Static caravan purchase is it worth buying

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 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 .

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!

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)

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.

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.

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!!

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.

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.

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.

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)

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.

This is a useful read
www.gov.uk/park-mobile-homes

My husband and I had tourers and latterly a static on a small site. There for many years until it was taken over. Site fees, flew up, rules were changed so caravans had to be 10 years or under, sold back to owners and new bought through them with an almost 50% mark up.
Most of the regulars slowly left including me. My children loved going there and latterly my grandchildren. I really miss just being able to go when I wanted without having to book months in advance for a holiday cottage or static somewhere else. I got peanuts for my caravan from the site owner who sold it for three times what he gave me. These sites are being taken over by greedy, unscrupulous people so I for one would not buy another static.

JoJo60
That’s why we tow a smart car behind the motohome.
Having said that 90% of our touring is in Europe.

My parents took on a long term tenancy if a farm cottage that was no longer needed for a farm worker. The rent was very reasonable much cheaper than buying a caravan and paying site fees etc. Maybe they were lucky but it worked out well

When my mum n dad decided to give up their static, they had to pay the owners a years rates nearly 3,000!! They weren’t allowed to sell the van, they had to leave it there or pay a fortune to have it towed away, they were robbed blond. New owners took over changed all the rules. This was near Heysham overlooking the river Lune. Yes the van was older but was still within in the life of the van stated to be on the site .

Blind not blond🙄

Sounds like an awful lot of money for something that’s going to lose value quite quickly. Why not just go and stay in a luxury B&B or a small hotel when you want to get away on a whim?

We have a static on a holiday park just outside New Romney which we would like to sell as we lived in it while waiting for our new build to be ready. We had a really enjoyable summer in it, on a site with a pool and a nature reserve just outside. Its good for having a dog there. It is a small friendly park on a former farm. We are thinking of listing it with a local estate agency. I would recommend having one as a holiday home.

A temporary holiday home by the sound of other Grans' comments

We have a motorhome that gets used quite often. Several of our extended family also own motorhomes or travel trailers so we make plans to all meet at a campsite and have a family holiday once or twice a year.
It's also nice to have when we are driving several hours to visit family as we can just stop at a pullout to make lunch or if one of us need a potty break. And when we get where we are going most of our family have large enough yards we can park on their property.

Also forgot add that we let family and friends use it when they visit us. It gives both of us that little bit of extra privacy but still close enough to holler that tea is ready. ;)😉

My friend is now struggling as site fees, rates, insurances etc come to over £600 each month. Initially having spent over £27000 on the mobile home. She often says she wishes she had just used the money on luxury breaks or even cheap B&B's as she would not have spent anywhere near as much and would have benefited from being able to explore new places with out the concern of maintaining a holiday home. When she sells, the site agents will take a proportion. It has been an expensive mistake I'm afraid.

In my opinion I would have to say NO ...I bought two ..brand new one for me friends etc and one new smaller one to rent out. Put a substantial amount of money on my account, to cover gas bottles, charges etc ......the summer I first had it it was rented out all the time (I know, as I passed it en route to mine) ...BUT at the end of the year, I was asked for a considerable amount of money for gas, electricity, etc .........there was more than sufficient in my account to cover it, I WAS TOLD that money had been used (on what ?) I asked for bills, etc .........none were forthcoming .....I wrote to their head office but was ignored. I was not the only one ...in fact, someone else who had bought one (like mine, nearly £100,000 for the big new one !) said 'if you had have asked me, I would have said DONT touch it with a bargepole. Never Again ......I sold them both at a really big loss, but I was glad to get rid of them from a company I now know is known locally as SHARKDEAN ............think carefuly !