Static Caravan Selling

Nigel-YZ1

We've had a static caravan on a private site for 2 years. We can't spend enough time there to justify the cost so wish to sell up.

The site rules were first handed round a few months ago, before that there were none. They give the site owner 10% of any caravan sale.
We rang him and told him we wished to sell. He announced that the fee was now 10% + £1000 and that he had sole rights to sell if it remains on his site. When we challenged this new verbal condition he just replied 'It's my land'.
We originally paid £5600 for the van, but the company we bought it from will now give us £1200. If we go that route there's a £300 disconnection fee to the site owner.

The site owner hasn't been in touch about any sale yet, and we're expecting him to demand the £1800 site fees (which has to be paid on 1st March in full) if it doesn't sell quickly.

We're expecting to walk away from this with nothing. And maybe even having to pay more to be rid of it. What was a paradise has turned into a chore.

Do we have any rights here?

gardner1

Most caravan sites take a cut of sale......caravans depreciate faster than cars

LABMAN

Oh the joys of static caravan ownership...up there with time-share IMHO and should be avoided.

unholyangel

If you have your original contract then read over it and see what it says.

However, this might be of interest to you - the document itself has been withdrawn as OFT have been replaced by CMA - CMA only have a general guidance and not any industry specific guidance.

But the legislation behind it is essentially still the same.

Pay particular attention to 5.30 to 5.34 but give the rest of it a read over as other parts will be relevant also.

hollydays

Also
http://www.nacoservices.com/static-caravan-advice/a-fair-pitch-licence-agreement-for-your-static-caravan
Of course after all this is over you could place a well worded review on rip off report
https://www.ripoffreport.com
naming the site to warn others.

agrinnall

The real question here is why your caravan has reduced in value from £5600 to £1200 in only 2 years? Did you pay far too much in the first place? Have you trashed it during your ownership? Or have you just accepted the first offer that was made without trying harder to get a decent price? If you were selling it for £5000 then the site fees would look less of a rip off.

gardner1

agrinnall wrote: »

The real question here is why your caravan has reduced in value from £5600 to £1200 in only 2 years? Did you pay far too much in the first place? Have you trashed it during your ownership? Or have you just accepted the first offer that was made without trying harder to get a decent price? If you were selling it for £5000 then the site fees would look less of a rip off.

For £5600 it must have been quite a few years old......as I said previously these thing depreciate faster than cars,you never ever make your money back
If you do own one you've got to use it most weeks of the season or rent it

hollydays

gardner1 wrote: »

For £5600 it must have been quite a few years old......as I said previously these thing depreciate faster than cars,you never ever make your money back
If you do own one you've got to use it most weeks of the season or rent it

But as asked, they may have paid too much for it.

seashore22

At that price it must be in a pretty terrible state.

A small touring caravan in a reasonable condition and many years old would cost more than that.

lincroft1710

The reason older statics are cheap is the problem of trying to find a site that will take them. The older they are, the more difficult to find a site. Yours is 2 years older so might have gone past the magical 10 (or 12 or 15) years old limit that site owners apply.

I presume the company you bought from and the site owner are not the same, so ask the site owner what he would give you for the van. If it's more than £900 (£1200 company offer, less £300 disconnection) it may be worth taking. If you try to sell it off site, you will have pay transportation charges (expensive) plus £300 disconnection fee plus find somewhere to store and then try finding a buyer!

I'm sorry but you are in a lose-lose situation

lincroft1710

seashore22 wrote: »

A small touring caravan in a reasonable condition and many years old would cost more than that.

Plenty of tourers, large and small on offer at less than £4K