less than 1 min read
25th February 2019

Protect Your Caravan

Photo by Maky Orel from Pixabay

Think of the hassle it would cause if your caravan was stolen while you were on holiday, not only is that holiday ruined but also may irreplaceable items could be stolen at the same time such as jewellery, clothes, laptops and tablets – you should check that your caravan insurance covers these items as well as the vehicle itself.

You can protect your caravan for very little cost, even by fitting inexpensive physical security devices is better than nothing, but by investing in proven reputable products you can save yourself a lot of disruption. You work hard all year for your holiday so don’t make it easy for would be thieves to ruin it for you.

Ten top tips to protect your caravan

  1. Locks – Even if you only make a short pit stop on your journey, you should immobilise your caravan. Using good quality padlocks, heavy duty chains and hitchlocks will help deter would-be thieves. You can also fix lock nuts or wheel clamps to the wheels and padlock your gas cylinders to fixing clamps. Approved caravan locks.
  2. Alarm – Fit and switch on your alarm every time you leave the caravan.
  3. Keys – Always keep your keys with you and lock all windows and doors when you leave the caravan. You should also look to insure your keys  in case they are lost or stolen.
  4. Valuables – Never leave anything on display and try and take all valuables with you when you leave the caravan.
  5. Documents – Never leave the vehicle registration documents in the caravan as this can make the caravan easy to sell if it is stolen.
  6. Identification marks - Write your Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) in several hidden places within your caravan making it easy to identify if it does get stolen. If it doesn’t already have a VIN, then you should mark it with an identifiable number. If not already done you can also security mark any valuables that you may have with you.
  7. Buying a new caravan – When buying a caravan ask about any built-in security, for example the caravan may already be electronically tagged.
  8. Buying a used caravan - Check if the caravan has been registered with the Caravan Registration and Identification Scheme (CRiS), if it has been registered you should be able to check its history. If it hasn’t already been registered you should do this. Also, before you buy you should try and verify the seller’s identity making sure that the number plate on the caravan matches the one on the tow car.
  9. Neighbours – Everybody needs good neighbours so get to know the other people on the site when you’re on holiday. At home you could also join a vehicle watch scheme in your area.
  10. Tracking – Fitting a tracking device to your caravan means that it can be tracked by a system operator or the police if it gets stolen.

Security Check list

  • Use an approved lock to immobilise your caravan.
  • Write your Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) in several hidden places within your caravan making it easy to identify if it does get stolen. Hidden places could included inside cupboard doors, underside of drawers or on any areas of bare wood.
  • Always lock the door, close windows and rooflight.
  • Never leave anything of value on display.
  • Hide or remove anything from your caravan that has your home address on it.
  • Register your caravan with CRiS

You may also be interested in:

Return To News