welcome
OUR MISSION:
here at www.caravan-insurance-cover.co.uk our aim is to provide more than just caravan insurance, it is to help you find the right insurance cover for your caravan, at the right price.
anatomy of a caravan insurance policy
Damage and Loss:
A caravan insurance policy will cover the caravan for damage to, or loss of the caravan. Policies will normally pay for damage to a caravan, up to the value of the caravan itself. Any more than that and they will pay for a replacement caravan.
In the event of theft of the caravan, different types of policies will pay different amounts. The main types of policy are:
- New for Old: As you might imagine this will replace your old caravan with a new one of the same type. There is an age limit on the caravans that can get this type of cover. This is somewhere between 5 to 10 years, dependent upon the policy. After that the going market value is paid.
- Market Value: This type of policy pays you the value of your caravan at the current market price, so will take into account any depreciation in price of the caravan due to its age.
Most policies require a specified minimum of security. At the minimum this is normally a wheelclamp (sometimes a proprietory wheelclamp) and a hitchlock, and often an alarm is a requirement also. Policies also cover for the cost of a replacement caravan in the event that it becomes inhabitable or is stolen whilst on holiday. Different policies offer different rates for this, for instance a percentage of the sum assured per week, up to a maximum percentage of the sum assured. Other policies offer a set amount a day/week up to a maximum amount.
Contents and Personal Effects:
This does not always come as standard with a policy, it is sometimes an optional extra. It is also generally quite limited in what it covers. The following types of items are generally excluded:
- money
- credit or charge cards
- valuables
- documents
- contact lenses
- motor vehicles
- mobile phones
- sat navs
- computer (software & hardware)
- audio/video devices
- cycles
- photographic equipment
This cover also often applies only in the event of forcible entry to the caravan. Also, different policies may or may not cover for theft from awnings, trailer tents, and toilet tents.
Liability to the Public:
This is to protect you in the case of injury or loss to the general public due to your use of the caravan. This often covers people the caravan is leant to, as long as it is not hired or used for business purposes. The cover is normally between £1,000,000 to £2,000,000, sometimes including costs, sometimes plus costs.
Continental Use:
This is required if you intend to take the caravan to the continent. Some policies don't include this, and others include it for a variety of number of days a year.
Some policies also include roadside assistance with the continental use part of the insurance, normally up to a maximum amount.
Repatriation of the caravan if it can't be repaired before the end of the holiday is included in some policies, but not all. Repatriation will only ever be up to the market value/sum assured of the caravan.
There are normally some exclusions to the countries to which you can take the caravan. These are mainly some of the former Soviet block countries (often including Albania, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland).
General exclusions:
These are often fairly similar between policies, and generally include the following:
- usage for anything other than social, domestic, or pleasure purposes
- hostilities (war, invasion... etc.)
- terrorism
- damage from malicious act or theft of any user of caravan
- pressure waves from supersonic aircraft
- failure of mechanical item mechanical, electrical, electronic or computer equipment caused by the equipment not being able to recognise or process any date as the true calendar date
- any reduction of market value beyond the cost of repair or replacement
- when the caravan is being towed (this is generally covered by car insurance)
Excess:
This is the amount of any claim you make that you have to pay yourself. So for instance if your excess was £200, and you made a claim for £1000, you would receive £800, and would have to pay the other £200 (the excess) yourself.
Increasing your excess (i.e. reducing the amount you would receive in the event of a claim) is one way you can reduce the premium of your caravan policy.
The standard amount of excess differs between policies.
Disclosure:
With many policies you risk invalidating it if you fail to notify insurers of change of circumstances of your caravan. For instance, if you move the storage address of the caravan, or you receive a motoring conviction.
Personal Accident:
Some policies include a personal accident element. These are for a variety of different amounts, and cover a variety fo different things (e.g. loss of limb, or disablement from employment). These often exclude people over the age of 70 years.