caravan park insurance

OWNERS SHOULD BRACE THEMSELVES

Posted on February 12, 2025

Owners encouraged to take suitable steps to protect their investments...

Following a record number of storms during the last 12 months, static caravan and holiday lodge owners should prepare for an increased risk of storm damage, according to Compass, a specialist provider of caravan and leisure insurance. Strong winds, falling debris and flooding can cause severe structural damage, leaving owners facing costly repairs or replacements.

Recent weather events, such as Storm Ashley and Storm Bert, underscore the importance of taking preventative measures and securing comprehensive insurance coverage, particularly in coastal and rural areas popular with caravan owners.

Kevin Minnear, Head of Underwriting at Compass, said: “Static caravans are vulnerable to extreme weather, due to their fixed nature and exposed locations. We’ve already seen significant amounts of storm damage in 2024, with insurance claims currently exceeding £430,000. *Now that we are entering storm season, caravan owners should take appropriate preventative measures.”

The UK weather is hard to predict and, with flood and storm damage accounting for around 62% of all the claims Compass has received this year**, the company is keen to stress the importance of preparing for all eventualities. To prepare for the unpredictable UK weather, Compass is encouraging static caravan owners to review their insurance policies.

In addition, the company recommends taking steps such as securing the exterior and reinforcing anchoring systems to keep caravans firmly in place during high winds. Loose items, such as garden furniture or decorations, should be removed to prevent them from becoming projectiles in stormy conditions.

Roofs, windows, sidings and seals should be checked for vulnerabilities, with barriers also fitted in areas prone to flooding. Minnear continued: “Unlike bricks and mortar holiday homes, static caravans are particularly susceptible to damage from storms, so being suitably prepared can make all the difference.

As a result, caravan owners should make sure they have adequate insurance in place, as this can significantly reduce stress and financial burden. On top of offering vital protection against storm damage, other benefits can include emergency assistance for repairs, as well as support for alternative accommodation during repair periods.

Minnear continued: “Time is critical when dealing with storm damage. Fortunately, our policies are designed to provide swift support, helping our customers get back to enjoying their static caravans again as soon as possible.”

Compass Insurance
0344 274 0276
www.compass.co.uk

*Data collected from Compass static caravan/park home claims in the past 12 months

** Figure calculated from Compass static caravan/park home claims from 1 January 2024 to 22 November 2024

On top of offering vital protection against storm damage, other benefits can include emergency assistance for repairs.

CUSTOMER SERVICE CHAMPIONS CROWNED

Posted on March 13, 2024

CUSTOMER SERVICE CHAMPIONS CROWNED

Leisuredays wins prestigious national recognition...

LEISUREDAYS’ TEAM of 115 people look after the insurance needs of more than 110,000 caravan and motorhome owners

Static caravan and holiday lodge insurance specialists, Leisuredays, are celebrating after winning a top award for their high levels of customer service. The Yorkshire-based company was crowned Customer Service Champion at the 2023 Insurance Choice Awards.

The awards are an annual campaign to find the most trusted insurance firms and this year more than 92,000 data points were received from customer reviews on the Smart Money People website to help them find the winners. Jacqueline Dewey, CEO of Smart Money People, said Leisuredays received high levels of praise from its customers.

“Your customers should be the heart of your business and Leisuredays has proven this to be of utmost importance in its work,” she said. “Our reviews show customers complimenting the friendly and efficient staff, with many claiming that the Leisuredays team has gone above and beyond to solve their queries and concerns. “This kind of reassurance and confidence in a provider is a key part of policyholder satisfaction, and Leisuredays really has mastered its customer service.

Congratulations Leisuredays on this well-deserved win, keep up the great work.” Leisuredays is part of Caravan Guard, an insurance intermediary based in Halifax, West Yorkshire. Its team of 115 positive people look after the insurance needs of more than 110,000 caravan and motorhome owners and are tasked to deliver outstanding customer experiences every day.

