A Quick Guide to Caravan & Motorhome Insurance and Repairs

East or west or anywhere in Australia, nothing matches a caravan drive for an adventure. With pretty beaches, wildlife, countryside and lively towns, this beautiful country captures your imagination. No wonder more and more Australians are purchasing caravans and motorhomes year after year.

While it’s quite thrilling to take the road while enjoying the comforts of home, it’s not without risks and uncertainties. Anything can happen on the road and that’s why your caravan or motorhome need to have some protection, to guard against any unforeseen incident that may happen. Therefore, choosing suitable caravan insurance is an important decision to make.

Caravan & Motorhome Insurance

We don’t just travel in a caravan but also literally live in there, though for a short period. Caravan insurance reflects certain aspects of home insurance. Let’s say the package is a mix of car and home insurance. There are two options here:

1. Comprehensive mobile cover for caravan or motorhome travel within Australia.
2. On-site insurance cover when your caravan is at a nominated site or stationary.

Towing & Insurance

Policies may differ depending on the presence or absence of towing. The motorhome has an engine, so it doesn’t need towing, whereas in caravans, towing is a must since they lack engines. Because of this difference, some insurers offer separate policies for motorhomes and caravans and some offer the same type of policies.

Motorhomes are considered proper vehicles and so they must have compulsory third party “green slip” insurance. Protection of towing vehicle extends to caravans, so they do not need compulsory third party insurance.

Motorhome & Caravan Insurance Coverage

Motorhome and caravan insurance offers coverage from most hazards, and these hazards fall under three main categories.

Core Comprehensive Insurance

The following are covered under this category.

• Forces of nature – flood, storm and hail
• Fire
• Human acts – vandalism and malicious damage
• Accidents – impact and collision
• Third-party incidents – liability for damage to property and other vehicles

Extras

These contain a mix of car insurance and home insurance features.

• Emergency medical treatment
• Towing and storage costs
• Temporary accommodation where the vehicle is uninhabitable
• Cover for awnings, furniture and annexes used in caravan
• Car hire
• Protection of contents and belongings in the caravan
• Replacement of stolen keys
• Re-keying of locks
• Additional cover of legal liability

Specific

The coverage for caravan and motorhomes insurance is quite flexible. If you think you need something particular to be covered in insurance, do not hesitate to ask your insurer.

What to Look for in a Caravan & Motorhome Insurance?

Coverage

Most of the caravan and motorhome insurance policies have limits and exclusions, and they are often applicable to:

• Valuables
• Annexes
• Legal & medical liability
• Furniture
• Possessions kept in a trailer and not motorhome or caravan
• Temporary accommodation when the caravan is uninhabitable

Limits

Every insurance cover has its limits. You need to ascertain the value of your items to decide if the insurance limits make sense before you go ahead with it.

Value of the Policy

To insure the caravan for a realistic value, you need to know the value of your caravan or motorhome. Think of how the caravan will be used and where you would be travelling to. For a new caravan, you just need to know the price to value it. But for used caravans, you might need a bit of research to find its market value and how much a replacement will cost you.

You may visit a local dealer to find out the current value of your caravan. You can also try getting a personal adjuster to research on your behalf.

Sum Insured

The sum insured or the total amount you are covered for is either the market value or the agreed value of the caravan. Market value is the depreciable value of your standard mobile home. Agreed value is a figure decided on by you and your insurer and is suitable for custom-made or modified mobile homes.

During the event of a total loss, the sum insured is the maximum amount that will be paid to you.

Caravan & Motorhome Repairs

Though it’s not mandatory to do regular service, the law mandates the caravans and motorhomes be roadworthy. When your mobile home suffers a loss covered by your insurance policy, you can get insurance repairs.

Making an Insurance Claim for Repairs

Follow these steps to make an insurance repair claim for your mobile home.

• Call the Emergency Center if the damage was due to fire or flood.
• Make a report to the police if vandalism or theft was involved. Ensure you record all relevant details including date, time, name of the police officer, etc., for your insurance company.
• If witnesses and victims are present, get their contact information and insurance details.
• Use your smartphone and record whatever relevant information you can.
• Contact your insurer with all the details so that they can assist with the next steps.
• Get an insurance repair quotation with a reputable repair workshop.
• Caravan & Motorhome Repairing starts with the approval of claims.

Qualified technicians from reputable service shops will ensure your caravan is back in shape and get you back on the road without anything to worry about. For a stress-free driving experience, a general recommendation is for servicing your caravan every 10,000 km or before any long trip.