Archive for the ‘Caravan Insurance’ Category

Touring Caravan Insurance Makes Sense

Sunday, April 22nd, 2012

On those lists of ‘things to do’ should be going on a touring caravan holiday. Many people who have tried it once are converted, and will start looking to get a caravan of their own. However, it is important to understand that if you want to get the best from your holiday, you need to make sure you have taken out touring caravan insurance.

Caravans are a substantial investment and insurance is important to ensure you are protecting yourself. You could find yourself deeply out of pocket in the event that your caravan is damaged beyond repair or stolen while you are away. Caravan theft is unfortunately an all too common thing, with over 3000 being stolen each year.

Having a fully comprehensive policy can seem an expensive luxury, that is until the day arrives when you need to claim. In such an unfortunate circumstance you with be thanking your lucky stars that you had the foresight to protect yourself. Fortunately there are ways in which you can reduce your premiums, the easiest being to get decent security devices.

You will find that you have to have a certain amount of security before being accepted for most touring caravan insurance policies,  normally a hitchlock and/or a wheel clamp. This will offer both yourselves and your insurers some peace of mind. And the more security you add, the lower will be your perceived risk to insurers, and the real risk that you are likely to claim. Bear in mind that security will only offer you a certain amount of price reduction on the policy however.

Another option is to install an alarm on the caravan, as this will attract discounts also. There are also satellite tracking devices available, which have an excellent record for retrieval of stolen caravans. This can be costly, but they can offer a substantial discount, and will act as a great deterrent to a great many thieves who realise their effectiveness.

You don’t need to break the bank to get a decent touring caravan insurance policy, but you could break it if you don’t cover yourself. And if you investigate and take necessary precautions, you can save  yourself a decent amount of money.

Timely Caravan Insurance Quotes

Friday, April 20th, 2012

Given the hectic lives we lead in the modern world, the old maxim ‘time is money’ has never been truer. With fewer and fewer hours to call our own we are all looking for short-cuts to make things easier, and this is as true for caravan insurance as for most things. This is where the internet becomes the overburdened caravan owners friend.

Many of the caravan insurance companies have websites, most of them offering customers the opportunity to get a quote online. However this quoting process is not always as straightforward as you may think. Many of the insurers don’t offer a real-time quote facility, instead they have a call back system, which is clearly not the quickest way to get a quote. Let’s face it, the reason you go online is to simplify and speed up your life, not to have to waste time speaking to someone to get your quote.

There is an alternative, to come to a comparison site like caravan-insurance-cover.co.uk, which is the gateway to the main caravan insurance companies. From here you can easily get to the quotes that you need, saving you precious time. This is the easiest option for the discerning caravan owner, which will enable you quickly to find the qoute that is best for you.

More than just access to quotes however, the site offers a wealth of information to help you make the right choices when looking for your touring or static caravan insurance. The mixture of information and easy access to quotes makes the site a great resource for the caravan owner.

Static Caravan Contents Insurance

Monday, April 16th, 2012

Most people have the common sense to compare the cost of their static caravan insurance quotes. However, some make the mistake of not comparing exactly what it is that they are spending their money on. Buying on price alone is often a false economy, as the benefits a policy offers is equally as important as the price you pay.

When you are investigating your static caravan quotes you take the following into consideration:

· Many static carvans have a great deal more furniture than the average touring caravan, because you look to make it a home away from home. Some static caravans have flat screen TVs, and perhaps also a portable TV in a bedroom, maybe a DVD player or two and various other electrical items, plus numerous other fixtures and fittings. All of these need to be considered when summing up how much it would cost to replace all of the contents, should it happen that everything was either stolen or destroyed.

· Once you have calculated the value of the contents of your caravan, this amount – known as the sum insured – is a factor in determining the cost of your static caravan insurance quotes. It makes no sense to insure for more than the value of the contents as you are paying for something you just don’t need. But of course you wouldn’t want to leave yourself under insured as in the event of loss you could find yourself out of pocket. It makes great sense therefore to undertake an inventory of your contents when calculating the sum to insure, from the smallest to the largest item. It is easy to underestimate just how much value there is in your static caravan.

· It is worth checking what you will get back should you have to claim an any of your contents. You will find that some policies cover you ‘new for old’, so if you lose something, it is replaced with a new one. Others offer depreciated values dependent upon the age of the item, so you will only get a certain percentage back. Consider what you would want in such circumstances.

Once you have calculated the amount you need to cover for, then you want to dig into the policy details to identify what is suitable for your needs. This way you will be sure to get the right static caravan insurance.

