stuartm Posted August 17, 2014 Share Posted August 17, 2014 Hi, When I went to collect my caravan from storage in July, I noticed a 'ding' on the top of the side panel and also the awning rail directly below it. To cut a long story short, the culprit never reported it to the storage office, but has now been found 2 pitches down from ours with matching damage to their caravan. They have now admitted causing the damage and are phoning their insurance company to report the accident. I'm wondering if there is anyone else out there that has had a similar issue and how it played out. I'm not that keen on reporting this to my insurance company as it would count as a claim every year when I go to renew my insurance even although it was not my fault. Does anyone know if I can just claim on the other parties insurance and leave mine out of it, or have I got to report it to my insurance company and let them sort it out? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marks Posted August 17, 2014 Share Posted August 17, 2014 Do you have to get insurance involved, they are in the same situation with you with claiming etc, why don't you settle with them for cash when you know hw much the repair will cost. And, once a claim is in progress, your insurance will surely get involved somewhere. Quote Land Rover Discovery and Conquerer 630 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jay Posted August 17, 2014 Share Posted August 17, 2014 You will be claiming of their insurance, so it should not harm your insurance. ... Quote Lunar Solaris 1 Limited Edition 2007 Hopefully Behind A BMW 520D MSport Touring. ... ***** Jack of all Trades. ... Master of None ***** Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Easy T Posted August 17, 2014 Share Posted August 17, 2014 (edited) I would not involve my insurance. If the other party claims on his insurance for the repair then they have no need to know your details. I would only involve my insurance if I wanted to make a claim. You will be claiming of their insurance, so it should not harm your insurance. ... Only if the 'culprit' involves his insurance company. And he will be doing the claiming. Edited August 17, 2014 by Easy T Quote Alan 2005 Nissan X-trail 4WD diesel and Swift Charisma 540 2012 Lunar Clubman ES 2018 Lunar Clubman ES Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gravon42 Posted August 17, 2014 Share Posted August 17, 2014 Personally, I would inform your insurance company. You never know, the other party may 'change the story' when he relates it to his company, 2 Quote 2011 Land Rover Freelander 2, Lago grey 2013 Freelander Dynamic Black, followed by a 2013 Elddis 574 Magnum GT white Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Easy T Posted August 17, 2014 Share Posted August 17, 2014 (edited) Personally, I would inform your insurance company. You never know, the other party may 'change the story' when he relates it to his company, What proof is there as to which of the two vans did the hitting and which was hit? I would only report it if, as a last resort I was prepared to make a claim on my own insurance which would depend on the extent of the damage, my excess and other similar factors. The culprit cannot be compelled to cough up without evidence and pressure or legal action should he decide not to. Edited August 17, 2014 by Easy T Quote Alan 2005 Nissan X-trail 4WD diesel and Swift Charisma 540 2012 Lunar Clubman ES 2018 Lunar Clubman ES Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Digger_07 Posted August 18, 2014 Share Posted August 18, 2014 I think you will find you will have to involve your insurance, the first rule of any clam is don't admit liability, his insurance will try and worm there way out of it if they can so they may change there story, your insurance will clam on your behalf. Let them fight it out that is what you are paying for. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stuartm Posted August 18, 2014 Author Share Posted August 18, 2014 Thanks for the opinions. The other party has admitted being at fault and it's quite clear from the damage to both caravans who hit who. I don't think this could be disputed. I'm keen to avoid contacting my insurance as regardless of fault, every time I renew for the next 5 years I'll need to mention the claim and my premium will be effected. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Durbanite Posted August 18, 2014 Share Posted August 18, 2014 If the other party contacts their insurance company, isn't there a possibility that their insurance company will want to contact yours? Yours will be wondering why you never notified them as you are supposed to do this even if you don't claim. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Easy T Posted August 18, 2014 Share Posted August 18, 2014 If the other party contacts their insurance company, isn't there a possibility that their insurance company will want to contact yours? Yours will be wondering why you never notified them as you are supposed to do this even if you don't claim. Presumably Stuart never provided details of his insurer. Why would he; I wouldn't Quote Alan 2005 Nissan X-trail 4WD diesel and Swift Charisma 540 2012 Lunar Clubman ES 2018 Lunar Clubman ES Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Durbanite Posted August 18, 2014 Share Posted August 18, 2014 Presumably Stuart never provided details of his insurer. Why would he; I wouldn't Most storage sites require insurance cover on your caravan and may have the details? If your insurance is claiming off another for damages, this should not affect your No Claims bonus. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Easy T Posted August 18, 2014 Share Posted August 18, 2014 Most storage sites require insurance cover on your caravan and may have the details? If your insurance is claiming off another for damages, this should not affect your No Claims bonus. Most storage sites require proof of insurance. However that does not mean they are at liberty to pass on the insured persons details to a third party. Quote Alan 2005 Nissan X-trail 4WD diesel and Swift Charisma 540 2012 Lunar Clubman ES 2018 Lunar Clubman ES Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Durbanite Posted August 19, 2014 Share Posted August 19, 2014 Most storage sites require proof of insurance. However that does not mean they are at liberty to pass on the insured persons details to a third party. True due to Data Protection Regulations they cannot pass on details, but they can inform the other party that the caravan is insured. Secondly the OP is quite within their rights to claim off the storage compound for the damage as they paid for safe storage. To me not worth the hassle and prefer to let the insurance company sort it out as that is why you pay them a premium every year and also the offending party never reported it in the first place so highly likely they will look for another get out opportunity. