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quoteEven when your tourer or camper is off the road, insurance risks like theft, storm damage, flood, fire, accidental damage and vandalism can still happen. Here is our guide on the importance of insuring your caravan or motorhome even when you are not using it.
We’ve looked back at our caravan and motorhome insurance claims and our stats reveal that a massive 43 per cent of claim payouts were for when leisure vehicles were not in use.
So, even when you’re not able to use your pride and joy, it’s still vulnerable to damage, or worst still, theft. And let’s not forget, your caravan or motorhome may be one of the most valuable things you own.
Here we look at five reasons to continue essential protection for your caravan or motorhome – even when you can’t get out there and explore.
- Theft
Unfortunately, thieves might look to take advantage and valuable motorhomes and caravans could be a magnet to criminals during this crisis.
Caravan and motorhome theft has risen dramatically in the last five years and in 2019 accounted for more than a third of all our claims costs. Thieves might also be on the lookout for items to steal from your ‘van.
- Storm damage
Bad weather can strike at any time of the year. Remember the freak storm in the summer of 2012 when hailstones the size of golf balls caused half a million pounds of damage to caravans and motorhomes owned by our customers in just one day?
Recent storms such as Storm Brendan and Ciara saw a huge spike of claims for damaged panels and windows, not to mention flood damage. The recent storms have meant weather-related claims accounted for 39% of caravan claims so far in 2020.
- Fire
We’ve seen a rise in fire claims in recent years, particularly at storage sites. Eleven per cent of caravan claims in 2019 were fire-related.
- Vandalism
Vandalism is usually quite rare when campsites and storage sites are busy with people coming and going, but we expect to see a rise in these claims as caravans and motorhomes are left unattended for long periods of time. Two per cent of our caravan claims last year were for vandalism and the cost of the damage caused can run into the thousands.
Unfortunately, we’ve already seen news reports of mindless vandalism during the lockdown – from scratching car paintwork, slashing tyres, to smashed windows and graffiti.
- Accidental damage
The chances of bumping and scraping your caravan or motorhome will reduce whilst it’s off the road but it could still be at risk of damage from things such as falling tree branches when in storage. We’ve even dealt with claims where birds have flown into vehicles causing damage! Not to mention those mishaps that often occur when moving your vehicle around at home for maintenance and cleaning.
“Our stats show that you just can’t predict what’s around the corner and that caravan and motorhome insurance is vital to protect against the unexpected,” said Director Neil Menzies. “A significant chunk of our insurance claims occur when a caravan or motorhome is not being used and often these are amongst the most costly type of claims, so it’s important to have cover in place, even during these really difficult times.”
Plus, if you’ve chosen to SORN your motorhome (take it off the road) it’s still important to remain insured. Some storage sites might even insist on it and it still needs to be legally insured if kept on the road or in a residential car park. Likewise, a laid up caravan’s insurance policy continues to protect it from theft and these other risks all year round, whether it’s in use or not.
And if have any outstanding finance on your caravan or motorhome and it was stolen or damaged you would have to pay the remaining finance, with no replacement unit if not insured.
Should you need to renew your policy or get a new motorhome or caravan insurance quote you can contact the Caravan Guard team on 01422 396769 or click the “get quote” button at the top of this page.
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