Caravan parks

Up until this year, our neighbours had a place in Lincolnshire. They very generously let us use it several times.
The park itself was absolutely beautiful as was the caravan. It was all set in woodland.
I used to really covet the gorgeous log cabins.
It is called Lakeside Park in Louth.
Part of Don Amott.
(I know that you aren’t interested in the area, but I thought I’d give it a plug!)
I hope that you find somewhere as lovely

My advice is don’t. Have a look at the Holiday Park Action Group (get back to me if you can’t find it) and read the horror stories.

Basically the purchase price of statics and lodges is very high (inflated by site owners), but the resale values are low, as that inflation is removed and you have to pay ‘commission’ to the site owner even if you sell it yourself. It is not uncommon to pay £75k for a caravan or £120k for a lodge and be offered £15 or £40 back a couple of years later. Those purchase prices are at the low end for new ones, and buying direct from their owners can mean paying higher rent to compensate site owners for losing the money they add to the purchase price when they sell on. The caravan they bough back for £15k can be sold to the next owner for £55.

There is usually a limit to the age that caravans are allowed to stay onsite, so they are all but worthless after a few years even when they are in great condition.

The rents are not fixed, so you are committing to an unknown expense and are trapped because of the cost of selling.

Rules on everything from the keeping of sheds to the number of pets you can take are subject to change without notice, and you can be evicted for breaking rules that were not in place when you bought.

There is little or no legal protection as these are all considered civil matters and site owners are prepared to pay for lengthy court cases that are too expensive for most caravan owners to fund.

I could go on, but please don’t go in blind. We have a lodge, and get a lot out of going, which we do regularly; but they can be financially ruinous unless you can afford to write off the cost of buying, and are prepared for rent hikes and are aware that everything from wifi installation to buying gas to getting decking built has to be done through the site at a huge premium.

Even removing the static from the site when deemed "too old" has to be done by the site and is £££!
I know this from the problems a friend had trying to sell.

NotSpaghetti

Even removing the static from the site when deemed "too old" has to be done by the site and is £££!
I know this from the problems a friend had trying to sell.

Yup. It is a real rip-off from start to finish.

We've been on our site for over 25 years, (different caravans/lodges) and have had a lot of pleasure from it, but I know we've been lucky. Some of the stories on the Action Group site make your hair curl, and they could happen to anyone. Sites change ownership overnight, and rules change too. They can, for instance, bring in a rule to say you have to have UPVC decking at a cost of £15k, and overnight you have to take down (or pay them to take down) the wooden stuff you put up last year at a cost of £7k. If you can't afford it, or if you make a fuss you are 'in breach of contract' and get evicted, so you have lost what you thought was an investment, and are ££££ out of pocket. It is heartbreaking to read of people putting all of their life savings an/or pension lump sums into 'buying the dream' and finding it's a nightmare.

Sounds like I have a lot to think about and a lot to research thank you for the advice so far x

My parents had a caravan on a site that weren't strict on the age, as long as it was kept well they were happy, but then the site owner's son took over and things changed. He wanted the caravan changed every 10 years or you were put off the site. My mum moved to another site and they let you keep them for longer, but the yearly site fees were eye watering, plus you paid separately for electric and water. When she got ill and had to finally give it up she got nothing for it, she actually had to pay them to get it removed off the site.
It's a lot to think about, do your homework.

Personally, I wouldn't buy.

My sister and her husband manage a caravan site in Crystal Palace London and she has told me some horror stories commensurate with those above. Note that they are just "managers" they dont own the site. But they have to enforce the rules.

Can you find a local farmer who (for a fee) would allow you to have one/a caravan on his land?
You used to be able to do this and use it for x weeks a year.
My mother did this.

You might find a local farmer, but the chances that s/he will be able to provide running water, electricity and sewerage to your caravan are slim, and the odds are that there will be no gas available for miles.

My parents had a caravan when I was a child, and we had some good holidays there, but things were different. Nowadays caravans come with central heating, full-size baths, TV points and so on. They are not glorified tents, which they were in the past .

There are several sites near Lytham, but it’s very close to Blackpool and prices will be high. I don’t think asking local farmers will work, they would need planning permission for starters.

We were thinking of selling our tourer and buying a static but these posts have seriously made us think again, far too many booby traps

One option would to buy a touring van and have it sited on a touring park that offers seasonal pitches. Many have separate bedrooms plus excellent bathrooms, central heating and good fridges. They don’t need to be brand new, have a look round the caravan dealers. The van always belongs to the owner, no charge back to a site or rules about age. Most caravan dealers will tow and site for a purchaser. If it’s necessary to move the van from a pitch for the winter season most site owners will do it if necessary. We did this for three years before moving here to test the area. Our van could stay on its pitch all year round and be used for 10 months of the year. The pitch was a super pitch, ie it had electricity and drainage plus a tap to connect for water. This approach does still comes with costs but was much less expensive than a permanent site. Caravan dealers will talk folk through the ‘how’ of using a van and other folk on a site will always help if needed.

We have a static and we love it,the caravans today have double glazing,central heating,pretty much a home from home.
I would rent one for a month to see if you like it.

This sounds like a better option cornergran we looked into this for our tourer and, although it was going to cost us over £3000 a year to keep it on a site we liked, it'll probably be cheaper than a static and being fleeced by static site owners for whatever they decide they want payment for.

I agree that a large tourer on a seasonal pitch is a good option. You can move off whenever you like, and are not at the mercy of the site owners. Yes, rents are still expensive, but most static sites charge well over twice the rate for statics/lodges than for tourers.

There are plenty of people who will tell you that static ownership is great, and so far we have enjoyed it for 25 years. We have a lodge now, and it is luxurious compared to the caravans of my youth, but the reality is that the price we paid was largely for the pitch (which is lovely), but we don't own that, and the lodge itself is worth far less without it. As we could be asked to leave at any time it is a precarious situation at best, and the only way to fight the owners is through the courts, where they can afford to throw money at delays. Sites can be sold and things change overnight (that has happened to us). Please be careful.

After reading about all the financial headaches associated with caravan ownership, wouldn’t an Airbnb be a better option?
You could rent a lovely property whenever you plan to visit your family, which surely would work out a lot cheaper than being lumbered with a caravan which is depreciating month after month.

Thank you everyone I really appreciate you taking the time to reply to me and for all your sound advice.
Lots to think about it seems.