The problem of caravan storage

Wednesday, 16, Sep 2009 03:18

At this time of year caravan sales often increase due to the clement weather. Caravan holidays are on the up in 2009 and there are more owners being registered than ever before.

Yet once the summer months have gone, arranging storage for the caravan over the winter months can prove to be more difficult than expected.

If you're fortunate enough to have a driveway on your property, the standard for some time has been to park the caravan at your home. The benefits are obvious - your vehicle remains in plain sight while proximity to the house will deter thieves.

However it can also have a reverse effect when those holidays are taken. When the caravan leaves the drive, it can alert potential burglars that the house is empty. In addition, when left on the property there is the risk of annoying neighbours or breaking any rules which apply to the house.

The ideal solution for owners in the past has been to place the caravan on a secure storage site. This is not to say the idea is without its problems, mainly with regard to the issue of insurance.

The Caravan Storage Site Owner's Association provide the gold standard for caravan storage and advise on safety and security. Their seal is recognised by a large number of insurers, who will sometimes not offer insurance for unapproved sites. However not every owner either desires or is able to store their caravans on one of these areas.

Adrian Flux insurance services are familiar with this conundrum. "We've had lots of enquiries from customers who want to store their caravans on unapproved sites because they are more conveniently located or more competitively priced than approved sites," observed Julie Carter from the insurers. "Some of them are having problems getting quotes" she added.

It's not all doom and gloom however. With the advent of technology such as Google Earth and Google Streetmap, it has never been so easy to assess risk in advance. Gone are the days when a cautious owner's only option was to drive to the area and get a 'feel' for the place. Insurance brokers Adrian Flux have used the technology themselves to expand their cover to unapproved sites, where previously they could have declined to quote from lack of knowledge.

The best advice for owners forced to store their vehicle at an unapproved site remains simple. The use of extra security devices remains an effective deterrant to opportunist thieves. Wheel clamps, modern locking devices, and vehicle trackers are all proven to help thieves move on, and as such are also useful in reducing those insurance premiums.