Park Home Insurance
Protect your home-away-from-home with a specialist park home insurance.
Do I need Park Home Insurance?
Having a park home insurance policy is not compulsory, but it is 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 park home cover, you risk being left responsible for replacing or making emergency repairs on your park home if it gets damaged.
What does Park Home cover include?
- Extended Accidental Damage
- Legal Expenses Cover
- Temporary Alternative Accommodation
- Protection from damage caused by fires, thefts, or vandalism.
- Flood Cover
- Public Liability Insurance
What is Park Home Insurance?
A comprehensive park home insurance policy is a specialist type of cover for park home owners who reside in their park home as their main residence. These homes are different from standard brick-and-mortar houses, so they require specific coverage tailored to their unique structure and living environment.
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.
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. Contents cover and Personal Possessions cover is also sometimes included at no extra cost.
- Public liability insurance 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. Specialised home emergency cover could also be added to your policy.
- Legal expenses cover for a park home owner may or may not be included within your insurance policy. If legal costs aren't covered then it’s usually an optional 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:
- Its age
- Its size
- Its value
- Where it's located
- Which / how many safety devices are installed
- The park homeowner's claims history
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.
Whilst we understand how much the cost of your policy will be to you, it's important to remember that the cheapest insurance isn't always the best insurance. Because after all, getting a comprehensive policy that can keep you secure and fully-protected could save you money in the event of an accident or incident that occurs unexpectedly.
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's site address
- The price you need to insure your park home for on a new for old or a market value basis
- Your claims history
- 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.
How can I make a claim?
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
What else can I read...
Want to find out more about park homes and how to insure them? Take a look at the articles below, which you can also find on the Howden Blog!
Park Home Insurance FAQs
How long can I leave my park home unoccupied?
Typically, if your park home is left unoccupied for 30 consecutive days throughout a policy year, you'll need to inform your insurer.
All park home insurance policies will have an unoccupancy period written into its policy booklet. 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.
Can I live permanently in a park home?
Yes, you can live in a park home all year round.
Residential park homes can last around 80 years, or even longer if kept in good condition. They also often comply with modern building regulations, making them suitable for permenant living.
Can you get a mortgage on a park home?
Generally speaking, no, you can't get a mortgage on a residential park home.
Buying a park home is different to buying a traditional home. When you buy a traditional home you then own the land the property sits one. Whereas, when buying a park home, you only own the home and the site owner owns the land the park home sits on. In this scenario, a lender is more at risk in the event that the park owner's land lease runs out.
Do you pay council tax on a park home?
If your park home is your main residence, the yes, 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.
Is a park home classed as property?
Yes, park homes can be classed as properties, but they differ from what's traditional.
Whilst park home residents do own the properties themselves, they do not own the ground they sit on. Instead, owners of park homes typically have to rent the land from a site owner.
How long do park homes last?
Park homes are known to last as long as 80 years, but on average they tend to last between 40 and 70 years.
Naturally, the better kept the park home is, the more likely it is that it'll last longer. The great thing about park homes is, if it does become worn, parts are easy to replace, which can make it last even longer.
Do park homes go up in value?
It is rare that a park home will go up in value - but if well-maintained, they can they can hold their value for longer. Park homes are generally sold at a lower price compared traditional home because of how they can depreciate in value over time.
Park home value can depend on its age, its location, and its condition.
Do you need planning permission for a park home?
Usually, if your park home is sited in your garden, you are not required to get planning permission. Otherwise, you'll need to contact your local council for approval before siting a park home.
Are park homes cold in winter?
Most modern-day park homes are equipped and designed to retain heat, keeping them warm throughout the winter.
Some efficient heating features and systems found in park homes include under-floor heating and double glazing windows, whereas some park homeowners opt to equip their properties with new boilers of advanced insulation materials to prevent to maintain warm temperatures.
Do I need a solicitor to buy a park home?
No, you are not necessarily required to involve a solicitor when buying a park home.
However, if you choose not to inform a solicitor of your purchase, you run the risk of being vulnerable to any legal complications that come with purchasing a park home. Sometimes things go wrong, so it's good to have the support of a solicitor so that you remain protected.
Do you pay stamp duty on park homes?
No, you are not required to pay stamp duty when buying a park home.
Stamp duty is a tax on the land that's being purchased, and because when you buy a park home you are not actually buying the land that the home sits on, you are therefore not expected to pay stamp duty.
What are the pitfalls of buying a park home?
Some of the pitfalls that come with buying a park home include:
- Value depreciation
- Smaller living spaces
- Restrictions around modifications
- Potential for additional fees
You can find out more about what you need to know when buying a park home in our guide: Are park homes a good investment?
Why choose Howden for Park Home Insurance?
Thanks to the great relationships we have with our selected panel of specialist and standard insurers, we make the process of comparing multiple park home policies, on your behalf, simple and straightforward. In fact, when it comes to getting park home insurance cover, we at Howden pride ourselves on doing the heavy lifting, so you don’t have to.
We provide a personalised and tailor-made service, because we know that each park home policy needs to be as individual as its owner. Our goal is to focus on getting to know you and finding out exactly what you want from your park home insurance.
All in all, whether you need to make a claim, purchase a new park home policy or renew an existing one, just know that we’re here to help.
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.
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