Top tips to protect your static caravan

At Peacock Insurance we know buying a static caravan is a huge financial responsibility, which makes protecting your investment very important, and when it comes to insuring your investment, it makes sense to arrange your insurance through a specialist broker.

Peacock Insurance understand the unique requirements of holiday home owners so we can arrange flexible cover options and excellent value for money, with leading insurers. Whether your static caravan is used solely by you and your family, or let out as holiday home on a commercial basis, we have the policy and cover to suit your needs.

As well as choosing a specialist broker like Peacock Insurance to arrange insurance for your holiday home, there is plenty you can do to protect your static caravan. Holiday Parks are often in areas that can be more susceptible to the elements like high-winds and flooding. As many people come and go at a holiday park, this gives a greater risk of theft and vandalism. Poor maintenance could reduce the lifespan of your holiday home. All of these possibilities make it important to be aware of what you can do to protect your investment in a static caravan.

Top tips to Protect Your Static Caravan

Tips to keep Your Static Caravan Secure

Choosing your holiday park

Check if your holiday park is a member of a ‘watch scheme’. Scheme members have seen reductions in theft and crime.

Find out how the site is managed. Is there on site security? Is there on site monitoring of alarms and CCTV?

At the end of the season are you required to empty your caravan? Whilst this may seem inconvenient it is an important factor in reducing crime on holiday sites.

Protect with an Alarm

Protecting your caravan with an alarm is a great deterrent for intruders. It will be heard all over the holiday park and in most cases intruders will run away.

Check your Locks

Make sure all doors and windows are locked before you leave and at night time. This may seem obvious but when in a rush to pack up and get home, it’s easy to forget a window.

If your static does not have double glazing consider fitting window locks.

Install a Motion Sensor Light

Installing a motion sensor light outside is a great deterrent to burglars. If your pitch is flooded with light, it is unlikely they will run the risk of being seen. These can be purchased at reasonably priced from DIY stores.

Safety Tips for Your Static Caravan

Ventilation

Make sure the caravan is well ventilated and ensure vents are not blocked to avoid a build-up of poisonous gases.

Carbon Monoxide Alarm

Carbon monoxide is a highly poisonous gas that is invisible, and you cannot taste or smell it. Always have an approved alarm in your static caravan.

Smoke Alarms

Always have a minimum of one smoke alarm and check and change batteries yearly.

Fire Extinguisher

It is recommended that you have one or more fire extinguishers in your caravan, preferably within reach of the kitchen.

Fire Blanket

Keep a fire blanket in the kitchen to extinguish any cooking fires.

Appliances

Ensure all appliances are off at night to minimise fire risk.

Gas Checks

Most holiday parks now recommend for your own safety that you have annual boiler & gas fire check carried out by a Gas Safe Registered engineer.

Gas Cylinders

Make sure your gas connection pipe is secure and the gas bottles are stored in a safe place.

Always keep flammable items away from the cylinders.

Maintenance Tips for your Static Caravan

Gutters & Roof

Keep the gutters and roof free of debris, a simple sweep can prevent roof damage. Use an extended brush for your safety.

Regularly check the gutters and the roof for breaks and holes. If water builds up it can rot the roof and cause damp inside the caravan.

Water

Holiday caravans are less insulated than standard homes and water can easily freeze, causing pipes to burst.

Turn off the water when you are not there and at the end of the season drain the water systems prior to leaving.

Chassis

Check the chassis regularly and use wax oil to keep free of rust. Chassis damage repair is expensive but preventable.

Consider skirting if the holiday park is near the sea.

Foundations

Check your homes foundations looking out for cracks and report any to the site owner.

Damp

Leave your curtains open when you are not in the caravan in the colder months, to air the caravan.

Panels

Regularly clean the outside of the caravan with a warm water and a detergent such as a car cleaner. Animal waste and tree sap can cause damage if left unchecked.

Talk to one of our insurance experts directly on 02476 437 600 & we will personalise your Static Caravan Insurance cover specific to your needs or visit this link for an online quotation!

All you need to know about Caravan Insurance this Winter

The sun has gone in, the mornings are getting colder, and the evenings darker. It’s that time of year where everything starts to feel damp, and time away in the caravan may not feel as welcoming as it did in peak season. That’s not to say that you should park the caravan up until next season though. There’s plenty of fun still to be had if you want to, but it’s worth noting that if you are hanging the keys up until next year, you’ll need to be aware of the steps to take to close down your static caravan safely.

Preparing your caravan for the winter months

Once you’re sure that you are done using the caravan for a few weeks or months, preparing your caravan for freezing cold temperatures is something that mustn’t be avoided. Whilst you can still make good use of your caravan or tourer during the winter, the vast majority of caravanners tend to use this time to make adjustments to their caravan ready for the next season of shows, trips and holidays. Making sure your caravan is completely up-to-date and ready to go is essential maintenance in giving your caravan a long life-span ensuring to get the best out of it during the main season.

Parking

Parking your caravan somewhere safe, whether that be on a home driveway, a field or spare bit of land is important for keeping the caravan safe throughout those slack travel months. It might sound like a simple ‘tick-off’ the to-do list but it’s surprising how many people overlook where they’ll safely store their caravan.

Battery

It’s advisable to take your battery out of your caravan over the winter, particularly if you don’t store your caravan at home, and take it home to store in a warm, dry place. As leaving it in a cold and damp caravan across the freezing winter months can deteriorate the state and the performance of the battery.

However, if your policy requires you to have an alarm on the caravan, or indeed if you’ve outlined that there is an alarm in place, taking the power supply out means that the power supply won’t function. This could invalidate your insurance policy, so it’s always good to check under what endorsements your insurance policy is!

Shut off the water supply

After the last trip of the summer, before you choose to park your caravan up, you must shut off the water supply to the caravan and drain the pipes of any excess. The last thing you want to happen is that under freezing conditions, your pipes freeze and burst, causing catastrophe to your interiors. Potentially costing thousands in repairs.

What is the law on caravan insurance?

Touring Caravan Insurance

Touring caravans are not subject to insurance by law as they can be covered by your car insurance, in a third party capacity. However, in order to drive safely and with the peace of mind should any incident occur, it’s always best to check with your car insurance provider to make sure the level is adequate enough for your requirements. This is true too when the caravan is parked up for the end of the season. To keep you protected from fire, theft, or any other unexpected incident beyond your control, it’s helpful and can save you a lot of cash to have an insurance policy covering you.

Static Caravan Insurance

Again, there is no legal requirement to insure your static caravan. However, if something were to go wrong, then you as the owner would need to foot the bill for this. It’s worth remembering that with a static caravan, it is obviously in-situ away from home on a what-would-be empty caravan site over the winter months. Could you afford it if something were to go wrong?

Need to find specialist caravan insurance? We have access to Insurers who specialise in caravan insurance so contact us for a free online quote here.