Cheap touring insurance – does such a thing exist?

Some of us that own touring caravans spend a fair bit of our time each year wondering about how we may find cheap touring insurance.

Here are a few thoughts on the subject:

• to begin with, it is probably worth acknowledging that what is cheap tourer insurance for one person may not prove to be cheap for you – as some people may have discovered when they have purchased apparently low-cost insurance only to subsequently discover, in the event of a claim, that they did not have quite the cover they thought they had;

• responsible caravan owners may wish to approach the search for cheap touring insurance on a slightly different basis to the traditional sorting of price-tags into ascending sequence – this is based upon looking first of all at the nature of your caravan and how you use it;

• for example, how many of us make the effort to think-through to obtain a clear understanding of our approximate annual mileage for the year ahead and check whether this is still aligned to our insurance policy’s allocations – there may be little point in paying for mileage cover limits that you will, in fact, never use;

• another example might be continental cover – if you have no plans of all to take your caravan overseas then a policy that does not provide such cover, as standard, may prove to be a little more cost-effective for you;

• similarly, you may perhaps be lucky enough to have the opportunity to garage your caravan (or store it on your own land) when it is not in use – if that is the case, you may be able to benefit from a reduction in insurance premium (as insurers typically regard caravans parked off the public highway as being at lower risk than one parked outside on the road;

• as a final example, perhaps you have a relatively young or inexperienced driver included on your insurance protection for the towing vehicle, however, if they now no longer tow your caravan (e.g. a child that has now left home) there may be no point in paying extra for a policy that provides such cover;

• this may make for an interesting alternative approach to finding cheap touring insurance.

Top tips for cheap insurance in Northern Ireland

Here are some tips relating to cheap insurance in Northern Ireland:

• although it may sound obvious, getting a number of different quotations may be advantageous, as it may help you to find suitable deals – this may have been easier said than done in the past but the insurance position in Northern Ireland has changed out of all recognition in recent years and choice is now more readily available;

• you may find it easier on your time if you start by using a site that consolidates the products from a number of insurers operating in Northern Ireland – this may help you avoid going through endless individual sites of insurers only to find that some of them do not offer their products to Northern Ireland postcodes;

• you may find that your own behaviours and requirements may have a significant influence on the total price of your insurance, so it may be worthwhile checking what discount options potential insurers offer on their policies;

• areas in which you may be able to influence the cost of your insurance downwards may include:

o accepting a higher excess;

o being able to park your vehicle off-road (e.g. in a garage or on your driveway) when it is not in use;

o fitting immobilisers, alarms and tracking devices to your car or bike – in the case of property, fitting security locks and bolts plus burglar alarms, may also be well-received and recognised through discounts;

o in the case of car and bike insurance, reducing your annual mileages and avoiding powerful and expensive machines, may result in lower cost for you in terms of insurance; etc.

• it is always a good idea to understand what elements of cover are essential to you and which are marginal before trying to evaluate whether or not an option constitutes cheap insurance in Northern Ireland – the logic is simply that there may be no point in paying for extensive cover in areas where you do not need it;

• finally, remember that what is cheap insurance in Northern Ireland for someone else may not prove to be so for you, so, don’t necessarily believe what someone else has told you but instead do your own research based on your requirements.

Is cheap static caravan insurance available – and other FAQs

Here are some questions that may have occurred to you regarding cheap static caravan insurance.

Is it possible to find cheap static caravan insurance?

This depends entirely on how you define cheap and what is cheap for one static owner may not prove to be so for another.

Of course, some policies may carry a smaller price tag than others, however, it may be more important to you in the longer term to be clear that you have a policy offering you the financial security you need rather than one that is costing you the least possible.

What is the difference between a static caravan and a park home?

Different insurers may apply different interpretations but typically static caravan is one that is occasionally occupied for holiday related activities, whereas a park home is normally a permanently occupied place of domicile.

Note that if you are living permanently in a caravan, that fact alone may not define it as a park home – insurers may apply other defining conditions as well.

Is it possible to insure the contents of my static caravan?

Typically yes. Contents insurance may contain conditions, exclusions and limitations that should be evaluated in terms of their suitability for your requirements.

What do I do with my caravan during wintertime?

That isn’t really an insurance question as such, however, from an insurance point of view, if you securely store your caravan in a recognised facility during the winter months, you may benefit from a reduction in the price of your insurance.

Will my awning and external items be covered?

To answer that it will be necessary to read carefully the detail of your caravan insurance policy or quotation, however, some insurers may cover awnings providing that any claim for storm damage relates to events that happened while you were present in your caravan.

The position with external items is more complicated. Typically, possessions stored under an awning will not be covered though some forms of fixtures to the external areas of the caravan, may be.

Once again, a thorough read of your policy documentation may be advisable, whether you consider it to be cheap static caravan insurance or not.

