Archive for the ‘Van Insurance’ Category

How to weather those wintry hazards

Monday, February 16th, 2009

It is no wonder that we want to escape to the sun at the first sign of winter what with all the hazards that suddenly hit us immediately the temperature slides south. A month or two into the colder season and the insurance company phones become alive to the tune of bells whether its claims on car insurance, house insurance or holiday insurance, it never gets busier for an insurance company than over the winter.

According to the article “Q & A: Insurance cover in the snow” there are ways to prepare ourselves for the onslaught of potential wintry disasters citing a few examples along the way.

In the event of pipes bursting, your home insurance should cover the expense of damage unless you have been absent from your property for over thirty days. Usually, burst water pipes are covered by contents and building insurance, while tanks with frozen water is covered by buildings insurance. Check your insurance policy for a breakdown of specific cover.

The roads are icy and you like many others this season, have struggled to drive your car and collided with another. You can claim on your fully comprehensive insurance although insurance companies urge drivers not to go out in difficult driving conditions unless absolutely necessary. If you have third party insurance and you collide with another car, your insurance won’t cover it.

A common winter complaint is that cars won’t start in the morning but can they claim on their insurance? If this happens to you, you cannot claim on your insurance however you can get assistance on your breakdown cover.

Frosty nights present problems galore for insurance companies thanks to the crime of “frosting”. People leave the car running while de-icing it in the morning allowing 15,000 opportunistic thieves a year to take advantage and steal your car in a crime recognised as “frosting”.

Bad weather has caused you to miss your flight because you couldn’t travel to the airport. Your travel insurance will cover you as long as you prove there was no way you could get to the airport on time and you will need to have checked in too.

There are many problems caused by the wintry weather, in addition to the ones just mentioned, there is the matter of a cancelled flight, snow damage to your home and cars skidding into your car to name but a few. If in any doubt, check with your insurer immediately!

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Posted in Car Insurance, Car Insurance For Women, General, Home & Contents Insurance, Travel Insurance, Van Insurance, breakdown insurance | No Comments »

Towing the line when it comes to caravan security!

Friday, February 13th, 2009

We all take an interest in the security of our homes but why are we less motivated to do the same with our mobile homes? According to the article “Your Caravan is a Target – Act Now & Insure Your Caravan” if we make an effort to improve the security of our caravans, our homes on wheels security can be increased by a massive ten times! This is something we are all interested in as there is nothing worse than losing our prized possessions to opportunist thieves!

The Home Office have claimed that crimes against our vehicles amounts to nineteen per cent of all England and Wales crime. This is a serious problem that can be contained to a considerable degree if we just use our heads. In addition to added security measures, it is important to insure our vehicles against (amongst other things) damage, fire and theft and to consider the importance of finding an insurance policy that suits our requirements to the optimum level.

When considering the caravan insurance policy that offers the best value for money as well as keeping your premiums to a minimum, you must fit your caravan with an immobiliser. Ensure that whenever you stop, your caravan is completely immobile. Fit a caravan wheel clamp whenever you stop for a period to prevent a passing thief from being tempted into removing your vehicle. Make the commandeering of your caravan as difficult as you can by ensuring each corner is secured with a decent padlock and if chains are used, ensure these are as short as you can make them.

Always make sure your windows, doors and sun-roofs are firmly locked when you leave your caravan and get into the routine of doing this whenever you leave the vehicle empty.

A worthwhile security measure that is increasing in popularity all the time is to get a tracker fitted as well as a good alarm. In the event of a theft, security marking is recommended by the relevant authorities. To assist the police in tracking your caravan, you would be doing yourself a big favour to ensure you have the manufacturers seventeen digit identification number (or VIN) marked on the chassis and windows.

When parked up, ensure your caravan is less interesting to criminals by leaving the vehicle for only short periods at a time. If there are no valuables on board your caravan, make sure passing thieves know of this by leaving curtains open.

To avoid damage to the caravan by burst pipes, make sure all pipes are drained and that the electricity and gas supplies are switched off when you are away from the vehicle. To avoid fire (which is a great risk in a caravan) you are responsible for maintaining your heating equipment and making sure everything is in good working order.

Last but not least, avoid becoming just another Home Office statistic by ensuring your caravan keys are on you at all times even when away for the shortest period of time.

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Posted in General, Van Insurance | No Comments »