how much does it cost to own a static caravan?

sunshinetours

greenface wrote: »

Still dont really understand the £300 a month maintenence (is this your yearly fees broken down monthly)if so about right . If not ?? This is a money saving site where we value the cost of living and the price of a pound . 2.4 k for a week in Greece means nothing unless you know what i got for my money and how many people it paid for. Same its only not a bad investment if you can get a return from your outlay against the price you paid and yearly fees you have to pay. I had a holiday home investment until recently on another holiday park that i got a return of about 25/30% per year(for 10+ years) clear after all fees It was a happy family park with nice neighbours etc. It got bought out by the "North Wales !!!!!" They started moving the goal posts .Doubling rents changing leases etc I sold my static back to where i bought it from 13 years earlier walked away as did other neighbours. That site is now 5* luxury costing excess of 6k PA in fees and do not allow sub-let.Very empty most weekends and a bolt hole for the rich and famous and their familys (thats not money saving) Some people who own on our present site stay there most of the time for 44+ weeks and with fees and bills of around £3k pa for about 300 nights Thats a tenner a night.Not a bad investment in lifestyle IMO

:wall: Please read the thread (not just you BTW) - I do not own any caravan and I do not pay any monthly or yearly fees !!

I replied to one poster who stated that the caravan ownership (of their parents) was a "great investment" pointing out the financial aspect of those comments was simply not true on a money saving site.

I fully appreciate that some choose to invest some of their hard earned cash in a holiday home of some sorts. The example I replied to could not be justified as a good financial example. There was no mention of the caravan being let out either whoch obviously would change the nature of the financial investment

Choosing to invest in something because the lifestyle return is good is fine but that doesn't make it a good financial investment which lets face it,on here is what the majority of people are interested in

Badwanger

Owning a static caravan is not a decision which should be taken lightly.

Your caravan will depreciate by 7%-10% per year down to virtually nothing in 10 years (or 14 if that is your Site's age limit).

You should not look at it as a monetary investment as, simply, you will lose money year on year. Suppose you spend 20k on a new caravan and your site fees, maintenance, utility and other bills are 3k pa.

After 10 years, you will have spent 50k and have nothing (or very little) to show for it from a monetary perspective.

However, if you use your caravan each weekend and for 4 full weeks holiday per year. Then you will have had around 400 weekend breaks plus 40 weeks holiday! That's not bad for the cost of a luxury car!

B.

greenface

spot on advice and another angle is if you sub let it sucessfully and clear around 3k per year after all fees are paid for after 10+ years you will have enough money to do it all again. (if you choose to) although i have a holiday and p1ss it up the wall instead.

adviceforall

You can let out your caravan, have a few weeks holidays yourself and cover your outgoings so basically getting free holidays..You dont have to holiday in the same place year after year you can exchange your holiday caravan for someone else's in a different part of the country for nothing.

I agree its not "an investment" in money terms as such but to have holidays for you and your family when you want then it is a kind of investment in being able to provide for your extended family like that

don5_2

i have a caravan at chapel st leonards near ingoldmells and most rent charges is around £1900 - £2300 per year.
Gas has shot up this year from £37 and to some sites £64.50/ there are cheaper bottles but some sites insist you only buy from them or they fine you and remove the bottle.
insurance is about another £150
and electric on top of that at £100 max.
you can use the caravan for about 8 months of the year but the sites are getting keen
, if you use in a season more than £90 of electricity this year they announced that it shows you could be living there and there fore they install water meters to charge you on top of that already used for excess use.. for extra toilet flushing and showering you could be doin .

Really a tv licence should also be purchased as it is a static caravan people think they are covered by the one at home. ??

If the council authority suspect that you are living in it as a main residence then they soon send out a council tax letter for moneys payable to them . on the whole it is a very expensive holiday home, gas electric water rates tv licence, site rent insurance, and thats before any repairs you may encounter in the season .

NeverAgain_2

One important thing that I don't think has been mentioned is distance from home.

To be of any use to a working person, I reckon a static needs to be within an hour or so of where you live.

