Where can I buy cheap static caravan insurance?

Memories are made of this – seemingly endless summer days in the comfort of your static caravan holiday home. These are just some of the attractions of owning one and the reason why many are waiting to buy a static home.

But spare a thought, too, for the fact that your holiday home also needs the protection of static caravan insurance, whether you are there enjoying it or not – come sunshine and rain, or the stormy weather and cold of those long winter months.

Whether you are arranging static caravan insurance for the first time, or an annual renewal is coming around, now might be the ideal time to give some thought to the nature and extent of the insurance you need. For example, why do you need static caravan insurance, what is the most suitable holiday home cover to suit your particular needs and circumstances, and – crucially – where can you buy cheap static caravan insurance?

Do I legally need static caravan insurance?

There is typically no legal obligation for you to insure your static caravan. It is a prudent thing to arrange since appropriate insurance cover will indemnify you against loss or damage but is not a legal requirement.

That said, the site management of your caravan park may have the right to insist that you have specific elements of cover – namely, suitable public liability indemnity insurance to cover the risk of injury or property damage suffered by your neighbours on the site, their visitors, or members of the public. But it is most unusual these days for the management to demand that you buy such insurance exclusively from them.

Here is a summary of the current position:

  • site owners may be within their rights to insist that you have third-party liability insurance as a minimum form of cover for your static caravan – they may also have a right to ask you to furnish the evidence and make a reasonable and modest charge for inspecting and copying your insurance certificate;
  • typically, however, the site owners do not have a legal right to insist that you purchase the cover recommended or sold by them.

It might be tempting to imagine that any insurance cover offered by the site owners or management will fit the bill simply because they know best. While that might be a reasonable expectation, it is by no means certain that the site’s offer will deliver the static caravan insurance best suited to your particular needs and circumstances.

It’s likely to be worth giving any such offer more than a second thought before rushing to buy it.

What is the cheapest static caravan cover?

Insurance cover for your static holiday home is naturally a recurring annual expense. You might be concerned to get the cheapest deal possible to manage that cost.

Remember, though, that what is cheap for you might not be cheap for any other holiday home owner. More important than the annual cost of the insurance premiums is likely to be the suitability of the cover offered by the insurance you choose.

It is likely to prove more prudent to be guided by the suitability of any insurance cover, therefore, rather than the cheapest caravan insurance on the market.

What makes it suitable?

Whenever you are buying insurance, one of your biggest concerns is likely to be whether it provides suitable cover.

That is especially likely to be the case with static caravan insurance since it is a specialist type of insurance, needed to ensure that you continue to get maximum enjoyment from your holiday home while ensuring it is adequately protected.

Here at Cover4Caravans, we are fully committed to helping you secure the most appropriate caravan insurance, with a policy that matches your particular, individual needs and requirements.

We do so in the knowledge that it might not always be the cheapest static home insurance that makes it suitable, so as much as possible we select and tailor our policies accordingly to exactly meet your coverage needs  – and your budget.

Shop around

If suitable static caravan insurance is so important, how can you compare the many different types of policy on the market and identify those that sufficiently match your needs and requirements?

The answer is to simply shop around before deciding on the cover you are comfortable arranging. It is a fairly big market and that makes it almost certainly worthwhile shopping around.

Here at Cover4Caravans, for instance, we have more than 70 years’ of expertise and experience in the insurance market. It has helped us to build up a clear picture of what our many customers require, matching those needs to bespoke insurance solutions, available from our network of partners across this section of the insurance industry.

That is our role as an entirely independent insurance broker. And the British Insurance Brokers’ Association (BIBA) gives several very good reasons for using such an agent. An independent broker can spot areas of cover which you might have overlooked, offer you free and impartial advice in choosing your static caravan insurance, give you help in making any claim that might need to be made – and suggest competitively-priced products which are available only to brokers rather than the market as a whole.

Factors determining the suitability of static home cover

In the process of comparing static caravan insurance, you might want to consider several factors likely to determine its suitability:

Valuations

  • we may help you arrive at an accurate and realistic valuation of your static caravan;
  • if you under-estimate its value, you run the risk of underinsurance, and a settlement figure that is insufficient to cover the caravan’s replacement in the event of a total loss;

New for old static caravan insurance

  • when you are choosing any kind of insurance, it is often valuable to anticipate a worst-case scenario of a total loss – your caravan is damaged beyond any economic repair, for example;
  • it is important to consider the insurer’s settlement in these circumstances – would you be offered new for old replacement or would the settlement be reduced according to the calculated depreciation of your static home at the time;
  • you can be reassured that the policies arranged by us here at Cover4Caravans incorporate new for old replacement of static caravans up to ten years of age. (Your sum insured MUST represent the current replacement cost);

Letting

  • many static caravans make ideal holiday homes that may be let to paying guests and holidaying tenants;
  • if that is your plan, make sure that it is permitted by the static caravan insurance you arrange – even if covering the extra risks means a small increase in the insurance premiums;
  • by the same token, if you declare that you have no such intentions, you might make a saving on the cost of the annual premiums;
  • policies arranged by us here at Cover4Caravans include as standard extended cover when you let out your holiday home;

Public liability

  • it has already been mentioned that the owners or managers of the site on which your static caravan is berthed are likely to insist on the inclusion of public liability cover in suitable static caravan insurance – for the protection of other users and visitors to the park;
  • it is essential because it indemnifies you against claims from neighbours, their visitors, or members of the public who may be injured or have their property damaged through some contact with your caravan and the claim that you have been a negligent owner.

To facilitate your comparison of static caravan insurance online, we can make the searches on your behalf.

How static caravan insurance varies

By and large, static caravan insurance policies are likely to take one of two different forms:

  • those offering very basic cover at a headline price – policies which might seem attractive at first sight, but which might start increasing in price once you add more or less essential items of optional cover;
  • those that offer a high degree of comprehensive cover included as standard in the advertised price.

The latter policies, for example, might include as standard:

  • automatic new for old cover if your caravan is under a specified number of years of age, even if there have been multiple previous owners – here at Cover4Caravans, we offer new for old cover on static caravans up to ten years of age. (Your sum insured MUST represent the current replacement cost);
  • extended public liability cover – the policies we arrange offer £5 million cover as standard;
  • cover for static caravans let out for income generation – we offer extended cover during periods that your static home is let;
  • significant no-claims discounts – similar to those you probably already enjoy on your motor insurance or home insurance;
  • contents cover – our contents cover now also includes as standard up to £250 for the loss or replacement of the keys to your static home in any one claim; and
  • incentives through discounts for additional security measures you might install.

How you use your static caravan

As will have become apparent, it is important to consider the way in which you intend to use your holiday home whenever you compare static caravan insurance:

  • perhaps you use it quite infrequently for weekend breaks, say, and keep it furnished fairly basically;
  • or it might be used as a home-from-home which you regularly occupy for several weeks each year – keeping it furnished to a high standard;
  • it is sitting on a fully serviced site with security that is maintained 24/7;
  • there is little or no security on site outside of office hours;
  • it might be positioned on a cliff site overlooking the sea or perhaps on a river bank inland;
  • you alone use it;
  • you sometimes let it out to others for holiday purposes.

Each of these situations and considerations may have a bearing on the type and extent of the static caravan insurance you need to arrange. Keep this in mind as you discuss the details of your cover with your broker so that your particular needs and circumstances are properly reflected in the cover that is put in place.

Recap of static home insurance essentials

It may be useful to recap some of the essential elements of static caravan insurance we have discussed:

  • safeguarding the holiday home itself – against loss or damage through exposure to risks such as storm damage, fire, flooding, impacts, theft, and vandalism – lies at the heart of your insurance cover;
  • getting the appropriate static home cover is a combination of many factors, including the make and model of the caravan, its age, its location, and how you intend to use it (whether that’s for your own exclusive use, for example, or sometimes let to paying guests);
  • at Cover4Caravans, in the event of a successful claim following its total loss, we offer new for old cover on both static homes and tourers up to 10 years old and regardless of the number of previous owners. (Your sum insured MUST represent the current replacement cost);
  • remember, too, that any major refit or refurbishment of your static caravan is likely to increase its value – when you may need to review the total sum insured;
  • we have stressed the importance of adequate public liability insurance (cover that your site owners and managers may insist is essential) and that is reflected in the fact that our policies incorporate as standard public liability cover of up to £5 million.

Finding the most suitable cover, therefore, relies on a clear understanding and appreciation of static caravan insurance. Here at Cover4Caravans, not only are we able to help you gain that thorough understanding, but also shop around on your behalf, allowing you to compare static caravan insurance online, before arranging the most suitable cover to meet your particular needs and circumstances.