Park Home Insurance

What is a park home?

You might’ve heard park homes being referred to as ‘mobile homes’, as they have been previously known. Over 85,000 people live in park homes across the UK as their main residence.

Park homes are typically single storey, detached residential properties found in a gated community or a protected site of land which is privately owned.

What is park home insurance?

A comprehensive park home insurance policy is a specialist insurance policy for park homeowners who reside in their park home as their main residence. You can get a park home insurance quote with us and expect to receive the same perks that come with insuring a typical home, but under a specialist cover.

Do I need park home insurance?

Is park home insurance compulsory? No. However, it’s highly recommended that you get your park home insured to cover yourself against any damages, theft, or accidents, so you avoid being left out-of-pocket. Ultimately, it’s similar to standard home insurance in that it’ll cover you in the event that your investment faces financial hardship.

Without insurance coverage, you risk being left responsible for replacing or making emergency repairs on your park home if it gets damaged.

So give yourself peace of mind and treat your park home like a bricks and mortar property by keeping it protected with park home insurance.

What does park home insurance cover?

We don’t want to beat around the bush, so here’s an overview of things that you could expect to be covered and included within your park home insurance policy:

• Extended accidental damage cover is sometimes included at no extra cost for your park home structure. Extended accidental damage for your contents is also sometimes included at no extra cost.
• Public liability cover is usually provided at a minimum sum insured of £5 million. This covers you in the event of a claim from a third party for injury or damage to their property which you’re negligent for.
• Fire damage, theft or attempted theft, vandalism, escape of water or oil, impact by vehicles or animals, subsidence and storm damage are usually covered as insured events you can claim for under your park home insurance policy.
• Flood cover will be either included or excluded under your park home insurance policy, depending on the insurer’s assessment of flood risks and how close the park home is to bodies of water.
• Temporary alternative accommodation is available in the event of an insured claim where you’re unable to live in your home, for example a fire or flood claim.
• Legal expenses cover for a park home owner may or may not be included within your insurance policy. If it’s not covered then it’s usually an optional section of cover which is available for you to purchase for an additional premium.

Park home insurance cover is arranged on a New for Old basis, so long as the age of the park home is under 40 years old, though this could differ if you renew each year. This means that, in the event of an insured claim under your policy, such as a fire or flood where your insurer classes your property as beyond economical to repair, it’ll be replaced with a brand-new equivalent make and model from your manufacturer. You should therefore insure your park home for this price, rather than the price that you’d sell your property at.

How much does park home insurance cost?

It’s hard to put a finger on exactly how much your park home insurance will cost, because it’ll depend on a variety of factors. These factors might include;

• How old the park home is
• How large the park home is
• How much the park home has been valued at
• The location of the park home
• Which / how many safety devices are installed on the park home
• The claims history of the park home owner

The price of park home insurance policy will differ based on your situation, so it’s important to consider all these factors before an insurance broker, such as Howden, will be able to present you with an accurate quote.

How do I reduce costs on my park home insurance?

There are ways you can reduce the cost of your park home insurance premiums, including:

• Looking after your park home and inspecting it regularly – keeping on top of any wear and tear reduces the likelihood that you’ll need to make a claim in the future.
• Considering where you buy your park home – insurers tend to raise their premiums if they deem the area where your park home is based to be high risk and less secure. For example, if the park home is in an area where risk of flooding is high, general and flood cover premiums could be raised.
• Seeking out discounts – as an insurance broker we’ll always aim to get you the best price for your insurance, but you can always also ask if you can benefit from any policy discounts. Paying for your entire policy upfront, instead of monthly, will also make your insurance cheaper.
• Getting multiple policies – you may even save money on other policies if you purchase park home insurance. Some insurers will discount the prices of other policies if they know you have already bought park home insurance with them.  

How to get a park home insurance quote

Getting a park home insurance quote doesn’t need to be complicated. All you need to do is provide us with the following information:

• Your personal details
• The make, model and the year the park home was made
• Your park home site address
• The price you need to insure your park home for on a new for old or a market value basis
• Your park home insurance claims history and information on major events on your caravan site such as previous flooding and proximity to bodies of water

If you wish to include any cover for your caravan contents such as decking or veranda, we can help you with that. All you need to do is find out the cost to replace these contents, either brand new or on a market value basis, depending on whether you’re insuring the structure of your park home on a New for Old or a Market Value basis.

Who we work with

The work we do with a wide range of trusted park home insurance providers allows us to provide a service which supports each and every one of our clients sufficiently.

The years of experience our team have working in the insurance industry, has meant that Howden continues to be rated highly by our clients.

Claims

We’re here to assist you when it matters most.

Whatever’s happened to you or your park home, we’re here to help. It’s part of our service to make sure that your claim is dealt with as quickly as possible and without any hassle.

MAKE A CLAIM

Can you live in a Park Home?

Yes, you can live in a park home all year round, and if that’s the case you will need to get residential park home insurance. Park homes can last around 80 years, or even longer if kept in good condition.

It’s important to check though whether the owner of the site where your park home is based has planning permissions or any limitations in terms of how long you’re permitted to stay on the site as this can affect you cover.

Can you get a mortgage on a Park Home?

There are some specialist loan companies which can support financing a park home, but generally speaking, no you can’t get a mortgage on a park home.

Buying a park home is different to buying a traditional home, as when you buy a traditional home you then own the land the property sits one, with 'whereas when buying a park home, you then only own the home. The site owner owns the land the park home sits on.

Do you pay council tax on a Park Home?

If your park home is your main residence, you’ll have to pay council tax. Otherwise, if you're using your park home for holiday use, paying council tax isn't necessary.

Can I pay for Park Home Insurance in instalments?

Yes, you can pay for your park home insurance in instalments. It’s dependent on the insurer, but if paying for a full 12-month months policy right away would be out of your budget, you can opt to pay in monthly instalments instead.

What should I expect to be excluded from my Park Home Cover.

You’ll often find that insurance providers will have certain aspects excluded from their park home insurance. Any damage caused by smoking won’t be covered and unoccupied home theft, after your park home has been left unprotected for a certain period of time, could be excluded from your policy.

You’ll need to check how many days you’re covered with your provider, because unoccupancy exclusion applies if you don’t stay in your park home for longer than the period specified in your cover.

Damage caused by pets will be excluded and general wear and tear, caused by natural damage over time, won’t be covered either.

How long can I leave my Park Home unoccupied?

All park home insurance policies will have an unoccupancy period written into its policy booklet. If you’re going to be away from your property for an extended period in the year ahead that you know about, you need to check your policy.

Once you exceed the time that your insurance provider allows then they’ll either impose the terms and restrictions in their cover, require you to pay an additional premium, or be unable to cover you under their policy.

Speaking to an insurance broker about any known unoccupancy periods for planned events like holidays etc, ensures that you receive the right advice on which policy suits your needs and will give you clarity about what terms, or policy cover restrictions will apply.