Caravan Park Insurance Requirements

Most static caravan owners on the Sussex coast — from the parks around Selsey and Pagham across to Bognor Regis, Littlehampton, Camber Sands and Pevensey Bay — have a clear picture of what their static cost them, what's in it, and where the keys are. Far fewer have a clear picture of what their insurance actually says about it: the specific security conditions, occupancy clauses, inspection routines and notification windows that need to be in place before a claim will pay out as advertised.

It's an awkward gap to discover after an incident. The break-in is the bad day; the call from the loss adjuster two weeks later, asking when the van was last inspected and which security measures were in place, is when the policy moves from headline cover to footnote cover. This piece is a walk-through of what UK static caravan insurance most commonly requires of owners and of the park itself, why so many of those requirements are quietly missed, and how a well-built park security plan helps both the operator and individual owners meet warranties without thinking about it.

This is general information, not insurance advice. Every policy is different. Check your own wording carefully, or speak to your broker. References to common patterns are drawn from published terms by Caravan Guard, Shield Total Insurance, Leisuredays, Compass and others, and from industry guidance by the BH&HPA, NCC and CaSSOA.

Why Caravan Insurance Is Its Own World

Static caravan, lodge and park-home insurance sits between residential home cover and unoccupied-property cover — and behaves like neither. Three structural features set it apart.

Predictable absence. Most static caravan policies assume the van is not occupied year-round. Cover is designed around regular periods of vacancy — and the policy wording reflects that, with conditions kicking in around inspections, drained services and security measures.

Dual responsibility. The individual owner insures the van. The park operator insures the site, the amenity buildings and their public liability. Where the two intersect — perimeter, lighting, key holding, professional security — is where most policy wording assumes specific things are in place that often aren't.

Park-level conditions. A surprising amount of personal van cover depends on the park meeting certain standards: BH&HPA or NCC membership, defined perimeter security, a key holder, sometimes CaSSOA-style accreditation for tourer storage. If the park doesn't meet them, your individual policy may not respond the way you expect.

"Insurance pays out for what you said you would do — not for what you actually did. The gap between those two sentences is the gap most owners discover at the worst possible moment."

The Six Categories Of Warranty Owners Need To Know About

UK static caravan policies — Caravan Guard, Shield, Leisuredays, Compass, NFU Mutual and the rest — vary in detail, but the categories of warranty are remarkably consistent. These are the six to read carefully in your own wording.

1 · Occupancy and unoccupancy

Most policies define an "occupancy" position — typically that the van is in regular seasonal use as a holiday home, not lived in permanently and not abandoned for the year. Many add a defined "unoccupancy" trigger, typically around 30 to 60 consecutive days without anyone present. Once the threshold is crossed, cover changes — often with restrictions on theft, escape of water and malicious damage. If your van will be left longer than the threshold over winter, the policy needs to know.

2 · Site security requirements

Many policies require the park itself to meet defined security standards: a controlled perimeter, gated access, adequate lighting, and in many cases a designated key holder. Some require the park to be a member of the British Holiday & Home Parks Association (BH&HPA) or registered with the National Caravan Council (NCC). Tourer storage cover frequently requires CaSSOA-accredited storage. If you've never asked your park manager whether they meet your insurer's site conditions, that's a worthwhile call to make.

3 · Personal security devices

Approved locks, security alarms, hitch locks (for tourers), wheel locks and corner-steady locks are routinely listed as conditions of cover or as conditions for theft discounts. The wording is often specific to named products. Fitting a generic alternative isn't always treated as compliance.

4 · Maintenance and seasonal closedown

Drained water systems, isolated mains, gas turned off at the bottle, and sometimes drained fuel tanks are all common winter conditions — often presented as part of avoiding the predictable escape-of-water claim that follows a freeze. Failure to drain down is a routine reason cover is reduced.

5 · Inspection requirements

Many policies require documented inspections during periods of non-occupation — typically weekly, fortnightly or monthly depending on the policy. The inspection has to be by someone with authority to access the van, has to be recorded, and increasingly has to be evidenced if there's a claim. "I asked the neighbour to keep an eye out" rarely meets the wording.

6 · Notification windows

Most policies require notification of material changes — change of use, change of address, change of ownership, prolonged absence, fitting of a new appliance — within a defined window, often around 14 days. Quiet drift in any of these is one of the most common reasons cover is reduced at claim stage.

