A beginner's guide to caravan storage

You have just bought your ideal touring caravan and now need a place to store it securely when it's not being used. Our beginner's guide to caravan storage outlines the key considerations when looking at the various caravan storage options available in the UK today.

Storing your caravan at a CaSSOA registered site

We highly recommend that you at least consider a dedicated professional storage facility - particularly one that is registered by the Caravan Storage Site Owners' Association. CaSSOA is a recognised body of the UK caravan storage industry, with over 400 sites that provide safe, secure and accredited caravan storage. These sites will have invested heavily in safety and security features which will of course give you peace of mind. Specialist caravan insurance providers such as Shield Total Insurance recognise that this is the safest place to store your caravan when not in use. In fact, if you store your touring caravan at a site that is CaSSOA approved, you qualify for an insurance discount of up to 20% with us. Whilst it may be slightly more expensive to store your caravan on a CaSSOA site, it is worth considering largely due to the fact that the chances of theft of and from your caravan are significantly reduced. To find out more about CaSSOA, please visit their website.

Before you take a look at storage sites, there are some key considerations:

• Do you require monthly, annual or seasonal (e.g. winter only) caravan storage?
• Is storage of your caravan required close to home or en route to your favourite holiday destination?
• Do you require extra facilities such as servicing or valeting?
• Once you choose a site that you like, you must also consider:
• What security features does the site have in place?
• Is the storage site CaSSOA registered?
• How convenient is it for you in terms of travel time?
• Is the storage facility under cover or open air?
• Is it an urban or rural location?
• How much does it actually cost to store your caravan there?

Home sweet home

Storing your caravan at home is a cheap alternative, although it is vulnerable to both theft and vandalism. Unless you have a folding caravan or a folding camper or trailer tent, it is unlikely that you will be able to store your caravan in your garage. In fact, regulations or restrictive covenants may actually prevent you storing your caravan within the vicinity of your property. Also please keep in mind that the absence of the caravan from the property indicates to a thief that your property is likely to be unoccupied for some period of time.

Pitch perfect

An alternative may be a seasonal pitch, perhaps at your favourite caravan site. Again it may be easily accessible and security may not be as comprehensive as a dedicated storage facility. You do have the benefit of not having to tow the caravan once it is there, but it is worth considering that it may actually work out more expensive, once you tot up the cost of your daily, weekly or monthly storage. You also you need to consider the fact that the caravan site may be unmanned for lengthy periods of time.

Location, location, location?

Storing at an unregistered location is also possible, such as at a local business premises or on a farmer’s field. It may be cheap to store and easily accessible for you, but it is worth considering there will be limited or minimal deterrents there to prevent a theft. Also it is worth checking with your caravan insurance provider to make sure that they'll actually cover your caravan at that location, as it only takes a few minutes for your caravan to be stolen or vandalised.

Caravan insurance

At Shield Total Insurance we can cover touring caravans of any age, make or model. Better still, if your touring caravan is stored at a CaSSOA approved secure storage site, you are eligible to receive 20% off your premium!