 

Managing Director, Ryan Wilby, said he was over the moon the company had been recognised in the industry for delivering great customer service. “We’re passionate about delivering brilliant customer experiences, so for our customers to vote for us in their thousands and give feedback about our excellent service and how we’ve left them feeling impressed is a fantastic accolade,” Ryan said.

“We were extremely proud to beat off some fierce competition and win this top-level award that many insurance providers want to win. Our staff have a big reason to celebrate and a massive thank you to all our customers who took the time to vote for us – we couldn’t have done it without you!”

Leisuredays was also shortlisted for Best Caravan Cover Provider for their specialist caravan insurance cover and its sister brand Caravan Guard won Best Motorhome Insurance Provider. It is rated 4.95 out of 5 by customers on the Smart Money People website. To find out more about how your park can earn extra insurance commission by introducing customers to our team of service champions, email development@leisuredays.co.uk or visit. www.leisuredays.co.uk/operators please call 01422 396772.

LEISUREDAYS IS RATED 4.95 out of 5 by customers on the Smart Money People website

DON’T SLIP UP!

Posted on March 13, 2024

DON’T SLIP UP!

Freezing temperatures trigger increased claims...

Compass, the insurance specialist, has issued warnings to static caravan owners to prepare early for freezing conditions this winter. With a 115% increase in claims for freezing pipes and escape of water year on year, almost 80% of December 2022’s claims were as a result of extreme cold weather.

Static caravan and lodge owners must prepare their holiday homes for winter as per the terms of their policy or risk claims being rejected, according to Compass. The company saw a 115% increase in total claims caused by cold weather in 2022 compared to 2021. Almost 80% of total claims in December 2022 were due to damage caused by plunging temperatures, as the UK was gripped by the coldest start to meteorological winter since 2010.

During December 2022 alone, claims increased by 66% year-on-year compared to the same month the year before. Long-range weather experts are already predicting that another cold snap is on the way this winter, with a higher risk of snowfall caused by the El Niño weather phenomenon.

This typically brings colder, drier weather to northern Europe due to the jet stream shifting course. With the UK’s weather becoming increasingly unpredictable, Compass is warning static caravan and lodge owners to ensure their unit is winter-ready to mitigate the risk of damage and to allow for claims to be processed quickly if the worst should still happen, despite all precautionary measures being followed.

 

WATER ESCAPE
With escape of water being the main cause of damage following freezing weather conditions, static caravan and lodge owners need to ensure that they complete a full drain down of their unit prior to leaving it unattended during winter. While owners may assume that this responsibility falls to the park, performing a drain down is a condition within most insurance policies, making the owner and not the park, liable for any damage that occurs.

Karen Stacey, Managing Director of Compass explains: “Turning off the water and opening the stopcock valves is not sufficient, and does not constitute a full drain down, as the shower mixer valve, taps, and some components in the water heater are still exposed to risk if temperatures drop.” As well as turning off the water supply and opening stopcock valves, there are several other important steps in the process of draining down, including:

• Turning on the heating.
• Opening the caravan’s external taps, usually located underneath the structure.
• Turning on all taps, flushing toilets, and running the shower, as well as removing the shower head and connecting pipe to remove as much water from the plumbing system as possible.
• Removing any remaining water by blowing compressed air through the pipes.
• Using non-toxic anti-freeze where standing water may remain, such as in toilets and down plug holes.
• Securing all windows, skylights, and doors to prevent cold air from entering the unit. Checking any external plumbing and insulating any exposed pipes from the cold.

ALMOST 80% of December 2022’s claims were as a result of extreme cold weather, report Compass.

Stacey continued: “A lot of parks provide a drain down service, and owners should take advantage of this. However, it’s important not to leave this too late, as parks may have hundreds of units to complete, and weather conditions can change very quickly, as we have seen this October.

“If a park does not offer this service, and the owner does not feel confident doing the drain down themselves, they can hire a professional to do this for them. Even units with an automatic drain down system installed may not be covered in the event of a loss, as all precautionary measures need to be taken into account.