The Anatomy Of A Reduced Or Refused Claim

The pattern of a contested claim is recognisable. Each stage is where the policy and the reality meet.

Common Warranty Breaches Owners Commit Without Realising

The same set of gaps show up across the Sussex coastal parks year after year. None of them is dramatic on its own. Each one is a routine reason claims are reduced.

"We were going to drain down this weekend."

The pipes burst the weekend before. Escape-of-water claims tied to undrained systems are one of the most consistently contested categories in static cover.

"I asked the neighbour to keep an eye out."

Informal inspection arrangements don't meet most policy wordings. The condition typically expects a documented, regular inspection by someone with authority to access the van.

"The hitch lock came with the van — it must be approved."

Many policies require specifically-named or insurer-approved security devices. Generic equivalents may not satisfy the wording, particularly on touring caravan policies.

"The park has security at the weekends."

Security present some of the time is not the same as the perimeter, lighting, key holding and patrol cover most policies expect for the unoccupied season. Owner cover often depends on park-level cover being properly in place.

"We didn't think we needed to tell them."

A renovation, a new TV, a new awning, a change of use, a long absence — the cumulative drift in undisclosed changes is a routine source of reductions. Most policies require notification of material changes within around 14 days.

"My van is fine because the park is BH&HPA."

Park membership of BH&HPA or NCC is often necessary for cover to apply, but it isn't on its own sufficient. The personal warranties on your individual policy still need to be met.

Park-Level vs Owner-Level vs Storage-Level Cover

Here's how the three layers of caravan-related insurance interact — and where the security warranties typically land.

Six Pillars Of Compliance For A Sussex Caravan Park

Whether you're a park operator wanting to support owners' policies (and your own), or an individual owner wanting to make sure your warranties are met, the building blocks are the same. These are the components we build into every Sussex coastal vacant property and park contract.

The Practical Checklist For Owners And Operators

Use the following well before the end of the season — for owners and for park operators in parallel.

1 · Read your policy wording properly

The headline schedule on page 1 isn't where the warranties sit. The conditions, exclusions and security requirements live deeper in the document. Read them once a year. Highlight what's expected of you, what's expected of the park, and where the gaps are.

2 · Confirm your park meets its end

Park-body membership (BH&HPA / NCC), perimeter standards, lighting, designated key holder, documented patrol regime, professional security cover where required. If the park doesn't have those in place, your individual policy may already be running thinner than you think.

3 · Fit and document approved security devices

Approved hitch lock, wheel lock, corner-steady locks (where applicable), insurer-approved alarms — and the proof of fitment. Take photos. Keep receipts. Save them with the policy.

4 · Drain down properly and on time

Water drained, gas isolated, mains isolated where required. Record it. Burst-pipe escape-of-water claims are one of the most-contested categories — and one of the most preventable.

5 · Document every inspection

Date, time, person, what was checked, photos. Whether your inspections are by you, by the park manager, or by a contracted security provider, the audit trail is what the loss adjuster will ask for.

6 · Notify any material change within 14 days

New TV, awning, hot tub, decking, change of use, prolonged absence, change of ownership — all of these need to go on the insurer's record. Drift is the slow road to a reduced claim.

7 · Plan around storms and bank holidays

Cover and inspections need to be heaviest in the storm and holiday windows when both damage and incursions spike. The seasonal logic we set out in our winter security guide applies directly.

8 · Talk to the park manager and your broker — annually

One conversation a year, in advance of closedown, between the owner, the park manager and the broker, closes more compliance gaps than any single security measure.

How Advance Guarding Helps Sussex Caravan Parks Meet Warranties

We provide off-season and year-round security cover for caravan parks, holiday parks, lodge sites and touring grounds across the Sussex coast — including Selsey, Bognor Regis, Chichester, Littlehampton, Lancing, Shoreham and the rural coastal villages — with operational cover designed to support both the park's own insurance position and the personal cover of every owner on it.

Every deployment is staffed by SIA-licensed officers, supported by BS 7499-aligned mobile patrols, BS 7984-aligned key holding and alarm response, documented inspection records, and director-level oversight on every contract. We brief the operational cover around the specific warranty wording owners and operators are trying to meet — not off a generic template.

For most parks, the practical change isn't dramatic: a documented patrol regime, a professional key holder, a single point of contact, an audit trail and the evidence to put in front of an insurer if anything ever happens. That's the cover that pays out as advertised when the call eventually comes. Everything else is decoration.