By William Coleman

As I have said many times, along with most of the world, winter is coming! Recently I have written some articles on winter prep for our touring holiday homes. There is one more important aspect we all need to look at, security. Preparation is something we all dislike but now is the time to think about storing our tour homes as well as how to keep them secure during the cold months.

Unless you have the luxury of living behind a large gated compound or in total seclusion out in the wilds of the UK you will always be at risk of some kind of auto theft crime or vandalism. So how do we, as an industry and community, securely store our beloved touring homes during the off season?

Wheel Locks

This may be the most obvious and clear method to use, but you’d be surprised how many people do not use them. These clamps really are worth their weight in gold. Something so simple will put off any would thief from attempting to lift your home. Despite this it is very common to see a lot of homes stored stationary on a driveway without any kind of wheel lock in place.

Out Of Sight Out Of Mind

Like most things in life, if it can’tbe seen it can’t be an issue. There are many ways in which you can hide your caravan or motorhome. Sometimes to most effective way is to hide in plain sight. A cover can sometimes be the best thing to hide your home. A lot of people seem to think that if someone can see something covered up it makes them more curious, I disagree entirely. If you see something that looks like a caravan covered by something that is also the same shape as a caravan it’s more than likely going to be exactly that, a caravan. People will pass by and just see a caravan shape covered up. If someone wants to take one I don’t think they want to fuss of taking the cover off to reveal a home that has sat there under a covered for 10 years and is worth less the shirt on their back.

If you have access to your back garden or a good size garage that is the ideal hiding space. Always remember that if you have a cover a thief will not want to take too much time removing the cover or steal something that they cannot do anything with. Plus the cost of a cover far outweighs the cost of not having one.

Window and Door Locks

During the off season a lot of things are stored in caravans and motorhomes. Things that can be used by others which mean they can be sold on. Most good quality homes do come with good factory standard locks on all the windows and doors. That being said there is never any harm in investing in some extra locks for doors and windows. If you have already done this then keep up the maintenance on these locks to ensure they are as good as they were when you took them out of the package.

Alarms and Cameras

During my college days I went on a few caravan holidays with a friend and his family to the south of France. The security measures my friend’s father took seemed, at the time, a tad extreme. Exterior cameras watching the drive where the caravan was kept, interior alarm system with supporting cameras, GPS trackers and then the goold old fashioned wheel locks. I struggled to see how he’d even manage to get in himself. Years on after seeing how expensive his caravan was and how common theft of touring homes are it all made sense.

Never shy away from an alarm due to its price. With alarms you get what you pay for. If you have budgeted for a motorhome or caravan you should always add a little bit more for the after purchase essentials like alarm systems.

A motorhome, being part car/van, usually has an alarm in the cab. This does not always extend to the rear doors. So always check when purchasing what factory standard security the home as. When you go to store the home you can’t put a price on peace of mind.