Caravan storage factors

It is prudent for caravan insurance customers to use security devices that immobilise their touring caravan, as a deterrent to thieves. What about your chosen caravan storage location? Does it offer sufficient security protection or present a potentially greater caravan theft risk! Thieves like nothing better than to be given easy access to a caravan and then easy access to a fast escape route, such as a motorway or fast a road.

The majority of caravans are stored at commercial storage premises. These range from farms or businesses with a bit of spare land turned over to caravan storage (with little thought to the theft risk or natural hazards such as vermin, storm or flood), through to high tech security compounds with controlled access, secure perimeters, CCTV, security lighting and sophisticated alarms wired to call centres with response units.

  • Choosing the right location to store your caravan

    When considering where to store your caravan, you should look at what you are getting for your money. If the storage is primarily a working farm or other business, are the gates open during working hours? Many caravan thefts occur openly and in broad daylight and so a secure compound perimeter that is only locked at night is not secure at all.

    Understandably it is very convenient to store a caravan at home, where it can be easily cleaned and maintained and quickly made ready for use.  More than 30% of stolen caravans are taken from the home address. The vast majority of these were visible from the road, on driveways or frontages without gates.

    If you are fortunate enough to be able to store your caravan at home, you should consider whether it can be screened from prying eyes, with access to it restricted as much as possible (in addition of course to fitting good quality security devices). If you are unable to do so, you might think about using a storage location that offers good security and is free from natural hazards, whilst still using your security devices of course!

    When selecting a secure caravan storage site, do not be afraid to ask what security measures are in place and ask if they work and are maintained!  A CCTV camera that is broken or has no more space on its recording equipment, will not help apprehend thieves or vandals. If in doubt you could seek specialist advice from the Caravan Storage Site Owners’ Association (CaSSOA), telephone number is 0115 934 9826. CaSSOA maintains a certified secure storage locations register - of which the higher standard sites often attract a caravan insurance premium discount of up to 25%!

  • Caravan crime

    The people that commit caravan thefts unfortunately tend to be extremely practical and resourceful and sadly there is no single (or even multiple) device or storage location that can guarantee a caravan will not be stolen.

    The best that you can do is to be aware of the potential risk of theft (of or from your caravan) and consider ways in which you can reduce the risk by securing your touring caravan and then storing it in a location that reduces the risk of attack.

    Sadly, despite an owners best efforts caravan thefts still take place and we have seen instances in which caravans have been stolen from seemingly secure military compounds. In one instance, a well secured caravan was lifted over a high security fence on to a low loader. The crane had been stolen from a neighbouring compound for the purpose! It is not uncommon for caravans to be removed from sites simply by dragging them across fields at the rear of the storage compound - the site owners having wrongly assumed their sites would only be approached by the normal access road. 

    Should the worst happen, it is vital that you choose the right insurer and the right caravan insurance policy, so that your caravan claim can be settled promptly and efficiently in order to get you back caravanning - with the minimum disruption to your holiday arrangements.

    It is worth bearing in mind that most caravan thefts occur during the summer months.