Can I insure my van at a difference address to my driving licence ?

[MJB67]

Can you insure at a different address to your driving licence address ?

My van has always been insured at my parents address because that's where it's kept most of the time on their driveway.
I work abroad 5 months a year and it stays there the whole of that period.
I am live at another address an hours drive from the insured address but as I care for my disabled mother 5 days a week at her address that's where the van stays 80% of the time.
I've recently reinsured with a new insurer and they requested licence uploads and have come back with the below.

Good Morning,



Thank you for uploading your documents. However, the address given on your licence does not match the address we have on your policy.



Please update this with the DVLA and provide a new copy of your licence as soon as you receive it, this is a free service through the DVLA.



If we can assist you any further, please do not hesitate to contact us.



Regards

 

[Bav]

From an insurance viewpoint, there's nothing inherently wrong with what you're doing, but your van isn't being kept overnight at home (which is, I suspect, what they've been told). Each insurer will have their own view on this - some insurers won't care, some won't want to insure you and others will impose restrictions on cover and/or increase your premium.

I'd take them up on their offer to contact them - speak to a person and explain the situation. Be prepared, though, that they may cancel your policy.

 

[drinfinity]

I have my van insured at the van storage park address up the road. I confirmed with JustKampers on the phone that it is still insured if it is parked outside my house overnight as well.

 

[Salty Spuds]

Usually when you get a quote for insurance, they will ask where the vehicle is usually kept. If you’ve told them that it lives at your parents house, then I can’t see it being a problem. Plenty of people keep campers/caravans/cars at different locations to their home due to lack of parking at their home address etc.

 

[Bav]

Usually when you get a quote for insurance, they will ask where the vehicle is usually kept. If you’ve told them that it lives at your parents house, then I can’t see it being a problem. Plenty of people keep campers/caravans/cars at different locations to their home due to lack of parking at their home address etc.

Price comparison sites and aggregator websites offer set options for each question, with zero opportunity to provide context to the option selected. That's why it's best to speak to someone if any aspect of your situation is not bog-standard - preferably the insurance underwriter or, failing that, someone who is able to communicate the context to the underwriter.

What a lot of people don't realise is that underwriters can and do vary their rules if they're provided with sufficient context. In @MJB67's case, the insurer is likely concerned that having a van not parked at his address represents an increased risk due to lack of oversight, whereas from what the OP has said, the exact opposite is more likely to be true.

I had a similar issue when arranging my insurance. The most accurate description for overnight parking from those offered would have been "On driveway", but I knew that would be interpreted by an insurer as the van being visible from the roadway (think of a typical semi-detached suburban estate) and therefore at risk from drive-by targeting. In my case though, my driveway has electric gates and is at the far end of a private cul-de-sac - i.e. van not visible from a public road and zero passing traffic.

After choosing the best on-line quotation, I called the broker and discussed my situation. They spoke to the underwriter and returned with a £30 reduction in premium - not an earth-shattering saving, but better than a slap in the face with a wet fish!

 

[Unique 1]

So what if you live in it 24/7 as some folk do and gypsies must have insurance also.
If you live in it its not going to be kept anywhere apart from wherever you role up in it.
It seems as though insurance companies are just trying to milk you for what they can get as usual but there is no law that states you can't live in a campervan that I can find anyway.

 

[Salty Spuds]

…..gypsies must have insurance also.

Oh aye! And an MOT/Road Tax/TV license…..

 

[Bav]

So what if you live in it 24/7 as some folk do and gypsies must have insurance also.
If you live in it its not going to be kept anywhere apart from wherever you role up in it.
It seems as though insurance companies are just trying to milk you for what they can get as usual but there is no law that states you can't live in a campervan that I can find anyway.

I don't mean to diss anyone's heritage, but if by 'gypsies' you mean travellers, then the concept of them having insurance is laughable - they're not exactly law-abiding types. Those van-lifers that are law-abiding will require specialist insurance and, almost certainly, will need be able to provide a fixed address (just as you need to provide a fixed address for the purposes of VED, your V5 and your driving licence). It's just a fact that most aspect of modern life are designed for the norm (people with a fixed address) and, with varying degrees of success, cater for the exception (nomads).

Insurance premiums have increased significantly recently due to a number of inflationary pressures...
- accident-repair costs (parts and labour) have increased by 33% in 2023
- stock shortages have driven the price of replacement used cars to an all-time high
- ongoing supply-chain issues, increased onboard tech and the advent of EVs has driven the price of new cars to an all-time high
- UK driving standards are at an all-time low IMO
- the number of vehicles on UK roads is at an all-time high
- the state of the road system is very poor an deteriorating fast
- the number of uninsured drivers is increasing.

 

[roadtripper]

So what if you live in it 24/7 as some folk do and gypsies must have insurance also.
If you live in it its not going to be kept anywhere apart from wherever you role up in it.
It seems as though insurance companies are just trying to milk you for what they can get as usual but there is no law that states you can't live in a campervan that I can find anyway.

You can pretty much insure any set of circumstances, but that doesn't mean every insurer has to especially if you have unusual circumstances.

I once investigated this for living on the narrowboat and yes strictly there is no law against that either. But there are a number of things that require a postal address or are extremely hard to obtain without one, so most folks who choose this will tend to have a nominated address with friends or family. And yes insurance would have been more difficult to arrange and more costly as it's a relatively unusual circumstance.