Buying a seaside static caravan

I can see your point Witzend about how a caravan on a site would suit you with the required pools for the little ones.

You wouldn’t get that with a flat of course, plus even a relatively cheap one would undoubtedly be more expensive.

Oh yes the dreaded tax ! Your husband is absolutely right isn’t he?!

Capital Gains tax, Inheritance tax, they get us every which way don’t they?!

We had a static on the edge of the Yorkshire Dale's for three years. The site was owned by a family who lived on site the first year but over the winter they sold out to a company with numerous sites and it went down hill fast. The site fees doubled people were told they had to sell old statics and repurchase newer ones. The maintenance was non existent at our end of the site and the shop prices skyrocketed. We stuck it out for two more years before we decided to sell and we had no choice but to sell to the new owners. The worst financial decision we've ever made when we calculated usage, gas electric etc. over the three years. We would never buy another.

On the plus side we did some lovely walks and our daughter still goes back to the Dales on occasions to walk around the Malham cove area. So some positives from it but financially a very bad investment.

Be very careful of the small print in the contract when buying a static caravan. Most sites have a restriction of a caravan being under 10 years old before being removed from site. They then stipulate that the site owners have the first refusal to buy it off the owner, and at a price they fix themselves which is very low, often around 2k no matter what you paid for it or what condition it's in. If you do not agree, then your only option is to remove it from site at your own expense. There is also a kind of Gentilmens agreement between site owners that they do not resite second hand caravans of this age. Take a look on Ebay and it's full of unwanted unsiteable static caravans going for a song for this reason, some of them still immaculate inside.

What about a Patprk Home?
Some are on permanent sites, however, some others are more holiday homes which have to vacate for just two weeks a year.

Some people buy those and spend most of their time there after retirement.

Why did autocorrect do that?

Park Homes or similar!

We have had them since the children were small, and I agree with what others have said. They are very expensive (starting at over £60k to buy new on the site we use) and yes, they have a 'shelf life' that means they depreciate every year and have to be renewed if you want to stay on the site.

We had to sell one fairly recently as it had reached its age limit. We'd paid £37k second hand, and could choose £10k trade-in against a new one, or £1200 to get rid of it. It was in perfect condition, and we'd had it for five or six years. The site fees are £4500 a year, plus gas and electricity. Then there are the costs of coming and going. When the children got to teenage they didn't want to go so much, and yes, there was the fact that we rarely had holidays elsewhere, as when we had time off work we wanted to get use out of the caravan (plus the financial considerations).

On the other hand, we can go as often as we like, and we do use it a lot in the summer (it is open most of the year). We don't have to pack much, as we have kitted it out, and this time we bought a 'lodge' which is a glorified caravan, but doesn't have fitted furniture, so you buy what suits your taste and requirements. Things like bedding and towels, cosmetics and some clothes live there, as well as books and DVDs, so we can basically just leave home and go, which is useful. When the children were young, I used to go with them and take their friends, as I always had more time off work than my husband, so they gave us flexibility in that way. Later on, I started to go with friends, and have had some good breaks in that way, too.

They are not like caravans of old. Ours is centrally heated and double glazed, has a bath, a shower (and loo, obviously!) and the kitchens come with mod cons like freezers and microwaves. You can get washing machines and dishwashers too, but they take up space at the expense of cupboards.

We probably could have bought a property for the cost of rent, bills and renewing the caravans over the years, but neither of us likes the idea of beauty spots becoming ghost villages, and prices rising beyond the reach of the locals. This way, there is minimal impact on the area, and the basic maintenance of the site is done by the owners in return for the rent.

So overall, like most things it is swings and roundabouts. My advice FWIW is to look for a site that has as long a lifespan for the caravans as you can get. Lodges usually have longer than caravans, but are more expensive. Also, decide whether you want family activities or peace and quiet before choosing, as moving or selling up is expensive. Think about proximity to a station, in case driving becomes an issue down the line. It might make it accessible to other family members, too. Factor in rent costs and depreciation against the number of times you will use it, and remember that if you love being there (we do) it's not a simple quid pro quo.

