A static caravan holiday home is your property, in the same way that your home is. While you are likely to – and, in fact, encouraged to – remove all valuable items from the unit when you vacate the caravan, prevention of theft and trespass will still be high up you list of priorities.
By taking a few basic precautions, you can greatly improve the security of your holiday caravan, both when it is and when it is not in use.
Security Locks
Locks are an integral part of the security of your caravan. The most common forms of caravan lock are ellipse turn clamp locks and cube locks. The former use a central cylinder, into which a key is inserted to turn the locking mechanism, while the latter takes the form of a sliding block.
Whichever lock you choose, ensure that they are fitted to all points of entry on your caravan, and that they are all engaged when you vacate the unit for any length of time. Never leave a spare key hidden anywhere on your plot; it simply isn’t worth the risk. It’s a far better idea to simply carry a second key.
You may also want to have a security chain fitted to your caravan. This screws directly into the back of the caravan door and provides an extra level of security when you need to answer your caravan door to an unknown caller.
Security Alarms
It may seem somewhat extreme, but having alarms fitted to your caravan is relatively easy and inexpensive when compared to the benefit they can bring.
The easiest way to alarm your caravan is to attach motion sensors to all external doors and windows. When armed, these devices will sound should anyone attempt to gain access to the caravan unit. Don’t worry about leaving them visible in the window; this merely increases the deterrent. The ideal scenario is for the would-be trespasser to be put off and not attempt to access the caravan at all.
Many parks operate a more sophisticated radio alarm system. Attempting to enter the caravan unit while this alarm system is armed will result in the park’s central control room being alerted, ensuring that your caravan remains secure.
To enquire about whether your park operates such a system, simply visit your park manager.
Basic Practices
As mentioned in the first paragraph, removing all valuables from your unit is advisable when you leave your static caravan unit, but this isn’t always possible, particularly when you’re only popping out for the day or a couple of hours.
Instead, make sure that no valuables are left near windows or in full view from the outside. Such items are like a red flag to would-be thieves, and these kinds of temptation can be easily avoided.
If you do need to leave valuables in your caravan, investing in a safe unit and then hiding it from view is one way to add an extra level of security to your caravan. Marking items with a UV pen is another way of ensuring that items can be easily identified and recovered in the event that the worst does happen and they are stolen.
Our final piece of advice is to always ensure that your insurance policy is fully up to date. For more advice on insurance, visit our dedicated caravan insurance page.