The extremely windy weather during December and the early months of 2012 has caused a 300% increase in static caravan insurance claims for storm damage when compared to the same period a year ago.
The majority of claims have been for roof lights or ceiling vents which have been ripped off or severly damaged in high winds, but damage has also been caused by objects being hurled in to static caravans, with large outdoor structures such as sheds being the main culprit. This highlights the necessity to properly secure any outdoor furniture, equipment, or other objects which could damage your static in high winds.
Sheds can be secured using caravan storm straps with heavy duty screw-in ground pegs. If you have room then consider bringing smaller items inside your holiday caravan or securely tie them to the underneath of your unit. Also consider nearby trees and speak to your park owner should you have a worry about branches which look like they could cause you trouble.
Teresa Eastwood, Claims Liaison manager at Leisuredays, had this to say,
“Whilst the risk of static caravans being blown over in high winds is small the results can be devastating, as part of our standard policy we require all static caravans to be anchored at the corners or fitted with skirting to stop this happening. It’s for this reason that the vast majority of claims we handle are for objects flying in to the static caravan in high winds and damaging the side panels, sometimes causing severe damage.”
It’s easy to see how something like a large metal garden table could cause some serious damage to your static caravan, but even smaller items such as chairs, bird feeders, or rubbish bins need to be secured to avoid damage too.
Teresa also warned about roof lights and other external features being prone to damage,
“Any features that are exposed to the elements on the outside of your static caravan are at risk of damage in very high winds, but items with larger surface areas such as satellite dishes, sky lights or roof lights are particularly susceptible. Always ensure that sky lights, particularly the plastic variety often found on older units, are tightly closed in high winds, and consider removing satellite dishes which could be snapped off and damage your static caravan or someone else’s nearby.”
Leisuredays provide insurance for static caravans and park homes, both of which include cover for damage during storms. Cover from other insurance companies may be different though, so be sure to check your policy carefully before taking out insurance. If you have any questions, or would like a quick insurance quote, then you can contact us over the phone or via our email form.
Hi,I like your sugestions which are to most people common sense,but there are a lot of people who dont think “WHAT IF” or just dont care,these are the people who think why should i bother the insurance will pay.
In my opinion your quotes should be more competative especially when, on sites where it is compulsory to take out YOUR insurance,and not have any choice about finding better quotes.
I am prepared to pay a higher excess to stop small claims, and claims caused by owners not prepared to think “WHAT IF “.Also we should get a better discounts for compulsary purchase of your insurance
Regards
John.
if you are lucky you might get paid for the damage i did not
John –
Leisuredays aim to provide as competitive insurance premiums as possible and I’m sorry to hear we have worked out a little more than you were expecting. I would hope that the service you have received from us has, and will continue to, justify the insurance premium you pay, and we very much pride ourselves on striving to offer the best possible customer service at a great value price, and would never simply aim to be the cheapest.
Also, you do have a choice on which company you take out insurance with but some parks do apply an admin fee if you don’t use their chosen provider (in your case that’s us) as there is additional work in ensuring everyone is insured on park. It is normally in your licence agreement that you must have insurance in place to protect you and the park, but you do have the right to choose your insurer.
If you have any more questions then please feel free to contact us directly at [email protected] and we’ll be more than happy to help.
Neil
Leisuredays
Hi Neil,
Thanks for your reply,i appreciate all your
points,and certainly do not aim to critisise
your company,i do believe the practice of all
caravans on site being insured by the same company makes sense,but i believe the caravan owners should benefit from a discount or competetive quote for their loyalty to these schemes.
Kind Regards
John.
Hello John
If I have a gripe it would be the way site owner’s slap on an additional agent’s fee which in our case added £100 to the cost of our insurance. There was me thinking he was our agent who had the clout to negotiate a better price for what was effectively compulsory insurance. As Neil (lesuredays) has pointed out… you have the right to seek another insurance provider but your site owner will get their money one way or another and will make your life hell if you don’t go along with this unregulated scam.
Until such time that there is legislation introduced which gets to grips with these unscrupulous site owners then static caravan owners will continue to be fleeced for their annual insurance cover.
Regards
Keith