Buying a static caravan help

PasturesNew

Snooze wrote: »

She's experienced pretty much all of what PN has said plus threats to be evicted off site if she does not replace her caravan with a more modern one! I kid you not, if your caravan is too old it apparently damages the look of the site and you can get thrown off if you don't do it!

This is true.

When I owned my mobile home, the rules were quite often "if the van is 20 years old it's off the site". And you had no rights to bring in another one to the plot, the only option was to buy a new one from the site owner (at £70-100k).

However, the law changed and now the age of the caravan isn't an issue, it's the condition/look of it that can get notice served on you.

As your lease to rent the plot contains the clause that says you remove your caravan at your expense once it's deemed tatty, you can suddenly find yourself homeless in X years' time with no way of buying a replacement.

These issues need to be looked into very clinically at the outset: what are the terms, what would you do if this happened.

scope

Holy moly! Me wife was talking about perhaps getting one after we spent a holiday at a caravan park in Devon, I can now tell you point blank we will not even look into it if the above represent life with a static caravan..

Talk about throwing money down the drain.

Pete0926

If I was buying again, I would do it this way..
Find a private site, not a holiday camp, with a long season, preferably 12 months.
Buy a good 2nd hand static, no more than 3 yrs old (probably off EBay), in the winter when prices are a lot lower
It would need to be a double glazed and centrally heated unit, as if not, they get freezing rather quickly!
Use a caravan transporter company to move it to the site.
Most holiday parks fees are 3K plus now, but you are paying for things you may not use in that, like swimming pools,amusement arcades.Private sites are a lot cheaper.
Fuel, gas and water are on top of these fees, as well as insurance, and you would be expected to pay in advance.

poppysarah

Pete0926 wrote: »

.
Fuel, gas and water are on top of these fees, as well as insurance, and you would be expected to pay in advance.

You could easily sort out solar hot water for one though. Even I wouldn't be scared of going on the roof of one.

PasturesNew

Pete0926 wrote: »

Find a private site...Buy a good 2nd hand static, no more than 3 yrs old ...It would need to be a double glazed and centrally heated unit

It is rare to find a private site where you can bring your own van. The site owner would make more money buying their own van and putting it on, then reselling it. Especially as they have specialist knowledge/contacts, they'd get the tip off when a cheap van's available.

I shouldn't think there'd be many floating about so new and siteless.

Holiday caravans and mobile homes, while appearing completely identical to look at do have completely different standards with regard to the insulation levels. Holiday caravans will be cold in winter; mobile homes have much better insulation. It would be essential that if you are buying one to live in it that you get one that was built for residential occupation.

johnt12

Does anyone know why you have to give the site owner between 10 / 20% deeemed to be for the transfer fee but what do they do for it. as far as I know nothing?