With the summer holidays in full swing, static caravans can provide a great home from home for those heading to the coast to soak up some sunshine.
But just like your everyday house, it’s important to ensure your caravan and its contents are secure.
Here are our top 10 tips for keeping your static caravan safe:
1) Don’t let your guard down – It can be tempting to relax the rules on holiday, but the security of your possessions should still be high on your agenda. Make sure all doors and windows are securely locked when you go out for the day, and take all small valuables with you. Also, make sure there are no high value items placed near windows that could tempt a thief into taking a chance.
2) Get your property marked – and tell everyone about it – There are several property marking and registration schemes which act as a deterrent to burglars. They can range from UV pens to the national police-approved Immobilise scheme. Whatever you choose to do, make sure you’ve advertised the fact – most schemes provide window stickers to put in your caravan to let potential thieves know it’s not worth taking the risk.
3) Security locks for windows and doors – Caravans can be much more difficult to make secure than ordinary homes, with the standard locks not always offering much protection against burglars. Investing in additional locks for doors and windows, particularly those that are not double-glazed, can help prevent yours becoming a target.
4) Never leave a spare key hidden anywhere on site – This can be tempting, especially if there are several of you sharing the caravan, but is a common mistake that helps make life easy for would-be burglars. If you know there are going to be different groups of you coming and going at different times – for example, older children who don’t want to go on day trips with you – make sure you have a spare set of keys cut.
5) Check your site’s security credentials – If you have yet to decide where to keep your caravan, it’s worth doing some homework around the site’s security credentials. Many areas of the country with a large concentration of holiday parks run “caravan watch” schemes, so always check if your site is a member of one. You should also ask about CCTV and whether they have their own security patrols.
6) Get to know your neighbours – If you are a regular visitor to your caravan it pays to get to know your neighbours. That way you can agree to keep an eye on each other’s vans when you’re not around and could mean you find out about any potential problems much more quickly.
7) Empty your caravan out at the end of the season – Police cite this as the single biggest thing that people can do to reduce thefts from statics. It can be inconvenient but taking everything of high-value out of your caravan when you know you are not going to be there for several months can drastically reduce your risk of burglary at a time when there will be less activity on site. Don’t forget to remove items of sentimental value too, not just TVs and digital equipment.
8) Show potential thieves you have nothing to hide – Keeping curtains and cupboards open once you have emptied out your caravan for the season shows anyone peering through the windows that it’s not worth their time and effort to attempt a break-in.
9) Make sure your insurance is up-to-date: A valid insurance policy is just as vital for your caravan and its contents as it is for your home. Some companies will let you link this to your home insurance premium, but it’s worth making sure yours is up-to-date and shopping around for the best value deal each year.
10) Install an alarm: Investing in a high-quality alarm system can make all the different to whether or not your caravan becomes a target. There are a range of options out there but it’s worth paying for the best you can afford, to avoid the risk of lots of false alarms while you are not around. A system that links directly to a monitoring centre 24/7 can be a good idea as it means someone will always be available to go and check on the site even if you live a long way from the area.
Bulldog Security Ltd provide monitored and guarded systems which link to an NSI-approved monitoring centre, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. If the alarm is triggered the monitoring centre will notify you and your key holders and send a response team directly to your premises. Get in touch to find out how we could help you.