Introducing Caravan And Camping Cover
When considering insurance you first have to work out what it is you need. To begin with, what kind of caravan do you have?
Static caravan insurance
Do you have to take out insurance with the site owner? no. Whilst they may try very forcefully to persuade you, you may be interested to know that in most cases, they cannot force you to purchase cover from them.
You may have to pay a fee but you may still make savings by taking your insurance out elsewhere.
Whilst it might typically be convenient to just sign up there and then with the static home site owner and get it out of the way, you may wish to resist this impulse. Shopping around may save you a great deal of money. After all, your site owner may see you as a captive audience, and may not offer the caravan and camping insurance that may suit your individual needs best.
For static caravans you may wish to bear in mind that you may have obligations that you may have to fulfil in order to keep the policy valid. For instance, if you want to keep the insurance cover going over the winter months when your site may be shut, with some insurers you may be obliged to empty the caravans heating system to avoid burst pipes.
Touring caravan insurance
You may find that you have cover against:
- the structure of the caravan itself;
- the contents of the caravan; and
- in undeniable circumstances, awnings.
Awnings may be an area of cover that may need careful attention. For example, some insurers may not provide insurance protection for contents of awnings (presumably because they are flimsy and easy to open), but may cover the awnings themselves in specific circumstances.
The same may apply if you are the owner of a touring caravan. Unfortunately theft is a authentic risk to touring caravans, and your insurer may often expect you to install a hitchlock and a wheel clamp as minimum security measures.
The importance of service
Finally, if you have a number of caravan and caravanning insurance policies to choose from, you may wish to differentiate providers on the basis of customer service. Are the insurers opening times long enough to deal with your claim? Have they been helpful in dealing with any enquiries you may have had up to this point? These issues may all matter when you have to phone your insurer at four in the afternoon from a stormy campsite to ask about the emergency accommodation provisions of your caravan insurance protection!