| Touring caravan owners are doing themselves a | | | | want to ensure that continental use is covered as |
| favour by educating themselves as to what | | | | part of the policy. This is standard on many policies, |
| constitutes a caravan insurance policy. The main | | | | but by no means all, so if you do intend to head off |
| elements of a caravan insurance policy are: | | | | to mainland Europe you should check. Repatriation of |
| - Contents | | | | the caravan (normally to its insured value) and |
| - Damage and Loss | | | | roadside assistance (to a set maximum amount) |
| - Liability to the Public | | | | comes as standard in some policies, but again not all. |
| - Continental use | | | | If it doesn't then you should consider how you are |
| - general exclusion | | | | going to deal with such circumstances. You will also |
| - Excess This article is intended to offer an insight | | | | find some countries are excluded from the cover, |
| into each of the elements. | | | | these are mainly the former Soviet Block countries, |
| You will sometimes find that contents and personal | | | | for instance Poland, Albania, and Bulgaria. Again, you |
| effects is not standard, and only available as an | | | | should check if you are going beyond France, |
| optional extra, and even then it is generally quite | | | | Germany, Spain and Italy. |
| limited in its coverage. So it is advisable to carefully | | | | All policies have a general exclusion section. These |
| check precisely what is covered. You will normally find | | | | exclusions are generally highly unlikely events (like |
| that some or all of the following are excluded: | | | | war, invasion, terrorism, pressure waves from |
| money; credit cards; valuables; audio/video devices; | | | | supersonic planes), but it is still worthwhile to review |
| bikes; phones; documents; computers. You should | | | | this list. Generally more relevant is the fact that use |
| also bear in mind that forcible entry is also required to | | | | other than social, domestic or pleasure is excluded. |
| be able to make a claim. Also you will find that | | | | You will need a separate specialist policy to deal with |
| policies differ in whether they cover theft from trailer | | | | this type of use. I have found that by and large |
| and toilet tents, and awnings. | | | | these exclusions are consistent between the |
| Damage and Loss of a caravan are another element | | | | different available policies on the market. |
| of a standard policy. This will normally provide | | | | The excess of a policy is the amount of any claim |
| coverage up to the value of the caravan itself. There | | | | that you must pay yourself before the insurance |
| are in fact two types of cover for damage and loss: | | | | company will part with any money. To illustrate this, if |
| - New For Old: this means that should your caravan | | | | you were to make a claim for £600 and your |
| be lost or damaged beyond repair your insurance will | | | | excess was set at £100, then the insurance |
| provide you with a brand new caravan as a | | | | company would pay you £500. You can often |
| replacement. However there is an age limit on this, | | | | select different levels of excess, and if you want to |
| normally for caravans up to 5 years old. | | | | save money on your insurance premiums, one of the |
| - Market Value: Again, should your caravan be lost or | | | | easier ways to up the amount of excess that you |
| damaged beyond repair your insurance will pay the | | | | have on your policy. |
| prevailing market value of the old caravan, to enable | | | | Whenever choosing a caravan insurance policy it is |
| you to buy an equivalent second-hand caravan. An | | | | always wise to: |
| important part of any caravan insurance policy is that | | | | - know what the policy does covers |
| it will cover injury or loss to a member of the general | | | | - know what the policy doesn't cover |
| public, resulting from your use of the caravan. Often | | | | - know what you need to have covered |
| this cover will extend to people to whom you have | | | | - know what you don't need to have covered |
| leant the caravan, providing it is not hired to them, | | | | - get multiple quotes for policies |
| and also they are not using it for purposes of | | | | - compare not only the cost, but the coverage of |
| business. Generally the level of coverage is between | | | | the policy The best way to gather this information is |
| £1million and £2million, sometimes more, | | | | by finding your caravan insurance online, and a great |
| and sometimes this includes any costs. | | | | way to do this is at our caravan insurance website |
| If you take your caravan to the continent you will | | | | caravan-insurance-cover.co.uk. |