The extremely windy weather during December and the early months of 2012 has caused a 300% increase in static caravan insurance claims for storm damage when compared to the same period a year ago.

The majority of claims have been for roof lights or ceiling vents which have been ripped off or severly damaged in high winds, but damage has also been caused by objects being hurled in to static caravans, with large outdoor structures such as sheds being the main culprit. This highlights the necessity to properly secure any outdoor furniture, equipment, or other objects which could damage your static in high winds.

Sheds can be secured using caravan storm straps with heavy duty screw-in ground pegs. If you have room then consider bringing smaller items inside your holiday caravan or securely tie them to the underneath of your unit. Also consider nearby trees and speak to your park owner should you have a worry about branches which look like they could cause you trouble.

Teresa Eastwood, Claims Liaison manager at Leisuredays, had this to say,

“Whilst the risk of static caravans being blown over in high winds is small the results can be devastating, as part of our standard policy we require all static caravans to be anchored at the corners or fitted with skirting to stop this happening. It’s for this reason that the vast majority of claims we handle are for objects flying in to the static caravan in high winds and damaging the side panels, sometimes causing severe damage.”

It’s easy to see how something like a large metal garden table could cause some serious damage to your static caravan, but even smaller items such as chairs, bird feeders, or rubbish bins need to be secured to avoid damage too.

Teresa also warned about roof lights and other external features being prone to damage,

“Any features that are exposed to the elements on the outside of your static caravan are at risk of damage in very high winds, but items with larger surface areas such as satellite dishes, sky lights or roof lights are particularly susceptible. Always ensure that sky lights, particularly the plastic variety often found on older units, are tightly closed in high winds, and consider removing satellite dishes which could be snapped off and damage your static caravan or someone else’s nearby.”

Leisuredays provide insurance for static caravans and park homes, both of which include cover for damage during storms. Cover from other insurance companies may be different though, so be sure to check your policy carefully before taking out insurance. If you have any questions, or would like a quick insurance quote, then you can contact us over the phone or via our email form.

A recent Facebook poll has shown that people in the UK prefer their static caravan or holiday home to be within an hour or so drive – perhaps the saying should be “a home not too far away from home”?

Of the people who took part in our poll, almost 50% owned a holiday home which was between 50 and 100 miles away, which could easily be driven to in a few hours, and 24% of people travelled 50 miles or less, meaning their holiday home was literally on the doorstep.

Chris Nettleton, Director at Leisuredays, had this to say about the results,

“The UK is a fantastic place to own a holiday home as you don’t have to travel far to reach the coast or an area of beautiful countryside, within just a short drive you can be sat outside your holiday home with a cup of tea or a glass of wine, with none of the stress of airports! This poll just proves this fact further, and we weren’t surprised to see that most people prefer their holiday home to be easily accessible with a short drive, meaning they get the most out of their investment”

Looking at the statistics as a whole, it’s interesting to see that 73% of people travelled less than 100 miles, further cementing the fact that most people choose a holiday home within easy driving distance.

To get involved with future polls, and to keep up to date with all the latest news and reviews we post on here, make sure you ‘like’ Leisuredays on Facebook at www.facebook.com/Leisuredays

Most people know that freezing conditions can play havoc with holiday homes, with bursting water pipes and damp being the main causes of worry; but there’s another issue which needs to be considered when leaving your holiday home over the Winter period, the build up of snow and ice on your roof.

Last year we saw a huge number of holiday homes damaged due to the large amounts of snow causing roofs to simply collapse under the weight, with flat roofed static caravans being the most susceptable. James McConnell runs a park in the North East that’s been on the receiving end of Mother Nature’s worst,

“The Damage was really odd, I’ve never seen anything similar in 27 years of park operations, we had so much snow that the weight of it buckled in the roofs.”

Leisuredays recommend that providing you can reach your holiday home safely, it is a good idea to sweep excess snow from the roof, or speak to the park operator and find out how they can help or what they would recommend you do. Of course, even with the best of precautions a sudden severe snow fall can still catch you off guard, which is why James’ praise of our claims service at the time is good to hear,

“Leisuredays were on the case pretty damn quick, and gave me a contact who handled all the customers’ issues, they really made things simple for us. All my customers who were with Leisuredays had their claims approved and resolved in a matter of weeks; some who chose to insure with others have still not got a settlement 8 months later.”

Sharon Hudson, from our Claims Liaison Team, works closely with Caravan Guard’s insurance underwriter RSA to ensure claims move along quickly and are dealt with fairly. She explains why the snow caused such a problem,

“The unprecedented amount of snow that fell over the last two winters, combined with freezing temperatures, caused problems for hundreds of our customers, but this park and others in the North East were particularly badly hit. Because there was heavy snowfall for a prolonged period of time the snow built up on the roof of the units and became more and more compacted until the roof simply couldn’t support the weight.”

It’s not certain how much snow we will receive this winter, but what has been forecast fairly definitively is that the UK will see some very cold weather and icy conditions. It’s for this reason that you should ensure your holiday home is properly drained down and “winterized” when not in use over the colder months, in order to avoid burst water pipes and large scale damage.

