I want to live in a caravan - am I mad?

There's a static caravan/mobile home park quite near us and I have a friend who lives there. She loves it. You can't rent them though they have to be owner occupied.

I live in a village in north Wales with 5 caravan parks and of course they all look lovely in summer.... but winters can be wet and the confined space then is not something I’d look forward to although one person living there wouldn’t have that problem.

Site fees are around £3500-7000 and only ever go up whereas council tax is around £1450 for a 2 bed bungalow. Heating will be more because of lower insulation values and then you need to factor depreciation in to the caravan. Think on....

Some modern caravans are much better insulated.
But you do need to think it through well.

Newer caravans have central heating and I have been told that they are better insulated now. I know someone who has just sold their flat in Brighton and moved to a new caravan on a site close to the beach in Wales as their retirement. One of the reasons was that there was a community of like minded people there. They plan to holiday overseas for the couple of weeks when the site closes and of course they have released money from the flat. The site fees are much, much lower than they are on the south coast.

Of course you are not mad! I want to live on a house boat! It sounds like a perfect retirement option to me.

https://www.gransnet.com/uploads/talk/201906/medium-804627-tiny.jpg https://www.gransnet.com/uploads/talk/201906/medium-106124-caravan.jpg

I spent a few years in a caravan (see picture) and loved every minute. There is something wonderfully cosy, as if it wraps itself around you and is happy to keep you safe.

Yorkshire is not known for its tropical climes but we were never too cold. The caravan was sited in a sheltered field on my in-law's farm.

I often thought I'd like to retire into a caravan, mainly because at heart I'm a minimalist and ex-interior design student (not decorator) who loves the idea of small-space living.

Nowadays people are going into tiny houses - but they are far more expensive than caravans and don't have the same ambience.

www.treehugger.com/tiny-houses/clover-modern-tiny-living.html

I don’t know anything about caravans, or all the red tape involved in living in one, so I can’t really be any help

But it sounds wonderful, just go for it!

House boats are great Scentia but the biggest drawback is they can let in water from below as well as above!

Park homes and statics are very well insulated now. Several years ago my DS looked very seriously into buying one to put on a plot of land and I was really impressed by the layouts available. The problems of having a ‘van on a regular site seems to be the danger of new owners taking over site and upping the rents and parking.

Our caravan has double glazing, gas central heating and some insulation (better insulation available in newest ones but need to factor in the cost). Its still very cold autumn - spring. As you get older you feel the cold more.
Perhaps if you could rent one towards the end of the season.....

Actually just had a look online and the price for winter insulated 2019 models looks good. I think you should visit showrooms. There's such a variety available.

Yes annp1 had a good idea, try renting for a few months and see how you feel then.
Are you thinking of renting long term or buying your unit ? They are not cheap to buy and site fees for a good site are high. Look into it in the area you want to be but don't wear rose coloured glasses. There is something to be said for doing your own thing in later life but you need to keep tabs on your finances. Good luck.

My biggest worry would be mobility issues as I aged, would it be a problem to remove myself during the time the site is closed ?
Would you be able to walk to amenities if you were unable to drive ?

I've lived in one for ten years... and it's wonderful. (A mobile home, these days called Park Homes)
I was in the same situation, simply didn't have enough funds to buy bricks and mortar.
I've got all mod cons including gas central heating.
I can't recommend them highly enough. Just ensure that your site owner is reasonable. The law has changed so much in favour of us residents now that we are well protected. But look into it properly. Good luck.

We lived in a static for three years, on our land while we were building our house. I can honestly say the winters were very very cold. The van had central heating and a gas fire which we needed on all night and cost the earth. But it was still the coldest I have ever been.

oh I do wish I had had the courage to go for it some years back.. what stopped me? couldn`t take dogs and cats to many of them.. and as I live in Swindon, most parks seemed to be way outside in the country, not that that bothered me, love the country, but as dh and I got older, could we afford car? on a lowish,limited budget!
do let us know how you decide please

Park Homes are ideal if you choose a fully residential one. Probably more expensive to buy?

Be very, very careful about this! Legally, living "full-time" in a "holiday home", is a minefield. You have no security of tenure. See: www.parksureinsurance.co.uk/can-live-holiday-home/
Why not look for a "residential park" instead? See:
www.theparkhome.net/what-is-a-park-home/

The biggest problems with caravan sites seem to happen when there is a change of management. The agreements are often very badly written from the occupiers point of view and it is very important to find a solicitor who is an expert in this area as it is very different from run of the mill conveyancing.
They may, for example, be able to block a sale because they need to approve the buyers and can be unreasonable in that decision. They can often raise management fees or site rents to a much higher rent than expected.
I would have a look at as many sites as you can find about living permanently on caravan sites although of course being a property owner anywhere especially when you also have a lease can involve problems.

We used to own an eight birth caravan at a Haven site up to about 10 years ago and site fees were almost £3000 per annum then. I dread to think what they would be now. You could choose a site with less amenities which had cheaper site fees. They are cold in the winter as unless they are static they are not built to be homes all around the year.

I have a caravan although I don't live their permanently. I would love to though! It's easy to keep clean ( even your grass is cut for you), there's lots of friendly people to see if you're feeling fed up, mine is just a 10 min stroll to the beach and it has a shop, restaurant, swimming pool on site. Mine has full has gas central heating and double glazing and stays warmer than my house. It has two toilets and an electric shower. 3 beds so grandchildren and family can stay. It also has security that your can phone any time ( who would also direct an ambulance to your van). Dr's surgery at the end of the road and bus stop outside. I even get my food home delivery to the caravan. If I were more frail as I aged I'd go to a care home or retirement home just as I would if I were living in a house. In fact their is a couple on my site who's husband is very frail and they have carers come 3 times a day ( as they would in a house) Site fees are high though so you'd need to factor that in every year. A lot of things you'd be paying for in a house though anyway. rates, fuel, insurance etc (all in all ours cost £7000 per year to run but that is everything such as fuel, insurance, site fees, rates etc). The gas bottles work out dearer than the gas at home but you use less. Mine has double doors that open up with a veranda as well as the main door, that I would recommend as it stops it getting to hot in the dinner. If you buy the van second hand and not a new one you save thousands! My van was £85,000 new and we bought it at 5 years old for £29,000. It's so modern, better than my house ha, ha.

Scentia...I bought a narrow boat to live on two years ago when I was 66. I love it...no regrets. I now know what peace there is in silence....

Go for it!!! Life is tooo short and you will get to do what you want. X

One thing that worries me is if you can't stay for 52 weeks a year, what if you have to do your 2 weeks away just when you're sick? Or supposing you developed mobility problems - I don't know what they can do with a caravan in the way of adapting it for disability. Have you looked into park homes? They are permanent dwellings with some of the appeal of a caravan and cheaper than normal houses. They also often have a lot of community spirit

If you are planning on living full time you would need to be on a residential site as you aren't allowed to live full time on a holiday park. I know they say 50weeks occupancy but there is a rule about length of time allowed to stay. The council are getting hot on cracking down on holiday parks and owners due to council tax.

Laurensnan that sounds an ideal spot. Do you stay in cold months? Would you retire there and if so would your caravan last your lifetime? I think that's something that needs considering. The OP has £120k equity and wants to be able to keep the majority for spending.