Static caravan purchase is it worth buying

cc We have had a holiday home (a house, not chalet or caravan) for over 35 years and out typical outgoings are less than that. Obviously a house does not depreciate either.

Quite important considerations to purchasing a permanent holiday home as a permanent asset. Our outgoings are lower than people report for site fees etc and depreciation is not a factor.

Like others we looked into it and decided in the end that it wasn’t for us, due to factors like my husband’s voluntary work, family commitments etc., what I would recommend to do is the maths, tot up the cost of the mobile home, running and replacement costs, insurance, fuel, remember that the sire owner can charge for fuel at a higher rate than they pay the provider, ground rent, once you know the amount you need to commit to, weigh that up against pay as you go renting a holiday let. On the maudlin side you also need to consider your and your partner’s health, sadly as we get older our health does suffer and the walk on the incline to the beach, cliff walks, become less inviting as we age (my husband has had two heart attacks within a year since retiring)

Ashcombe

I bought one secondhand in 2016 on the edge of Dartmoor which is a 45 minute drive from my home. It is managed by Haulfryn and the site manager is always very helpful to us.

Yes, it’s expensive in terms of annual site fees (now over £5k p.a.) and the value of the van depreciates. However, I can’t put a price on the pleasure of the breaks we've enjoyed there, particularly when my home town becomes busy with holidaymakers. Various friends and family members have shared it, with or without me there but I don’t let it out to strangers.

If you are on Facebook, you can find groups there who are generally negative in their comments. Some were caught out during the pandemic when all sites had to close and local councils discovered “holiday homes” being used as permanent abodes. There are some rogue companies around so it is important to research your chosen site.

I shall probably have to sell my place next year as advancing age and accompanying health issues make ownership less viable.

Good luck in your quest! 😀

You could take a lot of weekends away in chalets or small hotels for £5000, and that is not taking the cost and depreciation into account.
We have had a holiday home (a house, not chalet or caravan) for over 35 years and out typical outgoings are less than that. Obviously a house does not depreciate either.

We have a touring caravan but considered changing to a motorhome or a static just to make life easier due to my husband's hip and knee problems. But the downsides always prevent us. 1. Do you want to go the same place every time? For us it is a "no" we like the variety of visiting different parts of the UK. 2. We have just been to our local dealer and sat inside many motorhomes, thinking it will be easier to "just jump in and drive off" instead of havyto hook up the caravan, put the legs down etc. But the smaller ones were very tight inside, beds either had to be made up or need a ladder/ step to get in and out (not easy if you're not as nimble as you used to be). The only one that felt as comfortable as our touring van was huge and cost £82,000 second hand. There are many things to consider as other posters have said, but for us it was the issue of parking if you want to pop into the nearest village, plus everything movable inside needs putting away. We decided that we could have a lot of lovely holidays for that money, without any hassle, so we have kept our comfy tourer. However, if you have never towed, there is a lot to consider, eg you need a more powerful car to tow it, you need a certain degree of fitness to set it up, and you may not have the confidence to tow a large vehicle especially on motorways. Just som ideas for you to think about.

Pippa you can stay permanently on a site that is open all year round, but the owner of a holiday site is legally obliged for proof from every owner that they have a permanent address. A copy of a Council Tax and utilities bill must be produced on an annual basis. If the site owner fails to do so, they risk losing their licence.

Two years ago a couple were evicted from the site we're on because the address they claimed was for their permanent home, turned out to be his parents address.

If you see buying a “holiday home” as an investment, the big problem is that they don’t appreciate in value in the same way as a house does! If you just want it for family (and friends), then it can work out very well- but you will lose money on it!

We bought one some years ago and had some terrific years using it on a site we felt very confident about. They guaranteed to buy it back off us when we wanted but did warn us not to use it for renting out and also that we would have to upgrade after 15 years. We were very happy with it for 10 years or so but in the end we decided we could buy a small terraced house in a village close by- that house has now appreciated in value greatly!

It depends what you want it for! From what you said to begin with, I would say buy something you love, check out the caravan site, and go for it!!

We have had touring caravans for many years and now have a large one used by us and DD and family, it stays on a farm nearby when not in use. We love it and try to go away one week a month. We don’t go too far afield these days but have travelled all over in the past. We wouldn’t want a motorhome because of having to take it everywhere, even for a pint of milk, and the possible parking difficulties. I’ve heard some horror stories about static caravan sites but equally some very good ones, you pays your money and takes your choice. My advice would be to do your research.

Primrose53

Most of the concerns about static caravans have already been mentioned, expensive site fees, depreciation, etc.

Some neighbours of ours bought a huge secondhand camper last Sept and have used it just once! I think they paid about £50,000 for it but on top of that it costs a fortune to fill with fuel. They have to pay to insure and store it. Meals out are now really expensive and it’s no holiday to be cooking meals all the time. Then you have site fees. You can get a lot of very nice holidays for that!

Another friend hired one for a week last year prior to buying one. Her husband is well over 6ft so they insisted they got one where he could sleep comfortably. The only one who enjoyed the holiday was the dog! the husband said however he settled either his head or feet hit something. My friend said she couldn’t settle as he was moaning and crashing about. Camper vans are now out for them. 🤣

We did consider a Motorhome first, BUT I’d have to do the driving (husband never passed test due to many factors) We would have to pay for storage, maintenance, insurance, MOT, and servicing as well as huge fuel costs.

