According to some studies, approximately 4,000 caravans, campervans, and motorhomes are stolen every year in the UK.
In this post, we’ll explore what might happen next when your motorhome’s stolen – along with some steps you can take to make motorhome theft less likely.
Specialist campervan insurance can cover you for theft, and other unpleasant and unexpected events. Our friendly team is always on-hand to find you exactly the cover you need at a price you can afford. Call us on 0208 290 9086 or email us at personal@anthonyjones.com.
What Happens if My Motorhome is Broken Into?
If thieves simply break into your campervan to look for valuables. In this case, the outcome is unfortunate by relatively straight forward – you’ll lose some of your possessions, and you’ll probably have to replace some locks.
What Happens When A Motorhome or Campervan is Stolen?
But some campervan thefts are more severe – thieves might make off with the campervan itself! In this case, one of two things will happen:
- The thieves will strip the campervan for parts. Campervan conversion projects are getting increasingly popular, so there’s a growing market for parts and spares. It’s possible that some of the parts on the market were lifted from stolen campervans.
- The thieves will try and sell the stolen campervan to an unsuspecting third party. According to police, thieves are most likely to sell stolen campervans on social media, where they’ll be harder to track, and where the new owners will have no idea that they’re buying stolen property.
Do Police Ever Find Stolen Campervans?
Yes – in recent years police have indeed been finding stolen caravans, campervans, and motorhomes. When they do, they may work directly with the campervan’s new owner to track down the previous owner, so they can return the campervan to them. And of course, working with the new owners can also help the police track down the thieves, as they can simply refer to whoever they bought the stolen campervan from.
If the police cannot track down the campervan previous owners, then they will auction it off. This means that the person who unwittingly bought the stolen campervan will be left with nothing. It sounds harsh, and it is. But the police are hoping that this will help to cut down on these sort of crimes from happening in the future: If people are wary of buying stolen campervans, then thieves will lose their market, which in turn should deter thieves from stealing campervans in the first place.
How To Help Prevent Campervan Theft
If you own a campervan, by far the best thing you can do to reduce the risks of theft is invest in a tracker. While a tracker won’t prevent theft in itself, it will make it much easier for the police to find and recover your campervan in the event of a theft. According to one study, up to 95% of campervans fitted with a tracker are recovered.
Installing a tracker in your campervan can also help bring down the cost of your campervan insurance, as they make it less likely that your insurers will have to make a significant payout in the event of a theft.
In fact, generally speaking, the more you can secure your campervan, the less you’ll pay for cover. So if you can, park your campervan somewhere secure – ideally in a locked garage, but an off-road driveway can also make theft less likely. So too can features such as alarms, automatic floodlights, immobilisers, and security cameras.
Our specialist campervan cover team is always on-hand to find you exactly the insurance you need at a price you can afford. We can also advise you on measures you can take to secure your campervan to help bring down the cost of cover. Call us on 0208 290 9086 or email us at personal@anthonyjones.com.
