Buying a caravan is a big investment and with caravanning thefts on the up, owners can't afford to take any risks. It's essential for anyone looking to buy a tourer to invest in security. The Caravan Registration and Identification Scheme (CRiS), which is run by HPI on behalf of the National Caravan Council, is there to give potential caravan buyers and existing caravan owners the peace of mind that there will be no nasty surprises.

Buying rights
There are a number of precautions consumers should take when looking to buy a used caravan.
1) Don't judge a book by its cover; no matter how good a caravan may look, it could be carrying baggage that you can't see. It may be subject to an outstanding finance, so it could be repossessed by the lenders, leaving an unsuspecting buyer without their dream purchase and out of pocket. It could have been written-off by an insurer, or worse, it could be stolen.
2) Bear in mind that consumer protection is far greater when buying from an established dealer than from a private vendor.

Check it out – make the right choice
For less than £15, a call to CRiS on 01722 411430 can give used caravan buyers complete assurance that a tourer does not have a fraudulent history.
For potential buyers a CRiS check:
 • compares details of the caravan they are interested in buying with the CRiS registered keeper database
 • informs them if a caravan is recorded as stolen, subject to outstanding finance or has had serious accident damage

The perfect match
Consumers also need to ensure that their caravan doesn't exceed the car's towing limits. A mismatched outfit risks a £1000 fine, points on your licence, invalid insurance, and could also be a danger to tow.
Help is at hand, though, from Towsafe, the UK's only computerised matching service that can inform consumers whether their car can legally tow a particular caravan and with minimum safety risk.
There are two stages to Towsafe:
1) Towsafe Multiple Match service provides a list of appropriate cars or caravans based upon the vehicle they currently own, the criteria they have selected and manufacturer specifications.
2) The Towsafe One to One match gives customers a full breakdown of both the weights of the specified car and caravan and how they compare, complete with a detailed explanation of the results.
With access to over 225 million potential outfits, Towsafe is the only service to trust when making sure that the car and caravan is a match made in heaven.

CRiS keeps it safe
Once a successful purchase has been made, it is important that the new owner then registers the new tourer with CRiS.
For existing caravan owners, CRiS
 • provides a record of keepership
 • helps the police to return a stolen caravan and its contents to the rightful owner
 • provides registration documentation to prove your keepership when abroad

Extra security
And just recently CRiS has cut the price of installing extra electronic tags. From 1998, all CRiS registered caravans carry an electronic tag confirming their identity but now any registered keeper can add this essential security feature for just £14.95 to an older caravan, or benefit from the added protection afforded by a second tag.

Why would I want to install a second electronic tag?
A second tag gives caravan owners added protection. The tag is hidden in a location of their choice and known only to the keeper and CRiS. Each electronic tag is individually programmed with the caravan's Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) and can only be read by the police using a special hand-held scanner, making it easier to return a stolen and recovered caravan to its registered owner.