“With claims relating to damage caused by frozen pipes and escape of water ranging from a few hundred pounds to a total loss, we urge caravan and lodge owners to take the necessary action to protect their holiday home during the winter months as soon as possible.”

 

STORM HENK
With more wet weather forecast, and reports of flooding in areas which have previously been unaffected, there have been a number of holiday parks impacted across the UK, Compass warns. Karen adds: “The first storm of 2024, Storm Henk, has caused significant flood damage to holiday caravans across the UK.

“Our stats show that storm and flood damage make up 32% of insurance claims, and in one such instance, an entire static caravan was destroyed during a storm, resulting in a £148,590 claim. “In flood-prone areas, holiday home owners may need to check that their policy does not have flood-related restrictions or requirements, such as fitting a floatation device.

While floods cannot be predicted or prevented entirely, having a comprehensive insurance policy in place can help avoid being left out of pocket should the worst happen”.
For more information on specialist caravan and leisure insurance, visit www.compassparks.co.uk

 

Compass Insurance
0344 274 0276
www.compassparks.co.uk

BE PREPARED

Posted on March 13, 2024

BE PREPARED

Secure your action plan for flooding risks...

FLOODING IS A SIGNIFICANT risk to holiday park businesses and organisations.

Unpredictable and extreme weather conditions are having a profound effect on businesses in the holiday sector. It is vital you are prepared in the event of a disaster. Flooding is a significant risk to businesses and organisations.

A relatively small depth of flooding can cause exceptionally high losses, with a depth of flooding of around 30cm likely to cause significant/total loss. Traditionally transferring the risk has been the easiest option but insurers are increasingly cautious around flood risks due to significant losses in recent years.

Insurers also have significant concerns around climate change and the impact this may have on flood losses with greater and more regular extreme weather events being experienced. If you’re unable to get flood cover at a reasonable cost, how else can you protect your park? PIB Insurance Brokers highlights four simple steps to assess and manage flood risk:

UNPREDICTABLE AND EXTREME weather conditions are having a profound effect on businesses.

STEP 1
IDENTIFY THE RISK
There are three types of flooding which are considered as having the potential to cause significant disruption in the UK. These are coastal, rivers and streams, and surface water.

GOV.UK provides services to tell you the flood risk of an area: www.check-long-term-flood-risk.service.gov.uk/risk  www. flood-map-for-planning.service.gov.uk/ The information can be limited but provides an overview of the flood risk.

 

STEP 2
ASSESS THE RISK AND IMPACT
Where a risk is identified, it is important to understand the extent of the risk and how this might impact on the business. A specialist risk advisor can assist in a number of ways.

There are various levels of attention depending upon the nature of the risk from a simple desktop review providing greater insight to the depths of flooding etc than is provided by the government backed services through a full site survey to a full hydrologists report.

When considering the impact it is important not just to consider the potential for material losses but also the associated interruption to the business and the financial impact which may occur.

 

 

STEP 3
CONSIDER RISK TREATMENT OPTIONS
There are various ways to look at flood risk management, this can be site level providing full protection to the site or protection of key assets such as building raised plinths for the location of mobile holiday homes and ensuring site level resources such as electrical and gas/LPG supplies are located above flood risk areas and connections etc are water resistant. A permanent protection will be more likely to be effective than a measure which requires a human response.

 

STEP 4
PLAN TO MITIGATE LOSS
A good business continuity plan will consider how the potential for the risk occurring is monitored such as receiving alerts from the environment agency and then deciding upon when the emergency.

David Plowman, Head of Property Risk Engineering at PIB Insurance Brokers advises: “Whilst movement of holiday homes is not practical in the event of flood warnings it can be ensured that future homes and replacement homes are built in consideration of the flood risk.

He continues: “There are core service areas within holiday parks, mitigating measures should be focused on these areas as loss of these can significantly impact sales and income dependent upon the business model of the holiday park. “Floods are likely to occur outside of core opening times and the implementation of demountable flood defences could be considered to buildings not in use outside of core season,” David adds.