If you would like more information on winterizing your holiday home, Leisuredays recently issued some advice on How and Why Static Caravans and Holiday Lodges are drained down.

Building on the success of our hugely popular Relax Email Magazine we are now sharing our holiday home and park home reviews, top tips and advice via Facebook and Twitter too.

By following us on Facebook and Twitter you can ensure you get a sneak peak of our articles before anybody else, as the Facebook and Twitter News Feeds are instantly updated. It also gives you the chance to chat with us about the articles and ask any insurance questions you may have quickly and easily – we’d love to hear from you.

Don’t worry if you’re a current subscriber to the Relax E-Magazine though, as we will still be producing these as normal, and understand the reason people like the E-Newsletter is that you get all the best news and reviews in one easy to read package direct to your inbox - Joining us on Twitter or Facebook won’t affect this at all.

Whatsmore, we are going to be running a very special competition very soon which will be exclusively for our Facebook and Twitter buddies, so watch this space, and get Tweeting!

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Last winter we at Leisuredays handled more burst pipe and escape of water insurance claims than ever before thanks to freezing temperatures and widespread and prolonged snow and ice.

This year we want to ensure that as many static caravan and lodge owners as possible don’t have to deal with the upheaval of the large scale damage that mother nature can cause over the winter, by explaining a few simple precautions.

It’s vitally important that your static caravan or lodge is properly prepared for winter and professionally “drained down” to avoid the danger of damage from frozen or burst pipes, and other cold weather risks. Unlike domestic homes which have very little externally exposed pipe work, and are occupied all year round, a holiday home is usually left long periods over winter to brave the elements, and because of this is much more susceptible to severe damage should the temperature drop dramatically.

How and why static caravans and holiday lodges are drained down

During the drain down process the mains water supply is disconnected, and all water in the holiday home’s running fresh water and waste water systems are flushed out and completely drained in accordance with manufacturer specifications, mainly using pressured air hoses to push any remaining water from the system’s U-bends. The reason this is done is because any water left in the system over winter could expand when frozen and severely damage or burst the water pipes, this water then melts and leaks into your caravan or lodge, meaning it isn’t just the water system that’s damaged but also your holiday home itself. If this happens when the holiday home is still connected to a mains water supply then the damage can be much more severe, as large amounts of water will escape into the holiday home over a long period of time.

Leave “winterizing” your static caravan or holiday lodge to the professionals

Most holiday parks offer a ‘drain down’ service which is either performed by experienced park staff, or a plumbing or heating engineer who they have hired especially, and it is our recommendation that you leave the tricky task of draining down your caravan or lodge to the professionals (as described above), especially when you are leaving it for a sustained period during the winter.

If your holiday park remains open over the winter and you intend on continuing to use your static caravan or lodge you should attempt a quick drain down yourself at the end of each visit by turning off the mains water at the stopcock (pictured above), and then opening the caravan drain plugs, setting all taps to be fully open, flushing the toilet, and draining all water from sinks and basins. You could even add salt to any last drops of water in toilets and traps to prevent freezing.

However, if you’re leaving the caravan or lodge for more than just a few weeks we would reiterate our recommendation to have your static caravan or holiday lodge fully drained down by a professional to ensure all water is fully removed from all equipment.

As a further precaution you may also want to use the ‘frost setting’ on your heating system (pictured below). It’s not prudent to rely on this option alone though; issues with pilot lights, drops in pressure or failure in gas supply could stop the heating working. Also consider getting the heating system serviced before the winter.

Precautions you should take when leaving your caravan or lodge for the last time this winter

• Arrange for your static caravan or holiday lodge to be professionally drained down as described above.

• Unplug any electrical devices including large white goods.

• Remove any bedding, clothing or soft furnishings from the caravan or lodge completely or store them in a place where air can circulate to avoid damage from damp or mould.

• Prop open all internal doors and cupboards, and slightly pull out all draws to encourage air to circulate.

• Remove or hide from view any valuable items such as Televisions or Hi-Fi’s. Then leave curtains open so that any would-be thieves can see such items have been removed.

• Completely empty and clean any fridges or freezers and leave switched off with the door slightly ajar. Remember to drain any ice or chilled water dispensers built into your fridge.

• Ensure external vents are clear of debris

• Remove any food stuffs which might attract vermin (mice etc).

• Close and lock all external windows and doors.

• Lubricate door hinges and window locks with a dab of petroleum jelly to ensure they open smoothly when you return.

You could also ask your park about servicing your static caravan or lodge before the winter. This could include lubricating your unit’s corner steadies and hitch-head, checking underneath the structure for rust and examining the tyres, and also ensuring any gutters and downpipes are not obstructed. They may even offer a wash and wax service of your unit’s exterior panels to ensure they are protected against the winter elements.

By having your unit professionally drained down and taking all the other steps outlined above, you’ll have more peace of mind that when you come to use your static caravan or holiday lodge again in the Spring it will be ready and waiting for you, with no damage and no damp. The process of reconnecting the water, electricity and gas (if mains supplied) is fairly straight forward and will usually be performed by the park operator at your request.

It is worth reading your insurance policy to see how your insurer deals with burst pipe and escape of water claims over winter months. Leisuredays will shortly be issuing further advice to its policyholders by post and email.