Static caravan site woes

G8311374

Hello,

I am Iraq veteran suffering with mental health problems which caused me to be medically discharged from the armed forces in 2008. When I finally got my AFCS compensation in 2011 I decided to buy a static caravan to provide myself a sanctuary. This cost me £15000 and I spent a further €3000 on decking.

At the time of the purchase and as a condition of the sale the owner promised a letting on my van on the upcoming Turnberry seniors open which he said would net me in the region of £3000 for a week this was the equivalent of two years site fees, and I already had one years site fees paid for as part of buying my caravan. The letting never materialised.

Then without notice the site was sold and the first I heard about it was a bill for my forthcoming years site fees with hike in site fees of £1000. Unable to work because of my health and living on benefits, and let down by the previous owners I was unable to pay the site fees. So the new owners allowed me to rent out my van to pay my site fees in arrears. This has worked this year and I am £500 in profit but they will not allow me to do it next year so I am forced to sell my van for which the site will receive a commission on and I will lose around £10000 of my investment.

I have a buyer for my van. However the site want to charge them an extra £500 a year in site fees because they have bought the van privately. So I have lost my sale. The site then went on to try and sell my buyer one of their over priced vans which my buyers refused.

My site has me over a barrel. They want me gone because they want someone who can pay the site fees, but they won't buy my caravan from me, yet they try to penalise any potential buyers and myself. I am at my whits end and my health is suffering.

Help

Helen.

mum2one

Unfortuntaly when the site is sold the new owners can bring in their own terms and conditions and hike up any site fees.

(sorry)

McKneff

Could you pay your site fees from your benefits, and just live there as you are doing now.


Would they take such things weekly or monthly.


Are you on the correct amount of benefits.

cattie

The trouble is that caravans & mobile homes are not investments. The value of them depreciates very quickly & usually there are stringent rules & hefty charges when wanting to sell or let. And as you've found out, if the site is sold, you come under the control of the new owners & they often wish to change terms & conditions.

If this caravan is your actual home & you are on benefits, you should look into the possibility of getting housing costs from the DWP towards the site fees that you have to pay. If the caravan is not your actual home, then I think you just have to face up to the fact that you need to be shot of it asap even though you'll have to face a big financial hit on your initial outlay.

mum2one

The problem is the caravan sites are not to be lived in as there classed as holiday homes - some sites has 7 1/2mth seasons, other 10 1/2mths - as the site would not be registered for permanent residents. x

spacey2012

The Words Static caravan and Investment are like Fish and Bicycle.

Without seeing the contract, we don't know what you bought, a lease ? or the actual van itself .

I feel that in the hard times that lay ahead, static caravan park owners are going to go down by the dozen.
They are an ultimate and damned expensive luxury item and they will be the first things chopped from any budget.
If you want some forward thinking advice, get shut now and get anything you can back.
The next Budget will be the big one as far as benefits are concerned and people who can live from benefits will not be affording static caravans.

Get shut, fast and get back what bit you have left.