Static caravan insurance buyer's guide
Need some help understanding your static caravan insurance? Our guide explains some of the more complex terms used in insurance and offers up some advice to make sure you're covered.
What's in this guide?
Just like you’d insure your home, you should also insure your home away from home. In this guide you’ll find lots of handy tips for getting the most appropriate cover for you and your static caravan, lodge or chalet. Read on to find out more on:
What is Static Caravan Insurance?
If you have a caravan that’s permanently sited i.e. with plumbing and a permanent electrical link up, you can and should insure it as you would your main residence. Put simply, static caravan insurance can; protect the caravan itself against adverse weather conditions and accidental damage, reimburse you for stolen or damaged contents and cover other items on your pitch.
What are the benefits of Static Caravan Insurance?
As with many forms of insurance, the biggest threats facing your property are theft and accidental damage. In the case of static caravans, insurance helps protect you against the changeable British weather and gives you a financial safety net if you’re unfortunate enough to be the victim of theft or vandalism.
When you insure with Towergate you’ll have the option to let us know what matters to you most. From there we’ll provide you with the right policy to protect those things so you can have peace of mind.
Listed below are just some of the great options our cover offers:
Static Caravan - Sums insured blanket cover
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We provide cover for more than just the caravan – We also cover items on your pitch such as decking and outside furniture against storm and accidental damage.
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Contents cover – The fixtures and fittings in your static caravan are covered as part of the caravan itself. However, we also cover items such as TVs, cooking appliances such as toasters plus other non-permanent furniture such as lamps and ornaments.
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We will cover the cost of removing debris, plumbing in water and electrics and any fees charged by the site owner for re-siting costs – If the worst happens and your caravan is beyond repair, we will cover the cost of removing any debris, plumbing the new caravan in (electrics and water) and any fees charged by the site.
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New for old replacements available – When you take out a policy with us, you’ll be asked for the ‘new’ price of your caravan. If you choose our new for old cover you’ll receive a replacement of the same value should your caravan be damaged beyond repair.
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Cover even if you rent your caravan out – If you choose to rent out your caravan when you’re not there, you can still get cover. Just be sure to let us know your intentions when you take out the policy.
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£0 excess on the majority of claims – With the exception of subsidence, landslip and ground heave, you’ll get every penny of what you claim for.
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Flooding cover – Where some insurance companies won’t insure your caravan for flooding if they are higher risk, Towergate look for solutions and will include flood cover where possible.
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Winter protection – When you leave for the colder months, provided you’ve drained down your caravan correctly, we’ll cover you against damage caused by frost and freezing.
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Keys and locks – In the unfortunate case of a break in, or if your keys are lost or stolen, we can cover you for replacing the locks on your caravan and even your replacement keys.
Static Caravan - Moving your static caravan
Myth busting!
“Falling trees aren’t covered”
With Towergate, you’ll be covered if a tree or branch causes damage to your static caravan provided it is not due to lack of maintenance from the site owner.
“I need to include all my fixtures and fittings in my ‘sums insured’”
Anything permanently fixed in your caravan is covered in with the caravan itself. As a general rule, if you tipped your caravan upside down and shook it, the things that might fall out would need to be included in your ‘sums insured’.
if you tipped your caravan upside down and shook it, the things that might fall out would need to be included in your ‘sums insured "Acts of god’ aren’t covered"
An act of god is an event that happens beyond human control. Storms and other adverse weather are very much beyond everyone’s control and are therefore very much covered by our policies. We’re here to help when disaster strikes. If we didn’t protect against the forces of nature we wouldn’t be doing a very good job.
“If a pipe bursts over the winter when I’m not there, I won’t be covered”
Not true. When you insure with us, you’ll be covered for damage caused by cold weather provided you’ve drained down your caravan properly before you leave for the winter. (Subject to the terms on your individual policy)
How to get the best value from your static caravan insurance
We offer different levels of Touring Caravan Insurance to suit different caravanning needs. To help you make the right choice, here are some things to think about when buying your insurance.
Static Caravan - Insurance Excess
Consider how you use your caravan – Do you hire out your static caravan? How many days per year do you spend in it? Do you keep valuable possessions in your static caravan?
Ask yourself all these questions and be sure to let your Towergate adviser know about your requirements. We’ll then work with you to find the best insurance solution to suit your needs.
