Buying our first static caravan
Discussion
Been to Anglesey today looking at caravans and parks, I’ve never “vanned but my mrs is keen and we have 9 year old twins who we think would love it. My biz partner and his family are keen and have experience.
Looking at £40k ish for a 3 bed can, add £3k for decking, add site fees and power about £3.5k, Van has to be new for the parks we like.
I’m worried that once we’re invested we can’t easily get out and what if we don’t use it enough!
We’re buying this through our ltd company after our accountant mentioned lots of their clients had them - that’s what got me thinking.
Can anyone give the benefit of their experience please.
Looking at £40k ish for a 3 bed can, add £3k for decking, add site fees and power about £3.5k, Van has to be new for the parks we like.
I’m worried that once we’re invested we can’t easily get out and what if we don’t use it enough!
We’re buying this through our ltd company after our accountant mentioned lots of their clients had them - that’s what got me thinking.
Can anyone give the benefit of their experience please.
Edited by DSLiverpool on Sunday 18th August 20:28
My only experience is that I've stayed at a mate's static several times.
It was the most soul-destroying, utterly and completely council experience of my life.
Seems to be a very council thing to do - get some inheritance / spare cash etc - buy a static caravan. Go there almost every weekend during 'the season' to get pissed up with all the other councilista.
When you look at the costs, you could have good holidays for years on end for the up front costings. Don't forget that most places have an age limit on the 'van, which is pretty much worthless when it reaches that limit.
This is why my mate got out - escalating yearly fees and a van that had lost 90% of its value. He bought an apartment just outside Tavira on the Algarve for not a lot more than buying a 'nice' static.
It was the most soul-destroying, utterly and completely council experience of my life.
Seems to be a very council thing to do - get some inheritance / spare cash etc - buy a static caravan. Go there almost every weekend during 'the season' to get pissed up with all the other councilista.
When you look at the costs, you could have good holidays for years on end for the up front costings. Don't forget that most places have an age limit on the 'van, which is pretty much worthless when it reaches that limit.
This is why my mate got out - escalating yearly fees and a van that had lost 90% of its value. He bought an apartment just outside Tavira on the Algarve for not a lot more than buying a 'nice' static.
DSLiverpool said:
I’m worried that once we’re invested we can’t easily get out
Basically this - you really have to mentally write off whatever you pay - anything you get back at the end is a bonus. If you’re trading up then you’ll get offered a decent price - if you’re trying to cash out, you may as well bend over and lube up.You’re buying a depreciating asset on land that you don’t own and have to rent every year and observe any rules the land owner sets.
That said, they can be great if you use them enough.
I’m not sure about any locations in the U.K. though - how much time do you want to spend there really ?
When our kids were small we had one in Abersoch.
Used it absolutely loads for about 6 or 7 years but our daughter started doing competitive sport when she got to about 11 and it meant we couldn't go all the time as a group (wife still went with the eldest)
Happy memories but when the in laws had spent more time there than me the site fees began to hurt so we sold it on.
Used it absolutely loads for about 6 or 7 years but our daughter started doing competitive sport when she got to about 11 and it meant we couldn't go all the time as a group (wife still went with the eldest)
Happy memories but when the in laws had spent more time there than me the site fees began to hurt so we sold it on.
Always seems like a con to me. You have to buy the caravan from the site owners, you pay whatever fee they decide each year, you have to replace the caravan when they tell you and you have to buy the new one from them again.... and you can only get the "old" one removed by their approved transport companies (back handers galore)... at a, no doubt, vastly inflated price.
If you want to rent it out you often have to do it via the site owners and pay them commission.
Make sure you read the contract very carefully, speak to some other "owners" and do some googling... I looked into and ran, ran for the hills!
If you want to rent it out you often have to do it via the site owners and pay them commission.
Make sure you read the contract very carefully, speak to some other "owners" and do some googling... I looked into and ran, ran for the hills!
A mate of mine works as a buyer and accountant for one of the largest static home brokers in the south east. He recons static ownership is the easiest way of parting the gullible from every penny of their money on the planet.
Check the numbers and read the contract until your eyes bleed. Make absolutely sure you know precisely what you're signing up for and understand exactly how hard and for how long park owners are going to squeeze your balls for once you've signed. Look at site fees and contractual obligations regarding maintenance and improvements like decking or fencing your plot and ask how they are going to consign your investment to the scrapheap once it's got to the age that they've done with you and want your static off site. Don't believe any of the b
ks you'll hear about guaranteed income or percentage returns on your investment from park managed sub letting arrangements.
