Caravan security and insurance are two sides of the same coin. Security providing your first line of defence, Insurance your back-up. Here at caravan-insurance-cover.co.uk we are dedicated not only to helping to find the right caravan insurance for caravan owners, and helping them save money on that insurance, but also to helping owners improve their caravan safety and security so they are less likely to have to fall back on their insurance (and thus further save money).
Last year, crime statistics showed that over 5,000 caravans were stolen in the UK. The wealth of information available here at caravan-insurance-cover.co.uk will show you a number of ways that you can reduce your chances of becoming one of these statistics. One of the ways you can do this is by your choice of storage.
If you are a touring caravan owner, then storage is an issue you have had to think about. Many owners store their caravans on the drive of their home, where they can be quite well protected from potential theft. This is the cheapest way to store a caravan, offering the distinct advantage that you can keep an eye on your caravan, and also carry out any required maintenance.
There are however disadvantages, in that having a caravan sat on your drive most of the year can offend neighbours and could even breach covenants on your property. Also, when your caravan isn’t there burglars with local knowledge may be rubbing their hands together with glee.
Other owners tend to leave their caravans at sites, either permanently sited, or held in storage and bought out when required by the site owners.
The other option is to keep them in a secure storage facility. These can be either open-air or under-cover facilities. Open-air facilities are the cheaper option, but leaves your caravan exposed to the elements.
If you decide that secure storage is for you, the next question is how do you find and choose the right storage site? This is where the Caravan Storage Site Owners’ Association (CaSSOA) can come in useful. Set up in 1999 with the intention of combatting caravan theft, their take on security is that whilst the majority of people take the attitude that “if they want to get in they will,” they by contrast sum their ethos up as; “If you want to keep them out you can.”
The explicit aims of the Association as as follows:
- To act as a nationally recognised body providing an official register of safe and secure storage sites.
- To help site owners improve their security and services, to prevent caravan crime.
- To provide a strong lobbying voice to influence the views of people who make a difference in caravanning.
- To reassure caravan owner’s they can be confident that every CaSSOA site has taken reasonable measures to protect the stored caravans.
The association now have over 550 sites nationwide storing over 80,000 caravans between them, and are supported by 13 specialist caravan insurers, including those featured on www.caravan-insurance-cover.co.uk.
To achieve membership all sites undergo a risk survey. The risk is assessed by reference to what may be termed the canons of security:
- Environmental vulnerability
- Crime patterns or trends
- Local economic and social conditions
- General site design
- Access
Based on the results of those surveys the Association ranks sites by giving them awards as follows:
- Gold Award: These are the most secure sites, and offer a very high standards of security. All other risks to the stored caravans have been addressed, and wherever possible eliminated.
- Silver Award: These sites also offer a high level of security.
- Bronze Award: These sites also offer a good level of security. This is termed as the entry level for sites wanting to become members of the association.
The good news is that caravan insurance companies often offer discounts for secure storage. The insurers Safeguard offer up to 15% based on the CaSSOA grading of the site. But as I said earlier, even better is that as a result of putting your caravan into secure storage, you are less likely to need to claim on this insurance.
The associations’ website can be found at http://www.cassoa.co.uk, and provides search facility to locate a site where near you live or where you where you take your holidays. If you are thinking of secure storage their site is very much worth a visit.