Consider what you need covered – The sums insured part of your policy will be split into the value of the caravan itself and the items contained in/attached to your caravan. Permanent fixtures and fittings will be included in the value of the caravan itself. Other items may include push bikes, kitchenware and other caravan contents besides laptops and mobile phones. We will also cover outdoor items such as decking and outdoor furniture provided it’s contained or stored within the confines of your pitch. The key here is not to leave anything out and if you end up purchasing more items, make sure you add them to your policy to make sure they’re covered.
Decking and outdoor furniture can be covered under your sums insuredKnow the value of your caravan – The value of your caravan will affect your new for old value or replacement value. You should know the market value of your caravan and the ‘buy-new’ value if possible. If you have bought a brand new caravan, finding out these values should be easy. However, if you have a second hand caravan or an older model, it’s best to ask a site manager or agent.
Discounts are there for the taking! – We offer discounts to our more security conscious customers. We offer a 10% discount if you install UPVC locks or use Ramtech / Startech alarm systems.
Be rewarded – Recommend a friend to us and if they take out a new policy, you and your friend get £10 to spend in M&S.
Be demanding – We’re here to help you get the best policy for you. So if you want a particular cover, ask us and we’ll set you up with the appropriate policy.
Be sure to tell us if you need to update your policy – If you need to take more items away with you or you modify your caravan in some way which affects it’s value, be sure to let us know so that your insurance cover remains valid. Please also notify us if your storage arrangements change.
Exclusions explained
You’ll find the full list of policy exclusions in your policy documents. Here however, we want to point out a few exclusions that often escape our customer’s attention:
Fences and hedges cannot be covered by static caravan policies-
Fences and hedges - This is a common question among both home and static caravan insurance customers. Unfortunately, if fences blow over or hedges are crushed by storm debris, they are not covered by most insurers.
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Damage by domestic pets/vermin – Damage by pets generally isn’t covered by static caravan insurers. Similarly damage caused by infestation of vermin also won’t be covered.
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Water must be switched off over winter – If proper precautions haven’t been taken, cover for frozen pipes will be void. You should switch off the water at the mains, drain down all equipment or leave the heating on to remain covered for water damage over the winter months.
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Accidental damage caused by tenants – We will insure you if you rent out your static caravan however, we cannot cover accidental damage caused by hirers.
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Landslip, ground heave and subsidence – We cover you for damage caused by land movement. However, this does not fall under our £0 excess cover. When you take out a policy with us, be sure to ask your adviser about excesses on this cover.
Jargon buster
Sometimes insurance can be a bit like a foreign language. Here’s our run down of a few words and phrases which may be a little confusing.
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Indemnity - Putting you back in the same position they were in before the loss
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Public liability - Your ‘responsibility’ for the wellbeing of other members of the public and their property. In insurance, this refers to the cover given to compensate legal costs and compensation payments resulting from injuries or property damage to others, which was caused by you.
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Loss of use cover - Cover for alternative accommodation if something has happens to the caravan that makes it uninhabitable.
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Excess - A payment you make towards a claim on your policy.
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New for old policies - Your caravan and contents will be covered for replacement as new. (If we cannot replace your caravan with the same model we will work with you to find the best equivalent).
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Market Value - The cost of replacing your caravan at its present value - taking into consideration; year of manufacture, type, wear and tear.
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Agreed value - Cover the cost of debris removal from the site, making the plot habitable again, delivery of the replacement static caravan and reconnection to the mains.
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Policy schedule - Your insurance document outlining the period during which your policy is valid
Why choose Towergate?
As a specialist insurer who’ve been supplying caravan insurance for 20 years, we’ve come to know what caravanners want from their insurance. Combined with our flexible approach to insurance and a helpful approach to customer service, we’re confident that our cover and service will be a huge comfort and allow you to travel in your caravan carefree.
Our claims service is in house so you won’t get passed from pillar to post. We pledge to act within 24 hours of being notified of your claim and within five days if you provide us with new information on an existing claim. Our claims staff will guide you through each step of your claim and advise you on how to gain swift resolution of your claim. Simply give us a call and we’ll take it from there.
Can we help you with anything else?
As one of the largest insurance intermediaries in Europe, Towergate offer a huge range of specialist insurance products. In the leisure department alone we offer insurance for; Touring caravans, park homes, beach huts and our insurance4carhire.com team offer great value hire car excess waiver insurance.
If you’d like any more information on these products and more besides, please visit www.towergateinsurance.co.uk or www.insurance4carhire.com.
Plus, if you run your own business, you can get business insurance from our specialist SME team. From tradesmen to beauty therapists, get in touch with them today to see how they can help protect your business. Visit our business pages for more information.