Caravan Insurance Policy

Whatever type of caravan you have, your caravan insurance policy is an important document that justifies your serious attention.

The formats will vary between insurance providers but each policy will normally highlight a number of important factors including:

• those things your policy covers and those things it does not;
• conditions that you need to ensure you comply with if you would like to make sure that your policy cover is not put at risk.

It is worth paying close attention to these things when you are selecting a caravan insurance policy and to try and avoid simply looking at the price.

Some examples

If you have a tourer type caravan, your policy will often typically demand that you use a hitchlock and wheel clamp.

It may also define aspects of their use - such as for example typically the need to use both devices if your caravan is detached from the towing vehicle but only a hitchlock if it remains attached.

Another example may be awnings.

Typically, your caravan insurance policy may cover awnings but under a number of conditions possibly including:

• contents left under external awnings may not be covered;
• your awning may be covered for storm damage even when it is open, but only if your are present;
• open awnings damaged by a storm may not be covered if you are away from the caravan at the time.

The purpose of the conditions

Some people think that insurance providers build in conditions to try and avoid paying out in the event of a claim.

This typically just is not the case.

The conditions exist because your caravan policy is designed to offer you financial protection against a range of risks that you and the insurance provider have agreed between you.

In return for taking on those risks, you pay the insurance provider a premium.

The conditions simply try and help to avoid ambiguity and associated confusion and also to try and ensure that both parties understand the limits of the cover and their mutual responsibilities.

So, in the above awnings example, the implication is clearly that you would be expected to behave responsibly and keep risks down by stowing your awning if you are planning to be away from the caravan.

If you do not, it would be unreasonable to expect the insurance provider to have to accept the consequential risks.

So, reading and understanding your caravan insurance policy really is quite important. Most responsible insurance providers will always be only too happy to clarify anything in it for you.