Initiative to Improve Caravan Security

Saturday, April 14th, 2012

Those industrious folks down at Towergate Bakers are at it again, coming up with initiatives to push forward the uk caravan insurance market. Following on from their recent Green caravan insurance initiative comes another idea, providing the new Datatag caravan security system as part of their Select and Economy insurance polices on caravans worth over £10,000.

Datatag are Europe’s leading asset marking company, and have been providing asset protection within the Watercraft , Motorcycle and Construction industries for a number of years. They work with Police Authorities to try reduce crime and increase conviction rates. This has led to a big decrease in thefts wherever the Datatag system is used. Indeed they proudly boast that the Crown Prosecution Service have 100% success rate of prosecution in cases where Datatag evidence is used!

The system is the only system with the Thatcham seal of approval. Thatcham is a not-for-profit organisation that tests vehicle security systems and is very highly regarded in the market.

The Datatag systems consists of a number of elements:

  • Electronic transponders which have a unique identification code that can be read by a hand-held scanner used Police Forces in the UK.
  • Datadot microdots which enable you to mark all valuable items
  • DatatagDNA which is a unique forensic chemical DNA etching solution
  • ID labels that have unique ID numbers

These components add up to make your caravan ‘too-hot-to-handle’ for the professional thief.

The Marketing Director of Towergate Bakers, Paul Havenhand, enthused about the system calling it “a great piece of kit,” and hopes that this initiative will “reduce the number of stolen caravans, leading to lower premiums overall.” We do hope so Paul.

They are running this campaign in August, but hope to extend it, and will be running an advertising campaign to raise awareness of the device.

And the beauty of this is that the Datatag system will be saving you money on your caravan insurance in years to come, as it attracts a policy discount.

Caravan Insurance Advice

Thursday, April 12th, 2012

For those not fortunate to own a caravan, they don’t know what they are missing. Providing many opportunities for excellent and cost efficient holidays, it can be a home away from home. It is though a major investment and as such it makes great sense to protect yourself from losses you could incur in the event of damage or theft. This is why it is so important to make sure you have suitable caravan insurance.

If you can find yourself the right policy then you can rest in the knowledge that your investment is properly protected. If you are able to stretch to a fully comprehensive policy you can rest easy in the knowledge that any damage or loss that you incur will be covered and you will not find yourself out of pocket. Policies can be tailored to match your requirements, and it is worth spending some time considering what you do need to protect, and for how much. There is no point paying for cover that you don’t need so be sure you are clear what you are covering, and just as importantly what you are not covering.

Like any financial investment it always make great sense to shop around when looking for your caravan insurance. This is where the internet provides a great benefit to caravan owners, offering a wealth of easily accessible information to help you find the right policy. Here are caravan-insurance-cover.co.uk we aim to provide you with the information you need to find an excellent caravan insurance policy, and to  pay the right price for it.

Sort Your Noseweight: Protect Your Insurance

Sunday, April 8th, 2012

Caravan owners should always be aware of ways of preventing unnecessary claims on their touring caravan insurance. One thing they should pay special attention to is the question of the noseweight of their caravan when hitching.

If this is something you need guidance on, the National Caravan Council has published a free pdf guide on their website. This advice was supported by the tyre industry representative body TyreSafe, as their recent Caravan Tyre Safety Month recently came to a close.

You should invest in a noseweight gauge, which will cost around £30. The gauge will enable you to check the weight according to the caravan’s laden weight. The noseweight is recommended to be between 5% – 7% of the laden weight.

Having incorrect noseweight can be dangerous when towing as it can have adverse effects on the stability of the caravan. The weight should neither be too light or too heavy, but the correct amount to prevent any instability and subsequent control issues. Such a simple check can prevent having to make unnecessary claims on your insurance, and in turn lead to cheaper touring caravan insurance the following year.

Comparing Caravan Insurance Online

Friday, April 6th, 2012

Back in the information ‘dark ages’ it used to be nigh on impossible to find the right caravan insurance. There were  few companies in the market, and the process of comparing their insurance was time consuming and difficult. Thankfully, in these ‘connected’ days it is easier than ever to compare caravan insurance, as the number of online caravan insurers has blossomed.

You will find there are more specialist caravan insurers arriving on the scene all the time. And you will save yourself a huge amount of hassle by using their online quote facilities. It’s no longer the case that you have to call each of them up to get a quote, now it’s just a case of filling in a form on their site, and off you go. This makes it easy to collect multiple quotes.

