Tim Holmes

How can I tailor caravan insurance cover to meet my needs and budget?

Posted on 2nd February 2018 by Happy Admin

Our touring caravan insurance policy offers extensive cover as standard for fire, theft, storm, flood and accidental damage. But with a number of flexible choices and optional additional benefits, you can tailor your caravan insurance to meet your needs and budget.

You can choose from these optional benefits to get a tailored insurance quote:

New for old option for caravans up to 15 years old, meaning you’d receive a brand new replacement caravan of the same make and model (or the nearest equivalent) if yours was stolen or damaged beyond economic repair. Or choose market value cover which would pay out the value of the caravan at the time of the loss. New for old cover generally costs more as you need to set your insured caravan value at the amount it would cost to buy a brand new replacement whereas market value cover means you pay a premium against what the caravan is worth today.
Optional cover for equipment which will provide insurance for your awning, gas and water bottles, security devices, motor mover, pots, pans, crockery, cutlery, TV etc. Be sure to add an insured sum to your policy which reflects the full value of these items if you want everything to be covered.
Optional personal possessions cover whilst at your caravan, which covers your clothing, toiletries etc. This is suitable if you’d like to cover your personal items whilst in or about the caravan, but does not cover high risk items (for example cash or jewellery). Of course you might already be covered to take these items on holiday under your home insurance policy.
Optional protection of your no claims discount will keep your premiums low, even if you go on to make a claim.
Low cost optional legal expenses cover: up to £100,000 to pursue injury, consumer and employment claims, and recover uninsured losses like your excess following a non fault claim.
Two levels of emergency accommodation or caravan hire options, where you may benefit from up to £100 a day for 30 days alternative accommodation, allowing you to continue your holiday following an accident that means you can’t use your caravan. Or choose no cover, giving you a further saving.

European cover options including the ability to remove cover completely in exchange for a premium saving or including. Or choose cover letting you take trips abroad for up to 180 days or up to 240 days.
Flexible excess from £100 to £1,000, providing discounts of up to 25%. The higher your excess, the lower your premium.

You can read more about our cover features in our policy booklet and policy summary which you can view on our documents page. As an existing customer, please refer to your schedule to see which cover options and limits apply to your policy. Note that feature and discount availability is subject to terms and conditions, cover level and underwriting criteria. Minimum premiums also apply.

Get a tailored quote online today, or call the number at the top of the page to let our advisers explain the various cover options available.

The cheapest – and the most expensive – caravan you can insure

Posted on 22nd January 2018 by Happy Admin

In truth, there’s no upper or lower limit to the value of caravan Happy Place can insure.

Low cost caravans

Google “cheap caravans for sale” and the usual eBay, Gumtree, Trovit etc examples come up. It’s all about buyer beware at this level and – to many degrees – you’re going to have to take the rough with the smooth and it’s likely to prove a good test of your DIY skills. At the very least, any caravan should be roadworthy, however, and it’s well worth holding back some of your budget for a professional service to ensure any such buy is safe – both on site and on the road.

If buying a used unit through a dealer, ask what checks have been made. Have the chassis, electrical and gas system being checked? Also ask to see the results of any damp checks and if the caravan comes with any warranty – either the balance of the manufacturer’s warranty if only a few years old or the dealer’s own used caravan warranty.

If buying privately, you might wish to get an independent engineer to run these checks for you. The likes of the MCEA offer a mobile service where a caravan engineer will come and run the checks for you and point out any minor or major issues before you buy. The identification of some issues might allow you to haggle on price so you can set aside some money for repairs. The engineer should be able to give a rough estimate of how much repairs will cost.

Before buying the caravan make sure it has been CRiS checked for ownership, outstanding finance and whether it’s been an insurance write off.

A caravan for £100? Why not? There’s a bit more choice if you can get up to £1,000. It won’t be perfect, for sure, so do budget for any extra work that might be involved in getting it ready for use.

