Compare Holiday park home insurance quotes now

Holiday Park Home Insurance

Whether you use your holiday home to get away from it all or rent it out to guests, it’s crucial to have cover you can rely on. To find a policy that gives you peace of mind, here’s what to consider when it comes to holiday park home insurance.

What is a holiday park home?

Holiday park homes are detached, prefabricated mobile homes. A holiday park home can also describe a static caravan, holiday chalet or lodge.

A number of holiday mobile homes are built to EN1647 which means they are only suitable for short-term or temporary use. Newer mobile park homes may be built to the higher specification – standard BS3632 which means it can be used on a permanent basis.

If you do have a holiday home that meets BS3632 and you intend to have it occupied throughout the year, check whether the park site it’s on has a licence that allows it to operate all year round. Most holiday park sites must stay shut for a certain amount of time during winter.

If you’re specifically after a more permanent mobile home to live in, it’s worth considering a residential park site and mobile home built to BS3632 standards instead.

Why do I need holiday park home insurance?

Holiday park home insurance is a safety net that pays to repair or replace your home and your belongings if they’re damaged or stolen. Insurance can also cover the cost to clear and remove debris if your mobile park home is damaged in a storm. Without insurance, you’d have to cover all these costs yourself.

It’s also worth knowing that some holiday park owners will need proof of insurance before leasing you a site in their holiday park.

Does standard holiday home insurance cover my park home?

It is sometimes possible to take out a standard holiday home insurance for your holiday park home, but you will need to let the insurer know it’s a park home so that they can calculate your premium accurately. Park homes aren’t built from traditional bricks and mortar so insurers consider them a non-standard risk. The way they’re built also means insurers need to take into account the cost of using specialist tradespeople to fix any damage.

What does holiday park home insurance include?

Policies cover a range of incidents known as insured events. Although the specific details can vary by insurer, you can expect to be covered for damage caused by:

• Fire, flood or storms.
• Subsidence.
• Theft and vandalism.

Mobile holiday home insurance typically also includes cover when your home is unoccupied. This might still be limited to a certain number of days, but it’ll be a lot more compared to a standard park home policy. For example, residential park home insurance usually states that homes cannot be empty for more than 30 days without being checked. In contrast, some policies for holiday park homes will extend that to 120 days.

Policies can also include additional features such as accidental damage and cover for loss of metred water or lost keys. If certain features aren’t included as part of a package, you’ll be able to bolt them on to your policy for a small increase in your premium.

Does holiday park home insurance cover paying guests?

This will depend on the terms set out in your policy. In most cases, your insurer won’t pay out for damage caused by paying guests.
If you rent out your holiday park home, it’s vital that you let your insurer know so they can arrange your policy to reflect this.
Renting out your holiday home means you’ll need increased protection which could include:

• Enhanced public liability up to £5 million to cover claims made against you if a member of the public blames you for injury or damage.
• Malicious damage cover which will compensate you if guests damage your mobile home.
• Employers’ liability insurance to cover compensation claims if an employee becomes ill or is injured while working for you. You’ll need this by law if you employ anyone to look after your holiday park home – for example, a gardener or cleaner.

If you fail to inform your park home insurer that you’re renting the property out to paying guests you could risk invalidating your policy through non-disclosure.

How much is mobile holiday home insurance?

Cost will vary depending on what your needs are. and a number of factors can influence what you pay, for example:

• The size and age of your holiday park home.
• The park site you’re on – some insurers offer discounts to homeowners on particular sites.
• Whether or not you choose any optional extras.
• Whether you rent your home to paying guests.

When you look at holiday park home insurance, it’s worth spending time comparing what is and isn’t included within the policy. Some packages might appear expensive but you may find these include more features, giving you a more comprehensive level of protection.

In contrast, cheap holiday park home insurance may seem like a bargain but look closer and policies might not give you the cover you need.

How much holiday park home insurance do I need?

Mobile holiday home cover is usually offered as blanket insurance. This means insurers set the value automatically so you don’t need to worry about working out the value of your home and contents. In most cases, blanket cover will provide you with more than enough compensation if you need to claim.

Although the specific values will depend on the insurer, they typically range from:

• £300,000 – £600,000 for buildings cover.
• £40,000 – £75,000 for contents cover.