 

PIB Insurance
Tel. 0330 058 9863
E. David.Moffat@pib-insurance.com
www.pib-insurance.com

NOT A PENNY MORE…

Posted on February 15, 2023

NOT A PENNY MORE

Balance your insurance policy sums...

THE GAP BETWEEN PROPERTY rebuild costs and the amount buildings are currently insured for in the UK is widening.

It’s unlikely that reviewing the sums-insured on your insurance policy was top of the list for new year’s resolutions, but perhaps it should be!

It is likely that if you haven’t reviewed your sums insured for a while, you may find that you are under insured, in fact data shows that up to 83% of properties are underinsured and on average they’re only insured for 66% of what they should be!

A greater proportion of properties are now underinsured and the gap between property rebuild costs and the amount buildings are currently insured for in the UK is widening.

INSURANCE GAP
Latest research shows 83% of properties were found to be underinsured, up from 80% in 2021. On average, these buildings were insured for just 66% of what they should have been. The percentage last year was 68%, which shows how the buildings under-insurance gap is widening in the UK. This gap is biggest among buildings insured for up to £500,000, which are on average only covered for 51% of their rebuild cost.

Buildings insured for more than £2 million are closer to what they should be, but still only covered on average for 70% of reliable rebuild cost. But what is the effect of underinsurance? Well in the unfortunate event where you have an incident on your park where you need to make a claim, if you are found to be underinsured then your claim settlement may be reduced proportionally in line with the level of underinsurance.

This can happen if the reinstatement cost of the property is not adequately valued at the time the insurance policy is taken out, or if the reinstatement cost of the property increases over time and the policy is not updated to reflect this change. Common increases can include refurbishment of premises, additional buildings and increasing cost of materials to reinstate buildings.

Insurance policies are often index-linked which means the insurer will increase sums insured at renewal by a set percentage to take into account inflationary pressures, however if the initial sum insured is incorrect then all this does is prevent an underinsurance issue from getting worse.

LATEST RESEARCH shows 83% of properties were found to be underinsured.

RE-INSTATEMENT SUMS
The other point to bear in mind is that your insurance policy will contain a ‘buildings definition’ and any reinstatement building sum insured needs to take into account that definition. A standard building definition will take into account roads and paths and underground infrastructure and if this isn’t reflected in your building sum insured or catered for separately, as it is under the Park Protect Insurance policy, then you may find that you are underinsured in the event of an insured loss.

The onus is on the policyholder to ensure that these sums are correct, so how can you avoid this potentially costly issue? A professional valuation can help ensure that your holiday park is adequately insured. It is important to have an accurate valuation of your property and assets in order to determine the appropriate amount of insurance cover. The value of your property and assets may change over time, so it is important to review your insurance cover regularly to ensure that it remains adequate. Conversely, research shows overinsurance can also be an issue.

Research shows that 13% of buildings assessed were covered for too much this year, on average by 132%. So having a professional valuation could actually save you money. A specialist insurance broker can help you assess your insurance needs and find a policy that meets your specific requirements. They can also help you understand the terms and conditions of your policy and ensure that you are adequately covered. Park Protect provides tailor-made insurance for the specific needs of your business. Get in touch to find out more.

pib Group
Tel. 01422 358 525
www.pib-insurance.com/parkprotect

MAKING A PARK DIFFERENCE

Posted on April 27, 2022

MAKING A PARK DIFFERENCE

LAURA WILBY, Associate Director of Caravan Guard and Leisuredays, leads by example as the company continues its support for vital heart research.

Leisuredays and Caravan Guard donates £1 to Heart Research UK every time a customer opts for an emailed policy rather than receiving their documents through the post. In 2021, its “Paperless Policies” campaign raised £18,614 for the charity, bringing the total amount raised in the last 12 years to £150,364. The money will be used to fund a PhD Studentship at the University of Leeds.

