensurate fall in the price of your static caravan insurance policy. For instance, fit double locks, security lights and even an alarm if you can, and make sure all windows are double secured. This is especially important during the off-season as, if you are not living in the caravan, you will have to leave it unattended for a good while, so making sure it is secure is paramount.
One thing to be aware of too is just what a static insurance policy does cover as regards contents. If you have a large amount of expensive electrical goods, or jewellery, or anything else of great value in the caravan, you might want to take out a separate contents insurance policy too, to ensure you are fully covered. This goes too if you have any sort of garden or shed in which to keep things, as these might not be covered by the policy either.
Finally, and this is the tip that everyone looking for any kind of caravan insurance should use, is to use price comparison websites. These take all the monotonous researching of quotes out of your hands, and just give you the options and prices in plain English. You can then calibrate this to ensure you get just what you want out of a policy, and save a lot of money into the bargain.
Much like a motorhome does, a touring caravan opens up a whole world of possibility; well, any part of the world of possibility that has roads, obviously! With the recession and the "staycation" mentality coming into play at the moment, it would not be a shock to see caravan use hit a vertiginous spike, as people seek cheaper holidays in their own back yard rather than jetting off abroad. Now, whilst it is fun to sit and fall into a reverie surrounding holidays, there are still important things to consider, and one of these is a good insurance policy for your caravan. It goes without saying that something that is subject of a significant financial outlay will probably need a sound policy covering it, to make sure you do not get any potential holiday ruined. So, what do you look for when buying touring caravan insurance online?
First of all, you should be aware of what any actual policy does cover, and whether that will be adequate for you; for instance, comprehensive caravan insurance will cover any damage that occurs when it is off the road whereas normal insurance will only cover it when it is actively being used. In a way, these are the things you must look out for. Typically, caravan insurance will cover accidental damage to a caravan caused by an accident, a collision, due to severe weather or by burglary, as well as liability insurance should you cause damage yourself. It should also cover your caravan when it is on site, but do make your insurer aware of this.
A big tip is to make yourself as aware of what the insurance DOESN'T cover as much as what it does. This way, things do not become confused when a claim is put in. What I mean by this is that there are a lot of things not put on as basic that might become essential if something was to happen. For instance, many people have awnings and extra fittings that go with their caravan, but these are not usually covered by the touring caravan insurance unless the caravan itself is damaged. Furthermore, if your caravan were to be damaged beyond repair and you couldn't use it to sleep in, then it is not usually in the basic policy that accommodation will be paid for by the insurer. Finally, you must consider that the caravan is a home of sorts, and you should take out added cover for the personal contents of the caravan in case the standard policy limit of your basic insurance is low. If any of these things worry you then you should make sure they are included on your policy.
Of course, the easiest way to get yourself a good-covering caravan insurance policy is to use one of the many price comparison websites. Simply tap in the details of the policy you are seeking and all the options and prices are laid out for you, to be chosen easily. In this way you can get the right cover for the best possible price.
So, by balancing what you need your policy to cover by what you want to pay, using a price comparison site you should be able to find a very good deal.