One of the most important though overlooked aspects of caravan insurance is the need to have public liability cover. This is part of most caravan insurance packages for a limit of up to £2 million for an incident involving your caravan which you are deemed liable for.
This cover is particularly important given the current climate where "suing" is almost second nature with the accident firms that exist with their "no win, no fee" adverts. We have all seen the adverts on television and it is a booming business, so your own protection is always a good idea.
The insurance that you have will cover any amounts you have to legally pay for things such as accidental bodily injury, accidental loss or damage to property that arises from your ownership of the caravan.
As an example, if your caravan was to cause damage on a site to another caravan, this cover is provided for exactly this type of incident. For static caravans the site that you are on will generally request that you hold this cover for at least £2 million and will ask to see a copy of your insurance certificate to prove it and will keep this on file for their records. This information is normally stated on your insurance schedule and a full explanation of the cover is within your policy booklet. It is also very important for you to keep these things with you when you are touring around or whilst you are on site with your static van.
Some insurers will automatically extend to include European cover, which is generally the United Kingdom (England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands), the European Union, Norway and Switzerland, and the public liability, although this is not always the case. The public liability extends to these geographical limits but it is always best to check your cover in advance to ensure adequate protection.
Another major point to consider is that, despite many assumptions and misconceptions to the contrary, public liability on the road is actually covered by your car insurance and not by your caravan insurer. This is because your car insurance is a legal obligation and will cover you for damage you cause to other vehicles, bodily injury to others etc, again, typical limits of £2 million or £5 million.
Any damage caused to your caravan or contents, however, is covered. For example if your van was damaged or scraped by another vehicle your insurer will provide specific cover for these eventualities. It has to be said that, occasionally sometimes automobile insurance providers may incorrectly advise their customers that the caravan insurer should provide the public liability cover when towing, forgetting that there is no rule in law that makes caravan insurance compulsory.
Source by Michael Stammers