The cheapest new tourer

Mircrolite Bijoux & Xplore 304 — Microlite Bijoux (left) & Xplore 304 (right)

Freedom caravans range of lightweight tourers offer low prices with its Microlite Bijoux starting at £8,795. The good thing here also is that weights are kept down, so no hefty tow car required here. If you want a more well known brand, Elddis’ entry level Xplore 304 four berth caravan can be picked up for a very modest £13,249.

Top price tourers

Officially, the most expensive new caravan on the market in the UK at the time of writing is an Airstream. The four-berth twin axle Airstream Colorado starts off at a whopping £91,995, although you can add £1,395 to that price if you want the Solar Front Window Protection option.

If you’re looking for something a little more mainstream, Lunar’s premium Alaria RI can be bought for just £33,599.
You could pay a lot more, of course, should you wish your dealer to add extra equipment at the time of purchase (satellite TV, levelling systems and the like). Certainly, items like a proper alarm and tracking system will be a prerequisite for any insurance cover.

Don’t forget though, the more expensive caravans are often the heaviest, so you’ll also have to budget for buying and running a powerful tow car.

Beware imports, though. If a caravan has been privately imported, in other words not bought through a UK dealer, you may struggle to obtain insurance cover. Happy Place are unable to insure personal imports.

What about insurance then?

Remember Happy Place can insure a caravan of any value subject to underwriting criteria.

It’s true, you might not feel it’s worth taking out insurance on a caravan of limited value. Your tow car insurance should provide third party cover for your caravan whilst being towed. But it won’t provide any cover for damage to or theft of the caravan itself.

So if your caravan and equipment is worth anything above £1,000 it’s worth considering cover.

Your insurance company may ask for additional security and improved storage conditions for higher value caravans. This may include a tracking device for the caravan, or in terms of home storage, perhaps a hitchpost or locked gates on the driveway.

Do consider the cost of any items you may be taking with you on your travels – that’s anything from pots and pans to an awning (a new awning could, in theory, be worth more than the caravan you’re attaching it to) to televisions to outdoor furniture. You’ll probably need a policy that will cover them too.

Top tips

Caravan insurance is not a legal requirement… but it is highly advised. You’ll have cover for theft as well as accidental damage, for example.
Always ensure your car insurance covers you for towing.
Buying secondhand? Always get a CRIS check (www.cris.co.uk) to establish a caravan’s history.
Buy within your budget. That means catering for repair work, servicing and upgrades etc.

Found your ideal caravan? Get the insurance cover it deserves; Click here or call the number at the top of the page.

How can I get cheaper caravan insurance?

Posted on 17th January 2018 by Happy Admin

Many companies claim to offer cheap caravan insurance, however it’s important to check exactly what’s covered, as low-priced caravan insurance is not always the best or suitable for your needs. You don’t want to be left with a hefty repair bill should the worst happen!

How to get your caravan insurance at a low premium

1. Pay only for the cover you need

Many caravan insurance providers will let you select from various cover options according to your needs. For example with Happy Place, European and emergency accommodation cover can be removed or extended in line with your needs.

2. Consider your caravan storage location and storage security

The postcode of your caravan storage location will influence your premium. That might not be something you can change, but security measures at your storage location could reduce your premium. Adding a chain and padlock to the gates at the end of your driveway, or a security hitchpost, could be favourable. Also, if using a dedicated caravan storage site, check to see if it has measures such as high fencing around the site’s boundary, as well as a lockable gate or barriers to stop any Tom, Dick or Harry driving onto or off the site. CCTV is also a great storage site theft deterrent.

3. Improve the security on your caravan

Think above and beyond wheelclamps and hitchlocks. Consider axle wheel locks, GPS tracking devices and alarms for extra insurance discounts. Many modern caravans have these fitted as standard.

4. Minimise on road and manoeuvring risks

Many 2008 onward caravans are supplied with automatic anti-snaking devices like AL-KO’s ATC. This device can also be fitted to older tourers. Alternatively, think about adding a reversing camera or sensors, to make reversing into your storage spot or onto your pitch that bit easier. Think about Tyron safety bands, which help you bring your caravan to a safe stop following a tyre blowout, or even think about TPMS (tyre pressure monitoring systems). Your insurer should lower you premium if your caravan has any of these fitted.

