We're very interested in buying a static caravan but dont know where to start. I would've thought it was easier to find a caravan for sale on a site you like to save on moving costs??
Any advice would be greatly appreciated, many thanks
Advice on buying a static caravan?? best advice I could give you is...don't!
In the mid nineties due to various personal reasons we traded in our tourer for a static van. Big mistake, we were back to touring within 2/3 years. I know everyone is different and what suits or doesn't suit me might well be different for you.
Please consider the following points and watch out for any that might apply to you should you decide to go ahead with buying a static van
Some sites will give you a prime pitch when you first buy, but check the small print you may find that unless you upgrade the static every few years you will lose that pitch.
Some sites have it written into their terms and conditions that they will have first option on buying your static should you decide to sell (at their price). They also will have the right to vet who ever you sell to if they don't exercise their buy option.
You might be thinking of sub-letting to help pay for site fees and other costs. Beware, others will not look after your property the same way as you will. I found this out to my cost!
Beware also of exactly what the costs of siting your van on your chosen site are and keep in mind that these costs can and will rise at least annually at the discretion of the site owner.
Even if you are not subletting your near neighbours may be, some of the people who holiday on static parks are not exactly the quiet, shy retiring types. Noisy late night parties are not uncommon (neither were morning/afternoon noisy drunken parties)
When I eventually had enough of noisy neighbours, thefts and damage to my van i approached the site owner to sell. Lost a substantial bit of money on the deal but was only to glad to get out.
Sorry to be so negative and I do realise it might be different for others but that was my experience of it. Never again..... stick to tourers... you meet a better class of people.
Our neighbours also had a very bad experience and apparently were paying about £500 per month in charges, ground rent etc. They tried sub letting and found the caravan trashed.
If you want a static on a site you generally have to buy it new or secondhand from the site owners. There is normally a rule that a static van can be no more than 10ys old so if you buy s/h, say 5yrs old the 'van can only be on't site for another 5yrs before it must be replaced.
The big operators are names like Haven & Park holidays, google for their websites & go from there. Pitfalls as described above but it obviously suits a lot of folk.
My advice is DON"T! I lost an awful lost of money in the mid nineties. The only way to sell was back to the park owners who only give a fraction of the value.
Also be aware that the site fees increase dramatically every year, I got to the stage when it was unaffordable, the point about noise is also a very valid one.
You are much better off to buy a tourer, you could always put it on a seasonal pitch if you want to stay put.
We did a lot of research on this and for all the above very valid reasons, we stuck to touring. Looks like it is great if you want a load of expense and worry!
We were nosey on a nice site near to us and enquired about prices, we came to the conclusion you have to have a stack of surplus cash, or sell your home and live in one.
Yearly fees were £4500
Rates and council tax on top of that
Minimum value of vans to buy was 25k
You had to upgrade the van every 10 years
You were not allowed to sub-let
When you put it all together and then worked out how many times you would actually stay. It was silly money.
Then of course the novelty wears off too! We know of people that have said after the first couple of years you go less and less.
I guess statics work best with extended families sharing costs & using it in turn rather than renting out. There is plenty of this nr. me in on the nth. Essex coast. Families, mainly from east London, only an hr&half away appear to be the main users of the static parks. The parks at St Osyth beach & Point Clear keep building more & more static pitches each yr, so certainly popular. No sea views tho, just a view of the next caravan about 15ft away!
No my cup o'tea but cetainly popular, so each to their own.
I too have heard many horror stories about statics, my inlaws currently have one and have lost thousands on it in the short time they've owned it and although they've gone off the site they're on it would cost way too much to move it.
It can't all be bad though because thousands of people do it and seem to be happy, I love the idea of having a static caravan bit don't like the static sites, it'd be ideal if you could buy one and half an acre of your own land and put it on there.
I personally would also say "Don't!" but if you're really serious about it then do make sure you consider all the pros and cons before taking the plunge.
Friends of mine had one, and although it was great at first it just become a constant financial drain - when they'd finally had enough and sold it back to the site owners (at a fraction of what they'd paid for it) they lost thousands. They went back to touring and have never looked back.
On the other side though, I know a retired couple who have one and they treat it like a second home, spending several weeks at a time there. And no sooner have they come back home than they are off back there again for another few weeks, so they are really getting value for money out of it.
I think basically if you are retired with a reasonable amount of money and plenty of time to spend in one then they could be a good thing, but just for occasional weekends then they would be just a bottomless money pit.
------------- Tigermouse
I have a very temperamental personality - 50% temper and 50% mental
You definitely need to be 100% certain you love the area and the site you are putting it on, could you maybe buy a decent sized touring caravan and put it on a seasonal pitch somewhere to make sure you're happy going to the same place every week?
You'll only have to spend 1 years fee which is usually between 1 - 1.5k and factor in any depreciation on the van which is minimal compared to a static, you can then move it for free every year if you wish and explore a different area, if you find a site that will let you leave your awning up you'll have plenty of living space.
wow! thanks all for the replies, I didnt realise it would be so expensive. But we are looking to use it alot, sort of a second home - most weekends and every school holiday (I'm a teaching assistant and OH would come down weekends etc)
Council tax for a caravan??? OMG! lol
Well, having relayed this all to Lee, he's not as keen as he was, he's thinking a touring caravan to start and maybe looking at a seasonal pitch f we found somewhere we really liked.
Thank you so much for the advice, it has been really useful :-D
If you look at Pencnwc outside New Quay they have both seasonal and static pitches. If you get a seasonal pitch you are in a good position to decide whether you want to "upgrade"to a static. Their information pack states quite clearly the cost of owning one there.
------------- Good friends are hard to find, difficult to leave and impossible to forget.
Hi we are selling our static at the moment due to moving abroad yes they can be expensive, but if used right you can have alot of pleasure from them, we let ours to family or friends, we are on a top site in devon and have no time limit on the van staying there, We have let it through the owners we must have been lucky (not trashed) we covered our site fees plus extra,.We have sinced spoken to other owners and been put in touch with people on site who will run a key and cleaning service on a regular basis at a very reasonable rate they are used and trusted by long time owners ,you are allowed to run your own letting service on this site charges in high season go upto £1,000 per week, yes you pay insurance gas electric and rates plus site fees you will also pay these on a tourer you will also lose money as soon as you have bought a tourer same as a static . our site does not demand you sell to them or through them but of course they want there cut .if selling to family members there is no charge. no I am not biased toward statics for I also own a tourer and have had several over the last thirty years, all I say is work everything out first, remember towing a tourer is not cheap either, packing up for a week or weekend caused rows with teenagers who wanted to take the kitchen sink . in a static you can leave it there.
Amazing family weekend with old steam engines, classic car displays, market stalls, and full catering and bar. And camping on site - Save £25 by booking in advance.
Topic: Looking To Buy Static Caravan, advice?