Ours is just over a an hour away, in the country and very small site with just a very nice clubhouse and a laundrette (but we have a washing machine)

We are first time static caravan owners on a very quiet site owned and run by a large England wide firm. We LOVE it, caravan is brand new, it’s very well designed with two double bedrooms and two en suites either end of caravan and good living and kitchen facilities in the middle!

I have thought of buying a caravan in a scenic place so I can paint to my hearts content .
Thank you for all your advice and a big thank you to the OP for bringing it up - it's just going to be really expensive - so I think not .

I have owned 2 statics in the past loved them both. but wasn't able to use them as much as I would have liked due to work and family commitments however I'm now retired and would certainly look into owning one again my only tip would be no more than 2 hours away and a small site

I wouldn't want to go to the same location time after time so no static caravan for me. Considered motor home, but at my age would prefer to find a nice friendly B&B or hotel with a big comfy bed, hot showers and breakfast prepared for me for a good start to my day. Each to his/her own though.

When we lived in London we bought a static on the Sussex coast. We used it regularly for weekends and the occasional week. The site was owners only and open March until end of October. There were no facilities but it suited us as was fairly quiet. Great location. We only gave it up when we moved to the area. The main downside is we had to sell back to site, which offered us very little and it was probably worth an extra £5k if could have sold privately. Would I do it again? Definitely if I was still working or had a pot of money but as others have said site fees can be expensive.

No to a motor home - yes to a static - but not a new one, an ex rental and look for a site where the fees aren’t extortionate

Hi we had a caravan for over 2o years different vans over the years, on a family run site, beautiful local. And then we just thought let's buy a new lodge on a different site, it's was expensive plus upto 5k site fees. We are enjoying our retirement in a beautiful local near the sea with a few amenities and we are really enjoying it, if you have the money go for it, the lodge is not an investment. It's our second home where family members come to visit etc. For us it's the best decision yet.

Why not look at a folding caravan? easy to tow, go anywhere,if you have a drive ,no fees etc.My cousin used to run a caravan business repairing selling etc, did he have a sited caravan? not a chance, he had a small tourer which he sometimes booked at a siting maybe for a few months a time.

Research who owns the site before all else and if they are likely to sell. There are some very nasty characters that own some of them and make the residents' lives hell.

some people say there are 2 good days when buying a caravan or similar, the day you bought it and the day you sold it!

Be very, very careful. Personally I wouldn’t ever consider having a static caravan on a site. I have witnessed too much misery from people who have. The maintenance can rise dramatically, up to £8,000 pa on some sites and with depreciation too that’s a lot to lose each year. Decking purchases , electricity supply and gas bottles need to be purchased through the owner who takes a cut. If you decide to sell the owner can block the sale if he chooses then buy cheaper himself. It’s completely unregulated and there are some very sad stories, not just a few, of people losing their life savings. A lovely reasonable site can change overnight with new owners. Do your research very thoroughly and think if you could afford to lose thousands each year then the owners tell you after a few years that your caravan is too old to be on site, only worth £4,000 blocks you selling elsewhere then puts it up for sale a week later for £28,000. It happens and destroys families. Please, please think twice and then again. Another thing is holiday sites which owners tell you that you can live in year round, you can’t. You can only live year round on a residential site. On a holiday site even though the owners say you can live on it permanently he can , at any time give you 28 days notice to leave as you are not allowed to live on a holiday site permanently. The owner won’t care that he lied to you and he probably gets the caravan very cheaply to sell for a huge profit.

Marmin, what is the name of the site please?
I have been looking for. While. I don’t want a clubhouse or a fanfare or anything like that. A pool would be nice but mainly a quiet place for me and my dog! At 72 I am still working but as I’m a teacher I get the holidays off and would love to have a bolt hole somewhere that doesn’t cost the earth and supply lots of things that I don’t want.
Otherwise any other suggestions g=from other gransnetters would be gratefully received.

My son bought one for me last year it is as new… I am in my 70’s now and unfortunately cannot use it so it is for sale… it is on a reputable well-managed site, the site owners own many sites around the country and the people are lovely, be they owners of holiday homes, management or the maintenance workers who keep the site clean and tidy. It is in Whitstable a very popular area, with many other beach spots close by… as well as Canterbury… it is listed with a Whitstable estate agent.
It has a decked verandah and a ‘skirt’ so looks not unlike a bungalow (in my eyes), gas central heating and as new gas cooker… am sad that I cannot use it but such is life…
As a camper vanner for several years I have found folk on sites really friendly and helpful as is the case on this holiday home site.
Maybe this may help… best wishes Lili

I would never do it. Too many risks, downsides, extra costs, etc.

I'd support the idea of a motor caravan/motorhome. You can visit all sorts of places or return to favourite ones. You don't have to buy anything huge, either.

We bought a small motorcaravan just before Covid. It's only 4.8m long, so fits in a car space in car parks and is within limits for ferries (often there's an additional charge for vehicles over 6m long), although the height can be restrictive. It's a bit fiddly making the seats into a bed but it has a small bathroom (loo, shower and basin), fridge, oven and hob, and sink. What's more, because it's small, it's dead easy to drive.

Just bear in mind the cost of travelling back and forth. We had a caravan/park home in Wales and the cost of travelling from Yorkshire shot up and only added to the financial pressure of ownership. Then we had to sell through the site owner at a considerable loss.
Just be certain to consider ALL the costs.