5. Increase your excess

As is common in car insurance, you can add a voluntary excess on top of the caravan policy’s standard excess. You have to take a calculated risk on this one; obviously a higher excess will generally reduce your premium, but if you were then to have a caravanning mishap, you’d have to pay a higher amount when claiming under the policy.

6. Build up your no claim discount

A pretty obvious one, but if you manage to avoid a claim (and perhaps some of the above ideas will help you do that), you’ll be able to start building a reasonable NCD to reduce your premium. Even if you’re new to caravanning, Happy Place could still give you an introductory NCD if you have experience of towing or driving larger vehicles (such as vans or trucks).

We provide up to a total of 50% discounts to careful caravan owners, and further discounts are available to club members or caravan owners who read a caravanning magazine.

To find your ideal insurance cover and see if we can give you a cheaper price, get a quote today: Click here or call the number at the top of the page.

Caravan security devices guide – hitch locks, wheel clamps and axle wheel locks

Posted on 11th January 2018 by Happy Admin

In 2016, a disturbing number of more than 1,400 caravans were stolen in the UK, with caravans aged between two or three years being more likely to be targeted. In recent years with the rise of the great British ‘staycation’, the summer months have seen a further increase in the theft of caravans.

Fortunately there are lots of security solutions available on the market: Good quality security devices will make your caravan safe and deter thieves. Security devices range from hitch locks to corner steady locks, from wheel clamps to alarms and trackers.

Here we’ll look at mechanical devices in more detail.

Sold Secure

Look out for mechanical devices that carry the Sold Secure badge. Sold Secure is a testing body that subjects locks to extreme examination to make sure they can withstand known thief attack methods for a reasonable length of time.

Hitchlocks

These prevent a potential thief connecting the caravan to another vehicle by covering the tow hitch assembly and fixing bolts. A hitchlock works as a visible deterrent and stops your caravan from being instantly hitched up and towed away. Prices vary from £30 through to £150: a well-fitting hitchlock is less likely to be tampered with and will be harder to break. Chassis manufacturers AL-KO also sell their own range to fit their own hitches. Other hitchlock makes include Bulldog, Milenco, Purpleline Fullstop, Saracen, SAS and Stronghold.

Wheel clamps

Like hitchlocks, there are many wheel clamps available to buy on the market. The purpose of a wheel clamp is to prevent a tyre from rotating should a thief try to tow your caravan away. Well-known makes include similar names to hitchlocks, including Bulldog, Full Stop, Milenco and SAS. It’s worth noting thieves may deflate tyres to simply drive out of a wheel clamp, so look for a wheel clamp that won’t allow this. Purpleline’s Nemesis Ultra has a metal rod that sticks through your caravan wheel: When thieves attempt to tow your caravan, the Nemesis’ bar is designed to foul on the bottom of your caravan, hence stopping the wheel from further rotation.

Axle wheel locks

We offer an insurance discount for fitting axle wheel locks. These can only be employed on caravans with alloy wheels. Many new caravans come fitted with a receiver for an axle wheel lock as standard, but not all come supplied with the lock itself, which can be bought separately. The lock goes through the wheel and is attached to the caravan chassis via the receiver, preventing any rotation.

The most common axle wheel-lock is the AL-KO Secure, which is made to fit into receivers found on AL-KO caravan chassis. Some caravans built on a BPW chassis will have a receiver for a BPW Diamond wheel lock or iWD wheel lock. Some third party locks do fit into the AL-KO receivers: These include the Purpleline Full Stop Excalibur, SAS Gridlock, and Bulldog Max, though the latter two are no longer in production.

Corner steadies

You can add extra security to your caravan with caravan leg locks. These simple to use locks are relatively inexpensive at £20 to £50, and lock your corner steadies in the down position to immobilise your caravan. Caravan leg locks are highly visible to attract attention, and act as an additional deterrent to potential thieves.

Insurance discount availability is subject to terms and conditions, cover level and underwriting criteria. Minimum premiums also apply.

Find out how much you can save on caravan insurance today: Call the number at the top of the page or click here for an instant online quote.