We have a static on Unity farm in Brean Sands Somerset
If you google it you will see they have fantastic facilities indoor/outdoor pool etc.
A few minutes walk to the beach
£5,600 per annum open for 10 months per year.
Were thinking of selling ours it`s 6years old and has 10 years left on site.the van has.double glazing/central heating/d/bed with en-suite/twin bed/family shower room/large lounge/diner/kitchen/pull out d/bed in the lounge.lovely private garden and parking spot.
Approx 2hrs from Birmingham.
If your interested

Thanks, all. Yes, I’ve seen info about the need to replace after x years, however the 2 sites I’m looking at say you don’t have to. Obv. would check v carefully on that - luckily dh was used at work to scrutinising contracts with a magnifying glass!

Since I’m thinking of a new or nearly new one, it would probably possible to rent it out for some of the time, which would help to defray running costs, though I dare say the company would take a hefty chunk, fair enough when you factor in cleaning and laundry, etc.

Whether it’d be more than you’d pay for a bricks and mortar holiday let service I don’t know. We did look into this once, at a favourite seaside place in Dorset - it would have been 25-30%. I still often wish we’d done it, instead of which we ended up investing in something more ‘sensible’, but I’m beginning to think ‘sod sensible!’ especially now that we have little Gdcs.

More research needed! A site visit and a lot of very searching questions.

That sounds lovely, timetogo, and the location would be good, but I think we would really need a 3 bed. Many thanks, though - I will def. check that site.

I wouldn’t. I’ve heard too many first hand tales of woe (East Yorkshire woman here, home to many static caravan manufacturers and also many coastal sites).
Also DH, a chartered financial advisor has had clients who have bought them and one who bought a “lodge” in the Lake District, and the constraints and obligations are horrific. You are often actually paying for the privilege of being tied in to high annual charges for the foreseeable and equally committed to funding regular upgrades at above market price. It is engineered so the site, not the unit owner, profits when units change hands. If the site is sold to new ownership, things can deteriorate very quickly.
He always recommends against but of course it is ultimately a decision for the client.
How many days in a rental or luxury B&B could you get a year for the money you’d spend pro-rata every year? You could explore the U.K. too over the years.
If have your own little piece of home is key to the appeal, then I’d see if you could stretch to a small flat or cottage somewhere.

Apologies if this is not allowed on Gransnet, but take a look at UK Campsite forum online, they have a Static Caravan section as well as some who site a large Touring caravan on a fully serviced pitch with full utility connections and use a Towing service to move to another area should ever they tire of the location they are sited in. Running costs and site fees would probably work out cheaper than a Static Caravan, and the initial outlay would be much less. They also hold their value better when it comes to selling. A modern caravan has all the facilities a static has, full cooker, Microwave, fridgefreezer, central heating, air con, fixed beds, and a full shower room with hot and cold water and flushing toilet.
They are amazingly luxurious and spacious inside. We have owned one for many years, and love it, we did tow and tour at first, but now use ours on a seasonal pitch up in Yorkshire, as a home from home.

You are very welcome Witzend.
Happy hunting.

The thing is, Loulelady, I’m not thinking of it primarily for me and dh - it’d be more for the family, particularly a dd, SiL and 3 little ones, who’d certainly enjoy the on-site facilities for quite a few years to come, given that the eldest is still only 4.

We purchased a new static caravan nearly four years ago in mid wales about 2hours drive from us. It cost us £28000 which included the decking and enough of the basics pots pans bedding et for 4 people. Our land charge is roughly £3000 per annum insurance £250 and about £300 for gas and electric. The site has a clubhouse and an indoor swimming pool and is next to the beach. It is open for 11months of the year and we do not have to replace the van after 10 years as on some sites as long as it is kept in a reasonable state of repair. We have double glazing and central heating and have made so many new friends on the site. We have not regretted it for one moment and it is truly a home from home we love. Some on the site have owned vans there for over 30 years so it can’t be all bad. I say if you and your family can make use of it go for it you can’t take your money with you so enjoy it. Sometimes we can all be too sensible and forget that life is for enjoying