The student will be working on a project which aims to identify which type of platelet becomes stickier in patients with heart disease. Caravan Guard and Leisuredays lost one of their long-serving employees to heart disease, in December 2020, so they’re delighted to be funding this research project.

BEWARE THE SLIPS AND TRIPS

Posted on February 16, 2022

BEWARE THE SLIPS AND TRIPS

All you need to know about holiday park insurance…

 

WINTER IS TRADITIONALLY the time to check if your park and all its assets are properly protected against any eventuality.

 

As a holiday and caravan park owner or manager, the quieter winter season is often used as an opportunity to run annual maintenance checks and undertake refurbishment to interiors and exteriors where needed.
This is also a time when it is important to make sure that your park and all its assets are properly protected against any eventuality.
“Holiday park insurance can help you to identify what your park insurance needs are, and to make certain that these are provided for with a cost-effective policy,” says Dave Moffat, Director of Pib Group Insurance, the company behind the popular Park Protect scheme.
Whilst holiday parks present similar risk to many businesses there are significant differences. Holiday parks rely on the infrastructure on the park in the form of underground pipes and hook ups, access barriers, on site lighting etc and it is important that your insurance policy can cater for this.
“Many holiday parks will also have holiday home hire feet and holiday home stock,” advises Dave. “As such it is important that a parks insurance policy is able to cater for such units and also the debris removal and re-siting costs associated with replacing holiday homes. ”These are just two of many areas to consider when insuring holiday parks and it is important that your needs are professionally assessed.

 

 

REVENUE LOSS
In addition to recouping the actual financial cost of rebuilding or buying new holiday homes and buildings, it makes financial sense to obtain insurance which will provide you with a cover for the loss of revenue or profit incurred following a material loss.
It is important that you seek professional advice in this area to make sure the sum insured and indemnity period are sufficient for your business needs and the period your business could be affected following a serious loss, such as a fire or flood.
Pib offers common sense advice: “Having members of the public stay in your caravans and spend time in your park on a daily basis also exposes you to other financial risks.
“We live in an increasingly compensation-based culture, in which some people are willing to sue for the smallest things. Though some compensation claims may be for fatuous reasons, there are also very real risks within any holiday park that could result in injury or loss.”
One indemnity limit area holiday parks do need to consider is the limit of indemnity under this cover as the levels of very serious losses has increased exponentially in recent years and claims well in excess of £5m are no longer unusual. Crucially the limit of indemnity is set at the time of the incident but the ultimate settlement amount can fluctuate depending on the calculators used for such claims at the time of settlement. It is not possible to buy additional cover after the event and if your limit of indemnity is exhausted you would be responsible for the shortfall.
All businesses with employees are required to have Employers Liability Insurance arrangements, which usually has a £10,000,000 limit of indemnity. As with Public Liability, all Holiday Parks should consider higher limits of indemnity as it is no longer inconceivable that a very serious injury to an employee could exhaust this cover. The cost of arranging such Excess Liability cover is relatively small and should be discussed with a specialist Insurance provider.

 

Each holiday park will have different insurance needs, depending on size and a variety of other factors. A large-scale park with hundreds of caravans will have different policy requirements to that of a smaller family run park.
Insuring more than 200 caravan and holiday parks across the UK, Park Protect provides tailor-made insurance for the specific needs of your business.
Meanwhile, with all the signs pointing towards another bumper year for the industry what do Holiday Parks need to think about in relation to Insurance.
Compass Insurance have consistently raised awareness about the importance of being insured for the right amount, whether that’s parks themselves or their owners and their individual caravans and lodges. As the costs of rebuilding and replacing park buildings and in particular, caravans and lodges increases, this places more emphasis on sums insured being accurate.
For Parks this means making sure that any buildings and infrastructure insured on their policy is accurate and in some cases a valuation or survey is a good idea especially if you haven’t reviewed this for a few years.
Analysis at the end of 2021 showed that the cost of rebuilding and repairing damaged buildings had increased 7.9% in the last 12 months and forecasts show this continuing to increase as shortages of materials and labour continue into 2022. With that in mind we’re introducing a valuation service for parks insured with Compass so they can have the peace of mind that comes with a professional valuation for their sums insured.
For the owners of individual caravans on your park this can have greater significance as the current issues with supply of new and second-hand units means that what a customer insured for in good faith just six months ago may already be less than the cost of replacing that unit in today’s market.

