Park home insurance tips

We know that the subject of park home insurance occasionally causes confusion and even dispute, between park home and site owners.

What follows should not be read as legal advice and guidance because we are not solicitors. If you do require a slightly more legalistic explanation of the position, there is an excellent explanation on the government’s web site*.

What we can do is to try and highlight some of the basic principles that may apply.

Why insure at all?

Your park home might well constitute a very substantial investment. Comparatively few people might be inclined to put that at risk simply by leaving their property uninsured.

It might also be worth remembering that although some park home sites are in rural locations, that in itself is no guarantee that people such as burglars and vandals won’t pay you a visit.

Additionally, although there may be no legal requirement for you to have park home insurance, some site owners may legitimately require that your park home be covered for at least third party liability.

The site owner’s involvement

Your relationship with the site owner may be governed by two very separate things:

• your rights and obligations as defined by law;

• your contractual agreement – this is sometimes known as the express terms.

Nothing your site owners say or do, nor anything they ask you to sign, can vary the reality of the first point above.

The second point above is up for negotiation between you and the site owners. They typically may outline their terms and conditions and you are at liberty to discuss them and negotiate change.

In certain circumstances, you may also apply to an arbitrator or a court to adjudicate on any component of the express terms that you find to be inequitable.

What has this got to do with park home insurance tips?

In some cases, some park home site owners may attempt to insist that you are obliged to purchase your insurance from them.

In practice, this may not be the case and you may be perfectly at liberty to look for your own cover wherever you find it.

Of course, the park owner’s cover may be excellent and entirely to your satisfaction but you may be unlikely to be sure of that unless you have had the degree of freedom to compare it to other potential cover you have sourced yourself.

Therefore if, under the express terms, you see any indication that it is mandatory to purchase your insurance from the site owner, you may be advised to discuss this with them rather than simply accepting it as fact.

*Source:
http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/HomeAndCommunity/BuyingAndSellingYourHome/MobileHousing/DG_191097