It's no good if you cannot get down until 8 or 9pm on a Friday night.

I have a static in north Yorkshire, which is about 50 miles from my bricks and mortar home.

I see the static as my second home and am here most weekends.

Site fees are about £2,000, plus insurance, electricity and gas.

My static has central heating and double glazing, but it can take some heating when it's cold.

Gas bottles have just reached £50, and you could run through one in a week or ten days when it's freezing.

On the other hand, a bottle will last for months during the warmer weather if you are just doing a bit of cooking and having a daily shower.

I don't rent mine, too much trouble, and the site frowns upon it.

Moneywise, I view it like a car.

There is no formal age limit on this site, but in 15 years the caravan will be worth very little.

The OP is considering a 2008 static which has a reasonable spec.

Sounds quite good for £18K, with site fees included.

As regards the TV licence, you are covered by your home licence, provided both televisions are not in use at the same time.

Fine for me - if I'm here, I'm not there.

It could be a problem if you were letting the van, although your tenants could 'use' their licence provided their house was empty.

http://www.tvlicensing.co.uk/check-if-you-need-one/for-your-home/second-home-aud8/

Titch88

sunshinetours wrote: »

Choosing to invest in something because the lifestyle return is good is fine but that doesn't make it a good financial investment which lets face it,on here is what the majority of people are interested in

I never said 'financial' investment, you've just assumed that's what everyone must interpret, but even the OP said the interest in a static caravan wasn't from a money saving perspective anyway.
It returns much as an investment in terms of happiness and relaxation, which is highly rewarding for those who can't afford to have a holiday abroad whenever they please and who also live busy and stressful lifestyles who just need to 'get away' to save them from a stressful breakdown.

You can't really judge peoples' reasons for purchases but it has been great for the family even extended since it was bought and is hugely rewarding as a treat which doesn't often come along for some.

sunshinetours

Titch88 wrote: »

I never said 'financial' investment, you've just assumed that's what everyone must interpret, but even the OP said the interest in a static caravan wasn't from a money saving perspective anyway.
It returns much as an investment in terms of happiness and relaxation, which is highly rewarding for those who can't afford to have a holiday abroad whenever they please and who also live busy and stressful lifestyles who just need to 'get away' to save them from a stressful breakdown.

You can't really judge peoples' reasons for purchases but it has been great for the family even extended since it was bought and is hugely rewarding as a treat which doesn't often come along for some.

All agreed on my several posts above. Point I was making was based purely on your example given where your parents have bought it for £25k and are paying £3.5k pa possibly plus maintenance. Unless they are letting out peak weeks its a pretty awful financial investment regardless of the lifestyle benefits and that was the point I was highlighting. They obviously feel its worth it I guess and of course the extended family do as they get free holidays!

People are free to spend hwo they wish of course, doesn't mean something shouldn't be highlighted for what it is

Chel100

Hi, i'm looking for a bit of advice. My parents are selling up and buying a 'park home' and 2 new statics which will have all mod cons (one for me and one for my brother). I have a husband and a 2 year old son. I want to live there 'full time' as it will save my husband and I a fortune in rent and we will finally be able to save to buy our own property eventually. The site is licensed for 10 months but apparently this is never enforced by the council. I'm not bothered by this as i will be able to save up through the year and if i have to move to rented accommodation for 2 months, so be it.
What i worry about is, do you have to use say, a family members address as your 'permanent residence'? Also, how does this affect school for kids?

sugarplumhairy

born_blonde wrote: »

I love my static. Bought it in October for a steep price but it has a brilliant location with no neighbours on our left just uninterrupted views. The park has a shop, club, launderette and childrens play area non of which we tend to use except the shop. Site fees £2,500, insurance £140 electricity by meter and gas by the cylinder.
It's our second home ready when we are except for 6 weeks a year when the park is closed.
I don't want to rent it out at the moment but it is always an option.
Good luck and do your research.

Could you please tell me where this brilliant site is located and any contact details you may have?
Many thanks,

sugarplumhairy