 

 

IN GOOD FAITH
Compass always look at what the customer insured for at the point the policy was taken out or renewed and base our assessment of any claim on that value. In 2022 our policies will also be updated to contain a provision for this growing trend so that customers don’t find themselves underinsured for no fault of their own.
Compass are renowned for our market leading Holiday Caravan and Lodge product but in 2021 they invested time and resource in developing and launching more products that parks and their customers can benefit from.
Its Residential Park Home product underwent a major overhaul including the introduction of two tiers of cover (Essentials and Extra) which enable the customer to tailor it to meet their needs, as well as the addition of Home Emergency and Legal Expenses as optional covers.

 

 

TRAVEL INSURANCE
They have also developed and launched products for owners of Touring Caravans and Motorhomes both of which give market leading levels of cover at very competitive premiums.
Finally, and new for 2022, Compass is excited to be announcing the launch of its travel insurance product for customers who book breaks on Holiday Parks in the UK.
This product has been developed specifically to meet the growing demand for UK holidays and gives the customer a wide range of cover including cancellation, curtailment and emergency assistance and also includes cover for Covid19 related illness or restrictions.

Caravan Guard (Leisuredays)
Tel. 01422 396 693
Email. park-operator@leisuredays.co.uk
www.leisuredays.co.uk

Compass Insurance
Tel. 0344 274 3908
Email. enquiries@compass.co.uk
www.compassparks.co.uk

Pib Group (Park Protect)
Tel. 01422 358 525
Email. hello@pib-insurance.com
www.pib-insurance.com

BIBLICAL CHALLENGES

Posted on May 5, 2021

BIBLICAL CHALLENGES

Insurance companies respond to unprecedented times...

It has been an unprecedented period for holiday park operators with challenges of biblical proportions as they faced floods, a global plague and a stop-start famine then feast on bookings. It is a period that has also challenged insurance cover suppliers to step up for their holiday park customers. Given the extraordinary circumstances of Covid, one of the hottest insurance topics has been Business Interruption (BI) cover. Long-awaited clarity about how BI claims should be handled came with the publication of the Supreme Court judgement on 15th January 2021. Not all customers will have the specific cover the test case referred to, which means that not all customers’ policies will be expected to cover Covid. The process of assessing BI claims is a complex one, and there are steps that need to be followed in order to submit a valid claim. Specialist insurers are working with the holiday trade who had the relevant policy coverage to confirm and assess their claims as quickly as they can. Champions of the Park Protect Scheme, David Moffat, Associate Director, of PIB Insurance Brokers says: “Unfortunately the pandemic has coincided with a significant hardening of the insurance market with insurance rates for certain types of insurance increasing markedly in recent months.

PARK PROTECT
“This often happens at a time of uncertainty as it usually comes with increases in claims and the insurance market reacts accordingly,” David explains. “Insurers have seen increasing claims costs, particularly from natural disasters but also due to an increasingly litigious society,” David continues. “As insurer profitability declines, they either decide to exit unprofitable markets or increase premiums.” Meanwhile, Leisuredays have been working hard, often behind the scenes: “We worked hard to educate caravan and lodge owners that their units remained at risk during lockdown using press releases, online content and through our advisers,” says Gareth Walker, Head of Leisuredays Development. “Covid, may have meant parks were closed for long periods but the winds still blow, rivers still flood, thieves still steal and pipes still freeze,” Gareth continues. “We calculate over 90% of claims could still occur even when units are unoccupied and parks closed, with storm and flood, fire, vermin damage and theft topping the list of claim types,” says Gareth. With parks’ income drying up overnight, it was clear that specialist insurance companies needed to do whatever we could as quickly as possible to help customers through the lockdown period. Compass were quick out of the blocks, developing a tailored product, Compass Essentials, which was offered to all holiday park businesses from May 2020. The product was designed to ensure all park customers, existing and new, could be offered a discount or refund of some sort. It largely worked on the premise that parks’ insurance needs changed, as a direct result of being closed to the public. For many, this meant liability covers could be reduced without putting the park business at risk. By further eliminating less critical covers such as frozen food cover and accidental damage, many parks were able to secure immediate premium refunds of up to 25%.