Selecting Shop Insurance

What aspects of shop insurance does your business need? The various insurance factors will need to be scrutinised in great detail to be sure you are getting the correct coverage for the correct price. A shop selling alcohol and papers may be more worried about fire damage than a shop selling bottled water and fizzy drinks.

It may be easier to hire an insurance agent who should be able to guide you through the ins and outs of getting the correct insurance. For your shop insurance compare the risks of your shop to other shops that do the same thing. Try to find out what types of insurance they have and what they consider as their highest risks.

Most shops will be going for a reasonable amount of cover for their stock, with things like stock loss through accounting and theft to be covered. Building and contents cover is usually a given. You may also need cover for equipment breaking down or getting stolen, as well as cash theft and natural disasters. Though it seems like it may not happen, there are things like fires, riots, flooding and storm damage.

Do check the details when you apply for shop insurance compare the extent of coverage with other policies. They may be cheaper for a less attractive reason. There is public liability and employer’s liability. These can and often do stand apart from your shop insurance. Public liability protects you from costs due by customers and visitors getting hurt within your shop. Employer’s liability protects you from the costs of your staff getting hurt.

There are also shop insurances that cover business interruption. This covers the money you would have made if your business were not interrupted. So for example if you cook items and your gas is cut off for a week and it was not your fault, this sort of insurance will cover you for the money you would have probably made if the gas had been on. This insurance can go to cover the small occurrences to the big occurrences like if you shop was burnt out and you are planning on fixing it up and opening it again.

Specialist Risks provides quotes for all commercial needs. Why not visit us to compare shop insurance.

How important is having the cheapest caravan insurance to you?

There’s perhaps a fair chance that you may have responded to this question on the cheapest caravan insurance by saying – very.

If so, you may wish to think again:

• it may be worthwhile trying to imagine the situation where you have to make a claim against your policy, in such a scenario, would your first thought be that you were so happy you had chosen the cheapest caravan insurance around?

• if a member of your family, after a problem with your caravan, asked if the circumstances would be covered by your insurance, would you respond by saying that it didn’t matter because it was the cheapest caravan policy around?

• if the above responses horrify you, then it may be worthwhile re-thinking your views of cheap caravan insurance;

• there may, of course, be absolutely nothing wrong with a low-cost policy – the key point is though, that a policy typically cannot be evaluated in terms of its price alone and a comprehensive review of the cover it provides, may be a more reliable method of selection;

• the fact is that every caravan insurance policy is typically different from every other policy and some policies may be far more suitable for your particular situation than others – and that is nothing to do with price;

• in event of needing to claim, you won’t be rushing to check how much you’re currently paying for your policy but typically will be inspecting, in some detail, exactly what protection it provides – and that may be a powerful argument for approaching initial policy selection from the same start point;

• if you need to call upon your insurance for support, you will typically not wish, at that stage, to discover for yourself that what is the cheapest caravan insurance for another caravanner has not proven to be the cheapest for you.

The importance of high value house insurance

photo credit: hr.icio

If you have a high value property, don’t just assume you can cover it with a standard house insurance policy. It might not adequately fulfil your needs. If your home is worth more than £400,000 and you have possessions valued between £80,000 and £100,000, you should make sure you have high value house insurance in place.

Cover for any potential damage to the property

Sometimes considering the size of high value homes it can be quite difficult making sure they’re in the best shape. Most builders and tradesman may not have the practice working on high value residences, and when they do, it’s likely they’ll want to charge a high price. Before you hire anybody, speak to an insurance adviser and weigh up your present insurance. Don’t simply assume your normal home owner’s insurance is enough to cover any eventualities that may occur when having work done on your high value home. If your home needs repairs this should be done by specialist builders and contractors using the proper materials and correct techniques. This will only be covered if you have a high value house insurance policy in place.

Cover for the possessions inside the property

If you have the following high value items in your home you should make sure you have appropriate high value insurance in place to cover them:

• Jewellery
• Fine Art
• Antiques and Jewellery

The price of gold continues to rise, meaning high value jewellery continues to be a target for thieves. Having your high value insurance policy tailored to your needs to adequately protect the value of your jewellery is absolutely essential. One of the key benefits of protecting jewellery in this manner is that you’ll be given worldwide protection. This means that if you take any pieces abroad with you when travelling you’ll know it will be protected against any potential loss, theft or damage. This piece of mind can only come with a properly tailored insurance policy.

Fine Art

Real top quality art isn’t found in most homes in the UK. Therefore, you’d be foolish to think it will be covered in a standard house insurance policy. If you own it, think of how it would make you feel if it was lost, damaged or stolen and you couldn’t claim for the value of the piece. If you want to have these items in the home, think about your insurance.

Antiques

If your home is full of family antiques passed through generation to generation, again a standard house insurance policy simply won’t cut it, so it is important to get these items valued and included in your house insurance policy.