January 8th, 2012  Posted at   Motorcycles

One of the most important though overlooked aspects of caravan insurance is the need to have public liability cover. This is part of most caravan insurance packages for a limit of up to £2 million for an incident involving your caravan which you are deemed liable for.

This cover is particularly important given the current climate where “suing” is almost second nature with the accident firms that exist with their “no win, no fee” adverts. We have all seen the adverts on television and it is a booming business, so your own protection is always a good idea.

The insurance that you have will cover any amounts you have to legally pay for things such as accidental bodily injury, accidental loss or damage to property that arises from your ownership of the caravan.

As an example, if your caravan was to cause damage on a site to another caravan, this cover is provided for exactly this type of incident. For static caravans the site that you are on will generally request that you hold this cover for at least £2 million and will ask to see a copy of your insurance certificate to prove it and will keep this on file for their records. This information is normally stated on your insurance schedule and a full explanation of the cover is within your policy booklet. It is also very important for you to keep these things with you when you are touring around or whilst you are on site with your static van.

Some insurers will automatically extend to include European cover, which is generally the United Kingdom (England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands), the European Union, Norway and Switzerland, and the public liability, although this is not always the case. The public liability extends to these geographical limits but it is always best to check your cover in advance to ensure adequate protection. Read more… »

January 8th, 2012  Posted at   Motorcycles

Having insurance for your vehicle is vitally important, whether your vehicle is a motorcycle, a truck, or a car. Every state has different rules about insurance, but the most important thing to understand is that you have to have it, although the amount of insurance required may vary by state. Fortunately, there are a number of excellent deals to be found on quality motorcycle insurance — it just takes a bit of research and the willingness to plan ahead. In this article we are going to cover the top tips for getting the best motorcycle insurance.

Before you start searching for your new motorcycle insurance, it is important that you have all the details about your bike in front of you. This includes the year, make, and model of the motorcycle and any details about modifications that you have on the bike. If you have any safety features installed such as an anti-theft system, have the details about this handy too as you might need to provide this information to get the best insurance rates.

You will need to enter some information such as your area of residence, often just a zip code, to get some accurate insurance quotes. Certain areas, such as big metropolitan areas, tend to have higher motorcycle insurance rates, for example. You will need to use the zip code for your permanent residence, which is the place where you reside more than six months out of every calendar year.

You will also need to be fully aware of your own driving record. This will include any tickets that you have had in the past — this information can impact an insurance quote dramatically. Your age is one of the major factors that determines your motorcycle insurance cost and coverage, so be sure to be accurate about your age. For example, a 19-year-old motorcycle driver will generally have to pay higher rates than a 50-year-old motorcycle driver. However, with every year that you keep up a clean driving record on your motorcycle, you will be eligible for steadily decreasing rates, so the higher rates do not last forever if you are still young! Read more… »

January 7th, 2012  Posted at   Motorcycles

When searching for caravan insurance it is important to know what cover you are getting, for example insurers cover your caravan for one of three options, New for Old, Agreed Value or Market Value.

There is often confusion as to which cover is most suitable for you and here we try and explain the differences, as in the event of a claim this can be a big difference.

What Is New for Old Cover?
New for Old is a term used mainly in household insurance and basically means that if you suffer a total loss to the caravan (i.e the caravan is written off) within a set timescale from the date that the caravan was made, the insurer will replace the van with one of the same make and model.

One of the general stipulations of this cover is that you would have an original purchase receipt, and this would prove the value of the caravan for your insurer. The insurance company specify a timescale for this cover, typically 3 or 5 years but in certain cases this can be more. It is important to remember that the cover runs from the date that the caravan was manufactured and not when purchased by you.

Another thing to consider is that some insurers cover you only if you are the first owner of the caravan, whilst others cover New for Old regardless of the number of previous owners as long as it is within the specified timescales.

It is also very important to update the value of the caravan every year to the correct replacement value to ensure you have the correct cover.

What Is Agreed Value?
The second typical level of cover in caravan insurance is Agreed Value which means that if your caravan suffers a total loss within the specified time period the insurance company will pay the purchase price paid by you. This cover generally is for if you have not been the only owner and many insurance companies do not offer this cover as it leads to confusion as to the final value of the caravan. Read more… »