HOME OWNERS
Several Compass insured parks have experienced flooding in the past six months, and a few have been very badly affected. Over half of the claims that Compass handles relate to flood and storm. One of the biggest lockdown issues for holiday home owners has been their ability to comply with insurance policy conditions. Holiday caravan owners also need to think about their sums insured as pressures on the supply chain mean that the cost of replacing caravans is likely to increase sharply, if only for the next 12 – 18 months “Coronavirus has had a significant impact on the way in which holiday caravan and lodge manufacturers can operate,” Richard Walker, of Compass points out. “Coupled with supply chain issues, this has resulted in fewer units being produced at a time when staycation bookings and new caravan/ lodge sales have boomed. “The high demand for the units that are available could potentially impact any total losses experienced by parks and their customers in the next year or so. “The fact that the dearth in available units is driving up prices may also be relevant, as will the increased costs of many of the materials used in caravan/ lodge construction,” Paula adds. Once parks re-opened, Leisuredays say they dealt with a record number of insurance enquiries as parks enjoyed healthy sales of new units.

RECORD NUMBERS

“For those suffering temporary financial difficulty as a result of Covid, we were able to defer payments or waive cancellation charges,” says Gareth. “If a customer asked to cancel their policy but was intending to keep their unit uninsured, we would do everything possible to keep them insured because the last thing they needed on top of everything else was an uncovered bill for a caravan repair or replacement. The closing of parks at the end of October also brought difficulties for customers to drain down their units for winter in line with insurance policy terms. “We were able to offer flexibility for customers to arrange for their parks to drain down within an extended timeframe yet maintain full cover until this was completed,” he adds. Leisuredays set about making it even easier for park customers by offering a new online renewal portal so they could renew 24/7. Gareth explains: “To ease any stress, we provided an up to 10% uplift to policy sum insured at no charge. “This was beneficial to customers on a new for old policy who have to insure at the price of a brand-new equivalent unit.” In effect, the Leisuredays approach meant the customer could renew and be sure their caravan would be fully replaced with a new one on the park – it also reassured the parks that the customer would have sufficient funds to replace their unit via them.

SUFFICIENT FUNDS
“If anything, our way of working with parks has worked extremely well during the pandemic,” Gareth emphasises. “Because our parks work with us as Introducer Appointed Representatives they effectively introduce the customer to us for us to quote, then setup and administrate policies. “When parks re-opened in July 2020, many parks were keen to maximise sales so they bundled our free insurance offer with new units as a deal sweetener. “This proved extremely popular for new owners who wanted everything to be provided as part of the purchase package.” Gareth believes Covid has made self- administration of customer insurance even less attractive for holiday park operators. “We’re even more confident the route of introducing to a specialist like ourselves delivers better results,” says Gareth. “Letting a specialist such as Leisuredays do the insurance admin lets them concentrate on their core business. Gareth adds: “We firmly believe they’re in for a bumper season of demand for holiday caravan sales and holidays so they need to make hay whilst the sun shines in that regard – why let insurance get in the way?”

COMPANY CONTACTS

Compass Insurance
Tel. 0344 274 0276
enquiries@compass.co.uk
www.compassparks.co.uk

Leisuredays Insurance
Tel. 01422 396 693
parkoperator@leisuredays.co.uk
www.leisuredays.co.uk

PIB Insurance Brokers
Tel. 01422 358 525
david.moffat@pib-insurance.com
www.pib-insurance.com/business/hospitality/caravan-and-holiday-park-insurance