Storing caravan on grass (farm)

[sarahc_]

We’ve had our current van for 4 years, and have just enough room to store it on the drive. Next year we’re planning on getting a new one with a fixed bed and maybe one up to 7.5 metres (lots of discussions being had about compromises if we go smaller again as we enjoy our end washroom and bigger shower!).

There’s a farm just down the road which has caravan storage (unsure how secure it is yet), I wanted to know if there’s any extra risks storing on grass than gravel/concrete. Mainly around mice - I’ve heard in cold weather they might seek shelter and find a way in and damage the van by chewing through. We do have caravan insurance which would need updating of course.

What is everyone’s thoughts?

 

[Tux]

Can't imagine being on grass would pose more of a rodent risk.

 

[Buckman]

I would suggest that you ask the insurance company first for a quote before even considering storing it on farm land. The quote may be unpleasantly high on a new caravan. CASSOA storage sites are normally the preference for insurance companies.

 

[sarahc_]

Ok thanks for the replies, and very good point about getting a quote first. That may well be the deciding factor on whether we go for a bigger van or not!

 

[Buckman]

Ok thanks for the replies, and very good point about getting a quote first. That may well be the deciding factor on whether we go for a bigger van or not!

I think finding suitable storage is more important as it is always nice to have a more modern and suitable caravan. We store our twin axle on a CASSOA gold site.

 

[GUMPY]

We store our 2017 van on a farm behind a locked gate surrounded by a wire fence, bund and barns. Its down a half mile track past the farmhouse and through the yards. There are about 40 vans stored there.
Insurance co (Caravanguard) is fine with it.

 

[Hutch]

We have stored our caravan in a barn, on a farm, since it was new, never been loaded by the CaMHC insurance or the CCC.
And never had rodent problems

 

[AndrewAventura]

I think that if there hasn't been a previous insurance claim for theft, then insurers are not too demanding and the premium will not change much for different storage places.
Once you've had your van stolen (in our case, from storage at a pretty remote farm) then they are definitely going to insist on CASSOA gold storage for the replacement van.

 

[Beachball]

In the past some years ago we stored our caravan on a farm site Cassoa gold site you drove past the barns to a secured fencing compound CCTV .it had grass but hard standing pads we had insurance with Caravan guard we never had any rodent problems .

 

[otherclive]

My last three vans were stored on a CASSOA gold site and like Beachball the site was grass but with two heavy gravel tracks where the wheels went. Never had rodent ingress problem.

 

[sarahc_]

Ok thanks again, lots to think about! We’re not getting a new (probably won’t be brand new) van until next year anyway. Before that I’ll be checking out the best caravan storage sites around me in Lincoln and giving my insurance company a call to get a quote anyway to see what the difference will be.

 

[sarahc_]

Just done a quick search on the CASSOA gold website, and the nearest site to Lincoln looks to be Sleaford, which isn’t really for me. That’s a good 30-40 mins away before we even start a journey.

(Plus there is a storage site which isn’t a farm and belongs to a transport company who have CCTV and locked gates about 5 minutes from me, that I will look into)

 

[Buckman]

Just done a quick search on the CASSOA gold website, and the nearest site to Lincoln looks to be Sleaford, which isn’t really for me. That’s a good 30-40 mins away before we even start a journey.

(Plus there is a storage site which isn’t a farm and belongs to a transport company who have CCTV and locked gates about 5 minutes from me, that I will look into)

We are lucky as ours is about 20 minutes away.

 

[Mr Grumpy]

Used to store ours on grass. Site owner kept the access track clear but did nothing around the vans on the grounds he didn't want responsibility for any possible damage inflicted whilst mowing.
Had to take the strimmer across every few weeks to keep the vegetation from burying the van.

 

[Mel]

Our Caravan is stored in a storage site with coded gate access, perimeter fences, ditches, and CCTV. It is not part of the CASSOA scheme, although is equal to their Gold sites. The owner said that he would have to pay for CASSOA membership and it would get him very little advantage. The site is almost full all the time so doesn’t need CASSOA to drum up business. I possibly pay a few quid more in insurance because it isn’t part of CASSOA but tbh, I haven’t noticed much difference to our previous CASSOA site, which was no near as good as the one we are on now.
Hence worth googling more widely than CASSOA when looking for storage.
Mel

 

[ProfJohnL]

... I possibly pay a few quid more in insurance because it isn’t part of CASSOA but tbh, I haven’t noticed much difference to our previous CASSOA site, which was no near as good as the one we are on now.
...

You may pay a little more for your insurance, but you will probably be making considerable savings on your storage costs compared to a Cassoa site.

 

[GUMPY]

You may pay a little more for your insurance, but you will probably be making considerable savings on your storage costs compared to a Cassoa site.

My local Cassoa site is £400+ a year, the site I am on is £240. Insurance extra is £30 (or was when I last enquired) so that's £130+ a year saved in fixed costs.

 

[borderbilly]

My storage costs nowt, grass at side of house.