BACKGROUND

The original insurance scheme was first established in 1988 by the then Nature Conservancy Council and administered by the National Small Woods Association (NSWA). It was initially designed for the woodland owner members of NSWA who were finding it increasingly difficult to find individual public liability cover that was not prohibitively expensive.

Rural Arbor Products Ltd took over the scheme in 2000 and made it available to all owners of non-commercial woods up to a maximum of 75 hectares (185 acres) in size without the need to be members of NSWA - or Small Woods Association, as it is known today.

THE SCHEME

The scheme is currently open to all amenity woodland owners, collectives, community groups, residents associations, parish councils, tenants, etc., who can buy into the scheme and get the full cover that an individual policy would give but at a much lower cost*.

The standard cover is Woodland Owners Public Liability that indemnifies the insured for accidental bodily injury e.g. to a trespasser or visitor; and loss of or damage to property of a third party e.g. neighbouring property, fences, buildings, etc., up to a limit of £10 million in any one claim. There is no Excess.

(*NB: Owners of woods of a commercial nature cannot be covered by this policy. Also owners requiring 'growing timber' cover should click on 'SUMMARY OF COVERS AVAILABLE' from the list on the left hand side and obtain a quote from Willis Ltd).

The block policy runs from 1st July - 30th June annually and this year the cost is set at £120.00 per wood from 1st July 2011, this includes the minimum Annual Premium charged by the Broker (£85.00), the 6% government Insurance Premium Tax (£5.10) and the Policy Holders Fee (£29.90), and is irrespective of the size of the woodland (up to the maximum allowed) or number of owners or whenever you join the scheme. However, if you join the Scheme after 1st January 2012, the cost is only £82 (Broker £53.00, IPT £3.18 and reduced PHF £25.82) for the remaining six months or any part thereof, until 30th June 2012. NB: there is no pro-rata premium as the cost is the minimum amount that can be charged whether it be for 1 year, 6 months, one month, one week or one day.

To take advantage of the scheme please ensure you satisfy the 'CRITERIA' below then, if so, print off a copy of the application form by clicking on the link 'PRINT APPLICATION FORM' from the list on the left and post it with your cheque for £120.00, (or £82.00 if between 1st January and 30th June 2012), made payable to RAP Ltd, to the address above. If you wish to pay by Bank Transfer then email us your request to the email address above. If you are unable to download the form it can be requested by phone or email and mailed or emailed to you.

There is much more information on the other seven pages of this website that you are advised to read. To access any of them just click on the link from the list on the left hand side of the page.

CRITERIA

Before completing the application form all Owners are advised that any woods containing hazards such as permanent ponds, lakes, streams and rivers; seasonal ponds and streams, mineshafts, quarries, saw-mills, etc. may not be accepted. Each hazard will be considered on its merits and owners should consult the Broker, Willis Ltd, Woodland Section, on 0870 010 0410 in advance of applying for cover.

Once clearance has been received from Willis Ltd. the application form should be annotated accordingly under Section 12.

CLAIMS

RAP Ltd does not handle Claims. Clients who suspect there is likely to be a claim against their policy should immediately supply full details to the Broker, Willis Ltd, Woodland Section, on 0870 010 0410 who will be able to explain the claims procedure. They have provided the following statement that should be considered before making a claim: "Public Liability cover kicks in, should the client be legally liable for a loss caused on his land. In other words, if the loss is deemed to be his fault".

Willis Ltd also state that "should you become a policyholder in the RAP Ltd Scheme you would be expected to take all reasonable precautions to prevent loss, destruction, damage, accident or injury. This is a common duty for anyone seeking Public Liability cover, and no Insurance provider would offer this cover without making this a condition. Public Liability cover protects you, should a 3rd party suffer a loss, whilst on your growing timber land, and you are legally liable for that loss. For example, should a diseased tree fall and cause injury to a member of the public on your land, then the cover would protect you. If however, you were aware of the diseased tree and had made plans to fell it, but it caused injury before such felling could take place, it would be deemed that you had taken reasonable precautions to prevent injury. It is worth pointing out, that if a healthy tree fell on a member of the public whilst on your land, say due to lightning, the public liability cover would not protect you, because Insurers would not hold you legally liable (to blame) for a healthy tree falling over".

EXCLUSIONS

This insurance cover does not extend to activities carried out in your wood such as shooting, horse-riding, motor-cycling, orienteering, forest schools, etc., that  should be insured by the organisation or individual running those activities. Any such activity must be noted on the proposal form under Section 16. You are advised to satisfy yourself that appropriate cover has been arranged by the organisers for those activities.

Similarly, this cover does not extend to workers or contractors operating in your woods. You are advised to satisfy yourself that they have appropriate insurance cover in place before work commences.

Store sheds, cabins, summerhouses, treehouses, buildings, etc., or their contents, are not covered under this policy. A separate quote can be requested direct from Willis Ltd on 0870 010 0410 or see the details for Beech Tree Insurance on the 'RURAL LINKS' page who may be able to offer an alternative quote.