Buying a Chalet...

loueyn

Just to add my 10p worth having in the past lived for some time in a static. Living in a mobile home is an excellent way to save up but it's not for the faint-hearted. Our ground rent was £2k a year. There's electricity and gas cylinders on top of this (£60 a cylinder) and some local authorities now charge full council tax on them if you live in them as your primary address (band A). You then still have to move out for however long the site closes (as other's have said up to 2 months).

If you can find a site that opens all year round or someone who'll turn a blind eye you need to remember they are static caravans NOT houses. They are blinkin' cold in winter. Last year we had 3 weeks without water whan the pipes froze up. It was not fun.

Granted, it's an excellent way to save money but they are by no means an easy way to live.

Really2

I must admit PN I went to http://www.lydstepbeach.co.uk/FAQS.aspx

How many months of the year can I enjoy my caravan Holiday Home?
In general this is from March to November, but it can be slightly longer at some Parks. Please note: Parks cannot be used as a permanent residence.

That is havens general terms. The park was open to owners from Feb ( I think I remember them saying that,) they could live there non stop for all that time.
So as long as you are not there for the months the parks close you can live there continually until the park closes again.

I presume different parks have different terms based on planning consent.

Ps the views at lydstep are beautiful, if it was not for the weather you would not think you were in the UK.

PasturesNew

Really2 wrote: »

I must admit PN I went to http://www.lydstepbeach.co.uk/FAQS.aspx

That is havens general terms. The park was open to owners from Feb ( I think I remember them saying that,) they could live there non stop for all that time.
So as long as you are not there for the months the parks close you can live there continually until the park closes again.

I presume different parks have different terms based on planning consent.

Ps the views at lydstep are beautiful, if it was not for the weather you would not think you were in the UK.

You do pay through the nose for Haven though, there is a local site I investigated - and they let you stay, but the site licenses are short. 10 years to start with.... and as mostly 'people like me' would be buying 2nd hand, you then are doing the maths on 2nd hand vans, for limited amounts of time, with high site fees .... and it doesn't stack up mathematically.

It's not just whether they let you - it's that whole combination of that and the site fees.

But, yes, every site has different PP granted.

Some sites seem to have places with long leases, say 30-70 years, which would be better. But I've seen vans for sale at about £6-8k that only had 2 years' license left on them. At the end of the term you have to remove the van from the site and the owner puts a brand new one on. So there's a lot to juggle around in trying to do it anywhere.

If I ever find the right mix of price/lease/location, I'll be doing it. I do check at least weekly, spending about 4-5 hours/week searching "in case" I find one that fits the bill. Nearly found one last week, but it's in a peculiar/remote place, so I felt a bit iffy about its security value.

bendix

Sibley wrote: »

Don't get me wrong. I know it's not ideal but why don't some of the first time buyers consider buying a chalet?

My friend bought one on the Isle of Sheppy. He paid about £8000 for it. As it goes it's not that bad. 2 bedroom.

You can get them everywhere. Can't believe people cannot afford that. I know some of them only allow 8 months living but that would suit me. Wouldn't buying one be a better option than sitting waiting for a crash that's not going to happen?

Alternatively, why not buy a townhouse in a slum like Rangsit?

spence

Anyone thought of barge boat living on the canals, not sure of costs etc, just throwing it out there.

Lakelady_2

But you don`t own the land the chalet is on and they are a depreciating asset. Why would you buy one.
They cost around £180,000 - £250,000 here also, if you wait you can get a small house for the same price - that would be better - wouldn`t it?

lostinrates

spence wrote: »

Anyone thought of barge boat living on the canals, not sure of costs etc, just throwing it out there.

We looked into it for a while when in London. Like these chalt places, many moorings are not permanent, the waiting lists for them in commuter zones, or London tend to be very long and not inconsiderable cost. I think it would be a superb way to have a week time base, but not sure the faff justifies it. It does appeal though!

Snooze

PN you have PM.

PasturesNew

And a jolly good PM it was too.

Snooze

Snooze wrote: »

PN you have PM.

Why has rewired thanked me for telling PN she has a PM from me? :rotfl: