New chapter. Advice please

misspickle_2

BigAunty wrote: »

Ask on the housing forum about the pitfalls/benefits of living in a caravan. Where are you planning to site it?

Most residential sites have conditions about age/type of caravan - you are expected to replace it every x years. Be sure to read up about the issues that come with residential sites, including poor management, etc. They tend to host large chalets, not the mobile caravan you speak of that can move from place to place with ease. The holiday (non-residential sites) that host holiday/leisure caravans tend to be for short stays only and be expensive per night.

Caravans are typically terrible when it comes to insulation - broiling in summer and drafty in winter, they can really burn through energy.

Find some blogs from caravan dwellers (or full time motor home dwellers) to get an idea of the highs and lows.


The Shelter website has a section about living in a mobile/static - it's actually possible
to get HB for rent and some of the fees - look into this.

If you are entitled to benefits, then you are entitled. No need to live in substandard accommodation out of misplaced guilt. Most people (around 8 out of 10 new claims) for HB come from people in employment. Rents are simply far higher than average to low income allows. We live in a low wage/high rent society - it's not your fault.

If you are over the age of 35, if your income is low, you would be entitled to Local Housing Allowance for a 1 bedroom property.

Obviously, many landlords won't rent to HB claimants but some do. LHA is capped at the lowest third of market rents so it's not going to be luxurious or in the best part of town (and many people claim that there is virtually none available at the level of LHA anyway). Landlords are more amenable to HB claimants if they can offer a guarantor.

Have you considered living with your daughter in a 2 bed? If she is a full time student, I believe you would get the 2 bedroom rate of LHA but do check. The Benefits forum has a housing benefit officer who regularly posts there.

Check out LHA rates for Newmarket, then have a look on Gumtree and other websites to see what you can get for that level of HB

There are a lot of people who live in actual mobile homes (rather than caravans) - campervans, motorhomes or 'stealth' vans - makes upping sticks and parking a lot easier.

The latter (stealth) are commercial vehicles that have been converted into mobile homes but don't look like them from the outside. The occupier wants to be able to park up where they like without getting moved on, doesn't want to be a target for thieves, so they will be either windowless or have tinted windows. Some are really well crafted -
thick insulation, big cooker, woodburning stove or central heating, etc.

Look into getting a mail box or virtual address - doesn't have to be with the post office, there's usually lots of places, like Mailbox and other companies that offer collection services.

Wow thanks aunty! What are these stealth vehicles? I have to look into them! That sounds ideal. Just the job.
I can move about with one of them.
If I can get cheap ways of parking it then I wouldn't need any benefit help with working full time. Part time employed and part time self employed it would be.
I have fab references for house sitting. So great to be able to move the vehicle. Newmarket ideal for freelance work

misspickle_2

cavework wrote: »

http://www.ukcampsite.co.uk/
Try posting on here .. loads of info and I really envy you.
It's similar to something we want to do one day.. sell house ,bank money and head off around the UK for a couple of years
xxx

Thanks cave. I hope you get to do it. You only live once eh?
So nice to wake up every morning knowing you own your own life

carefullycautious

You sound an ideal candidate for these


http://www.tumbleweedhouses.com/

A_Phoenix_of_Tangerine

carefullycautious wrote: »

You sound an ideal candidate for these


http://www.tumbleweedhouses.com/

Wow I just love these! It seems a bit of a growing American phenomena right now - there was a documentary on a night or 2 ago about folks living in these types of micro houses.

You'd have to be very good at not hoarding up strictly non-essential items, but otherwise, it's security, it's a manageable moveabe living space, and it would be totally economical for things like heating and lighting.

I kind of want one... I'm far too messy for such a small space though! :rotfl:

Jagraf

misspickle wrote: »

This is definitely a possibility jag. It depends on the people. If I get people that will leave
me to it and appreciate the work I do without trying to get too involved with me then it could work.
It can take a while to find the right people.
I'm such a loner :cool:
If you met me in the street you'd never guess it though. I come across almost normal lol.

My husband loves his own company, and enjoys being on his own, he could live in a caravan too.

Too many people makes life complicated

vulpix

You could use your daughters address for post.

Richard53

I can't help with any of the legalities, so I won't try. But if you don't already own a caravan and would be buying one for the purpose, you need to have a good think about durability. British and continental caravans are produced for very different markets and consumer expectations. Roughly, Brit vans have light construction and tend to contain most of the things that we Brits regard as essential, such as a full-size oven, microwave, loo and shower etc. Continental vans tend to have a much heavier and more durable build quality, and don't tend to load up with the gadgets that we seem to need. My caravan is a Swift (British) and while it is great for short breaks, I find myself moving around inside with great care in case something else falls off or breaks. That can get you down after a while. I would call it flimsy, although to be fair it is 13 years old and is still waterproof and reasonably presentable.


If I were doing what you propose, I would be looking for a German caravan, and making sure that it didn't lack something I really needed. I would happily do without an oven or microwave, for example. I can live without a shower (usually much better ones on site) whereas my wife couldn't do without it. We both like the built-in cassette toilet. But whereas our Brit van seems to be made of thin plywood, glue and tissue paper, German vans I have been inside seem bombproof, and seem to take knocks better without looking sad. When you are living in one 24/7/52, I think that would matter a lot to me.


Makes to look at: Hobby, Bürstner, Dethleffs, Fendt, Hymer, Knaus etc. More expensive than the British equivalents, but probably worth it over the long term.


Although, the idea of a 'stealth van' is very appealing!


Good luck, and I admire your attitude

[Deleted User]

Get any caravan you are thinking of buying checked thoroughly for Damp. Its can be hidden and is a huge problem if it exists.

misspickle_2

Thanks vulpix. My daughter will be on a residential course and only staying with me on her days off and holidays.

Richard thank you. I will definitely need something quite sturdy. I think I will do my homework and view lots of different ones in the summer. Price is also a factor. I am saving hard. I'm really not sure whether to get a van with a cab and have that as my only vehicle or to have something I can tow. I'm useless at towing though :eek:
I will have to have lessons and learn I remember getting into a right mess with my horse trailer, some poor passer by quite often had to help me out.

Deanna it is a worry about damp. I've stayed in many a damp caravan. That wouldn't do my health much good. How do you check for it if its hidden? They obviously clean them up to sell them. I think I will get it checked by an expert before I buy.

Its amazing how many options there are when you start looking. At least whatever it is will be mine! I've been renting for nearly ten years and I've been very lucky with houses, landlords and agents but the downside is they are never your own and the bills that come with bricks and mortar are so high. I don't want the worry anymore.

I'm going to have a look at those tumbleweed houses. I've never heard of them! I don't have much clutter and I will sell everything bar my telly next year
I do love telly and I will need internet wherever I go.

Thanks to all. This thread has been very helpful to me. I will be checking out the recommended links today

thorsoak

Apologies if you've already gone down this route - but thought you might like to look here :- http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-to-rent/find.html?locationIdentifier=REGION%5E988&maxBedrooms=2&displayPropertyType=flats&oldDisplayPropertyType=flats&primaryDisplayPropertyType=flats&oldPrimaryDisplayPropertyType=flats&letFurnishType=unfurnished&googleAnalyticsChannel=renting

From the experience of a friend, who went down the route that you are proposing, she found it very expensive, traumatic, and at the end of the day not nearly as exciting as she first thought! Firstly, she bought a touring caravan for herself and her two dogs, and set off to see as much of the UK as she could - lovely for the first two months in early summer, nice sites, not too expensive, with facilities for washing machine, etc etc. As the summer went on, she found it more difficult to find sites that weren't full, or restricted where she could or could not park up as she had dogs. Autumn was better, but as sites closed, she decided that she ought to find somewhere she could settle for the winter...and eventually found somewhere - at a rent of something in the region of £50 a week - but no electricity/sewage hitchup. She managed to survive that, but at the end of the winter when she wanted to get going again, problems with her car caused no end of problems ...so she decided to sell caravan/car and buy mobile home on a site ......she thought that everything was wonderful - but had failed to realise that there was a restriction of 40 weeks residence :-( She had to find alternative accommodation for three months - which she did, but at a cost.

So the following year she decided to sell the mobile home - which had cost her £35,000 - after only 1 year the site offered her £13,500 - and she found another restriction which meant she could only sell through the site management company (and of course pay service charge of £1,500). She stayed that summer and eventually managed to sell the lovely mobile home for around £12,000. Now she rents the flat that she rented that winter - and wishes she had done that in the first place.