We store our van in France and are currently insured with through the Camping and Caravanning club. I got a phone call, swiftly followed by an email, this afternoon (16 days before renewal) to say they/their underwriters are no longer offering insurance for vans stored abroad.
I then tried to get a quote from Towergate, and after filling in the on-line form, followed by 40 minutes on the phone, was very apologetically informed that the underwriters were unhappy with the security of the storage so would not insure the van.
The storage is, in my opinion, 100% secure (a locked, weatherproof barn on a working farm with the family living on site), but because (presumably)there is no CCTV, motion activated security lights, permanent wardens or a perimeter fence, then they would not accept it!
I even asked whether they would consider just insuring the van while it was away from the storage, as I am so confident it is secure, but unfortunately not.
So unless anyone has any suggestions for alternative insurance companies, it seems our options are to move storage sites (to somewhere that ticks their boxes but is probably actually not as secure), to use the caravan uninsured (it's a 2013 2 berth Coachman VIP, value around £13,000), or to bring the van back to the UK.
Any suggestions gratefully received.
Don't forget to leave a review of the French and other European campsites you have visited!
You mention insuring it away from storage ie while towing it & using it in France presumably you could just insure caravan as if it was kept in UK & insured for European use ?
Quote: Originally posted by billy on 28/2/2022
You mention insuring it away from storage ie while towing it & using it in France presumably you could just insure caravan as if it was kept in UK & insured for European use ?
The trouble is, when getting a quote you have to say where the van is stored. You don’t seem able to insure for just while it’s being used - unless anyone out there knows differently?
I don’t know what has happened to the CCC insurance this year but our premium for renewal this month came in at almost £200 more than last year despite not having made any claims. We switched to the CMC which was our best quote but I don’t know if they insure vans stored abroad, I would doubt it.
Excuse my ignorance if this is a stupid idea but could you get insurance with a French insurance company if the van is stored and only ever used in France?
------------- Pixie
Don't forget to leave a review of the French and other European campsites you have visited!
With regards to using a French insurance company, I’m not sure whether it’s possible or not. I suspect the fact that in France caravans need to be registered, with their own “carte grise” and registration plate, will cause difficulties. Worth investigating though, thanks.
I'm pretty sure this was covered quite some time ago and the person had insured their van through a French company and had provided contact details about them.
------------- XVI yes?
As well is two words!
How does a sage know everything about everything? or does he? or does he just think he does?
Remember, if you buy something you bought it, not brought it.
Ok try this. Do you have room to store caravan at your home ? So insure in UK with Euro cover caravan parked at your home. All t&cs state that caravan is not covered if left unattended for over 24hrs away from place of storage. If you are ok with it being uninsured in French storage facility then if caravan was accident damaged while in use in France & you claimed how would your insurer know the difference ?
I would think though biggest risk for caravan at French storage is fire not actual security against theft so your choice. Tbh probably best to just bring it home & tow it to France on your hols. Works for me & most others.
------------- Every day should be a holiday!
Don't forget to leave a review of the French and other European campsites you have visited!
This is not a new development, I used to store my caravan in France up until a couple of years ago and in 2018 I changed my van to my present one and Towergate who I'd been with for a number of years refused point blank to insure it, same storage site, no previous claims, like for like swap (Swift to a Swift)
I ended up insuring it with the C&CC and when I brought it back to store in the UK after a couple of years in France the premium dropped by £200
Quote: Originally posted by Big Roy on 01/3/2022
This is not a new development, I used to store my caravan in France up until a couple of years ago and in 2018 I changed my van to my present one and Towergate who I'd been with for a number of years refused point blank to insure it, same storage site, no previous claims, like for like swap (Swift to a Swift)
I ended up insuring it with the C&CC and when I brought it back to store in the UK after a couple of years in France the premium dropped by £200
I thought that caravan theft was a British thing and caravans hardly ever got stolen on the continent i.e. France, Spain etc.
We insured with Towergate, and have recently renewed with no problems. Our site seems less secure than yours, but perhaps the 'insured value' of our caravan is so low they are quite happy to continue to insure it. If they refused to insure ours at the next renewal we would be happy to accept the risk. Another option - buy a cheaper van to use in France uninsured and take your Coachman home to use in the UK. Your car insurance will cover third-party risks whilst you are towing.
Don't forget to leave a review of the French and other European campsites you have visited!
I have spoken again to Towergate and apparently the issue is that the van is stored on a working farm so it’s an automatic no-no, as it now is with any 'non-standard' storage facility.
I also spoke again to C&CC to see whether it was just where we store that was the issue, but they confirmed that the new underwriters have stopped all cover for European storage.
None of the other insurers I have contacted offer cover for vans stored abroad, so it looks like the choice is to fetch the van home (defeating the object of having a van stored in France in the first place) or move storage sites to somewhere acceptable to Towergate.
I’m in the same storage as bofs and due to Covid, I’ve been happy to lapse my insurance as the caravan is safe inside in France. I now see that I won’t be able to renew, so I will go down the road of saying it is stored at my home. In the very unlikely event of anything happening in storage I would not have a claim, otherwise I’m sorted. Alternatively it’s a 2011 Lunar, and I could not bother with insurance, even though it’s like new due to indoor storage and very light summer use. I might try Val’s suggestion.
A day of all things motorhome and campervan. The show is held both in the main indoor arena and across the grounds. Catering, hot drinks and food options are available. Easy access to the site and free parking included. Win one of five pairs of day tickets
Topic: Insurance - not happy!
via mobile 28/2/2022 at 7:32pm