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeeTee Posted August 19, 2014 Share Posted August 19, 2014 True due to Data Protection Regulations they cannot pass on details, but they can inform the other party that the caravan is insured. Secondly the OP is quite within their rights to claim off the storage compound for the damage as they paid for safe storage. To me not worth the hassle and prefer to let the insurance company sort it out as that is why you pay them a premium every year and also the offending party never reported it in the first place so highly likely they will look for another get out opportunity. They may be "quite within their rights to claim" but the claim will fail unless they can prove negligence on the part of the storage compound. Terms and conditions of storage facilities normally stipulate that the caravan is stored at the owner's risk and also that the caravan is insured by the owner. Some years ago a friend who runs a vehicle repair workshop had a disastrous fire which destroyed the workshop and all the customers' vehicles which were in for repair. Several Porsches, BMWs and Mercedes were destroyed, some of which were not insured as they were off road. Some car owners attempted to claim against my friend because their vehicles were uninsured but their claims were rejected as the fire was not the fault of the workshop owner. The fire had started in adjacent premises owned by my friend's landlord and had spread. Investigation of the cause of the fire concluded the fire was accidental due to a gas room heater being inadvertently been left on full heat causing nearby flammable materials to catch fire. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stuartm Posted August 19, 2014 Author Share Posted August 19, 2014 Well apparently Insurance companies don't deal with individuals and will only deal with other insurance companies when making a claim. As a result I have no option but to contact my insurance company to process the claim that way and also claim for uninsured losses to recover my excess, etc. I've been assured this will not effect my insurance going forward, but not sure I believe this but with a couple of thousand pounds worth of damage to repair I have no real option. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Easy T Posted August 19, 2014 Share Posted August 19, 2014 Well apparently Insurance companies don't deal with individuals and will only deal with other insurance companies when making a claim. As a result I have no option but to contact my insurance company to process the claim that way and also claim for uninsured losses to recover my excess, etc. Not quite correct as far as I am aware. If your caravan was uninsured and I damaged it with mine then you would seek recompense from me and I would turn to my insurer (or settle from my own pocket). Quote Alan 2005 Nissan X-trail 4WD diesel and Swift Charisma 540 2012 Lunar Clubman ES 2018 Lunar Clubman ES Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeeTee Posted August 19, 2014 Share Posted August 19, 2014 The OP Not quite correct as far as I am aware. If your caravan was uninsured and I damaged it with mine then you would seek recompense from me and I would turn to my insurer (or settle from my own pocket). The OP is correct as he has appears to have tried to deal with the other party's insurers and they have declined to deal with him as he is not insured by them. In my opinion and apparently in the opinion of others on this topic the OP should have at least informed his insurance company of the bump as soon as possible after discovering the damage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Easy T Posted August 19, 2014 Share Posted August 19, 2014 The OP The OP is correct as he has appears to have tried to deal with the other party's insurers and they have declined to deal with him as he is not insured by them. In my opinion and apparently in the opinion of others on this topic the OP should have at least informed his insurance company of the bump as soon as possible after discovering the damage. The other parties insures would not deal with the OP. They would deal with the insured. If the OP had no insurance the situation would be the same. As for reporting it to the insurance company yes strictly as it might be considered to be a pertinent fact in a future claim situation if he did not. However many don't report. For example I had some minor damage to my 'van. Cost of repair exactly £200. My Excess also £200. I paid out of my pocket and did not inform the insurance company although I probably should have done so. Also with my car only this time £160 Quote Alan 2005 Nissan X-trail 4WD diesel and Swift Charisma 540 2012 Lunar Clubman ES 2018 Lunar Clubman ES Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeeTee Posted August 19, 2014 Share Posted August 19, 2014 It is a condition of my vehicle insurance that I should report any incident to them whether or not I intend to submit a claim. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Easy T Posted August 19, 2014 Share Posted August 19, 2014 It is a condition of my vehicle insurance that I should report any incident to them whether or not I intend to submit a claim. It is in all as far as I am aware. Quote Alan 2005 Nissan X-trail 4WD diesel and Swift Charisma 540 2012 Lunar Clubman ES 2018 Lunar Clubman ES Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John W Posted October 5, 2014 Share Posted October 5, 2014 Beware of not reporting accidents to insurance. We even have to tell them about accidents in work vehicles. They aren't charities and if they can possibly wiggle out of paying they will. In these days of databases of accidents it is a brave person that doesn't declare an accident. Can you imagine writing off a 20k van and the insurance refusing to pay out after you failed to declare a small knock? They can and they will. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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