It is important to make  sure you do compare caravan insurance quotes. It is tempting just to take the first insurance policy that seems reasonable, but you could find the same thing elsewhere for a substantial reduction if you are willing to put in that extra bit of effort. This is where comparison sites come in especially useful, as you find links to multiple insurers in one place. This is where www.caravan-insurance-cover.co.uk comes in.

It is very much worth making that extra effort to find the right caravan insurance, and with the comparison sites, this has never been an easier task. Out there is the right caravan insurance for you, and these days finding it has become far less stressful and time consuming than in the past.

Online Caravan Insurance Quotes

Wednesday, April 4th, 2012

Why are online caravan insurance quotes cheaper?

Reason #1:

The main reason is the reduction of overheads by the insurance companies. They don’t need someone to answer the phone, or punch in the numbers, or close the sale. All they need is a website that once it is up and running can happily tick along on its own with a minimum of intervention (except when the pesky things go down!).

Reason #2:

The other reason online caravan insurance quotes are cheaper is because of the competition. The internet has lowered the bar for entry into the market, meaning more providers are out there wanting your business. The internet also makes it easy to get comparative quotes, so it is a ‘cut-prices-or-die’ scenario for those in the game. If you keep your costs high you will not survive in the market as you will lose your business to those willing to cover caravans for less.

This is of course great news for the clued-up caravan owner, who knows they can shop around to find themselves the best deal. This can amount to a hefty cash saving, one you can use to enjoy yourself!

www.caravan-insurance-cover.co.uk is here to help you find the best quote by providing you with information from, and access to, the best caravan insurers out there. The site has a variety of articles to point you in the right direction as to how to save money, how to make your caravan more secure, and a number of other useful subjects. There are also links to the best caravan insurance companies on the market, making it easy for you to find the right quote.

Thankfully the dark old days of looking through the Yellow Pages, phoning a few companies and having to talk right through your details to each of them have gone.

Of course you should always shop around, and make sure you get several online caravan insurance quotes to make sure you are getting the absolute best price out there. But bear in mind that cheapest does not necessarily mean best, you need to make sure that the cover is right for you. Again the internet is great in that it makes it easy to find out exactly what you are getting as the key-facts and terms and conditions documents are available.

So to make sure you get the right caravan insurance policy make the most of the great resources available on the internet. You will save yourself a good deal of time and money.

Saving Money with Caravan Insurance Excess

Monday, April 2nd, 2012

With all the belt tightening going on these days, people are sensibly looking for more ways to save their hard-earned money. There is an opportunity to do this with your insurance policies. If you have a caravan insurance policy you may want to think about opting for a voluntary excess.

Almost all policies have an excess as standard. This means the insurance company will only pay the amount of any claim minus the amount of your excess. Clearly the higher the excess on your policy, the less you would receive back in the event of a claim. However bad this may sound, it also attracts the benefit that it reduces premiums.

It is important however that you get the balance correct. It’s great to be able to save some money on premiums, but you have to bear in mind the practicalities if you have to make a claim at some point. You need to be realistic about whether you could acutally afford to cover the excess. If you choose a voluntary excess to save yourself some money, you need to know that you could bear the cost if you need to make a claim.

So with some common sense it is easy to save yourself money on your caravan insurance. You just need to consider carefully that you are getting the balance between saving money and protecting yourself adequately

Saving Money On Your Caravan Insurance: Tip 1

Saturday, March 31st, 2012

One of the best ways to keep down the cost of your caravan insurance is not to make a claim on it. Fairly obvious I know! But the question is what can you do to make this more likely?

One possible way to achieve this is to improve your caravan manoeuvring skills. The Camping and Caravanning Club provide one day courses aimed to achieve just this. The course costs £95 for club members (non-members should include the cost of joining the club) and breaks down into the following Syllabus:

  • Towing a Caravan
  • Caravanners and the Law
  • Loading a Caravan
  • Hitching and Unhitching
  • Reversing with Safety

All trainers are qualified driving instructors. And there is a restriction of only twelve participants per course. This gives a ratio of four participants for each instructor.

To take the the course all that is required is a full drivers licence, caravans are provided to complete the practical elements of the course. At the end of the day all participants receive a course certificate and a free copy of the handbook “Safe Towing for Life”.

To book a course, or make an enquiry, you can call the club on 0845 130 7412.

These improved skills will help make you safer when in transit, and when siting the caravan on site, reducing the likelihood that you will find yourself in a situation where you have to make a claim on your caravan insurance.