Personally I'd avoid anything to do with the industry - but if Parks are your thing then spend the cash on renting one for a couple of weeks every year instead and just hand the keys back and walk at the end of your holiday.
Check the numbers and read the contract until your eyes bleed. Make absolutely sure you know precisely what you're signing up for and understand exactly how hard and for how long park owners are going to squeeze your balls for once you've signed. Look at site fees and contractual obligations regarding maintenance and improvements like decking or fencing your plot and ask how they are going to consign your investment to the scrapheap once it's got to the age that they've done with you and want your static off site. Don't believe any of the b
ks you'll hear about guaranteed income or percentage returns on your investment from park managed sub letting arrangements. Personally I'd avoid anything to do with the industry - but if
Parks are your thing then spend the cash on renting one for a couple of weeks every year instead and just hand the keys back and walk at the end of your holiday.^ Those last 2 posts are spot on and that comes from personal experience of owning one in the family. Cheap site fees to hook you in then increase upon increase upon increase every year until you're paying some stupid amount. No get out either as there are huge fees if you want to take your van off site yourself and they won't allow access to any third party mover until you've paid them. Also as mentioned, your van is worth nothing at their 8/10 year age limit so if you're paying £40k for one you've basically chucking ~ £5k in the fire every year. Even if you do decide to take it off site, very few other sites will accept a van over that age and if they do they will charge you a huge fee to site it as they really want people to buy the ones they're selling themselves, not have people bringing their own.
The site owners can and do change the rules whenever they feel like it and it's a case of tough titty if it involves something you don't like.
edit: typo
The site owners can and do change the rules whenever they feel like it and it's a case of tough titty if it involves something you don't like.
edit: typo
Edited by Lemming Train on Monday 19th August 12:03
Poppiecock said:
My only experience is that I've stayed at a mate's static several times.
It was the most soul-destroying, utterly and completely council experience of my life.
Seems to be a very council thing to do - get some inheritance / spare cash etc - buy a static caravan. Go there almost every weekend during 'the season' to get pissed up with all the other councilista.
When you look at the costs, you could have good holidays for years on end for the up front costings. Don't forget that most places have an age limit on the 'van, which is pretty much worthless when it reaches that limit.
This is why my mate got out - escalating yearly fees and a van that had lost 90% of its value. He bought an apartment just outside Tavira on the Algarve for not a lot more than buying a 'nice' static.
It’s odd that you dislike it so much but have stayed there “several times”.It was the most soul-destroying, utterly and completely council experience of my life.
Seems to be a very council thing to do - get some inheritance / spare cash etc - buy a static caravan. Go there almost every weekend during 'the season' to get pissed up with all the other councilista.
When you look at the costs, you could have good holidays for years on end for the up front costings. Don't forget that most places have an age limit on the 'van, which is pretty much worthless when it reaches that limit.
This is why my mate got out - escalating yearly fees and a van that had lost 90% of its value. He bought an apartment just outside Tavira on the Algarve for not a lot more than buying a 'nice' static.
I’ve never owned one but my grandparents did, we went there with my parents when I was a boy. my dad, me and my son camped there recently. It’s a very small site on the Yorkshire moors with zero council from what I observed. Sites with pools and evening entertainment will be very different.
DSLiverpool said:
We can’t (and wouldn’t) rent it out but may let other vetted family members use it.
I assumed you could rent them out, that does change things - would the economics make it better to just rent weeks at different places here and there, unless you really wanted to spend a lot of time on one site? The Darwin sites, for example, are excellent, top spec inside - as good or better than most holiday cottages, really.
When I was a kid, probably around four to six or seven, I stayed in a caravan a few times as we had a relative who owned one and it was a cheap getaway for my family. As a kid it was fun.
But forking out 46k! You could have 4600 for the next ten years to spend on holidays with the family, anywhere you want to go, or if a caravan is what you want to stay in, go to different parts of the country or abroad and rent one for a few hundred quid a week.
Your twins are nine years old. They will be teenagers in a few years, can you see them wanting to go to a caravan with then parents at that point?
Don't do it. It's not an asset. Use your money elsewhere.
But forking out 46k! You could have 4600 for the next ten years to spend on holidays with the family, anywhere you want to go, or if a caravan is what you want to stay in, go to different parts of the country or abroad and rent one for a few hundred quid a week.
Your twins are nine years old. They will be teenagers in a few years, can you see them wanting to go to a caravan with then parents at that point?
Don't do it. It's not an asset. Use your money elsewhere.
DSLiverpool said:
wobert said:
My brother-in-law has a static on Anglesey, which site are you looking at?
Treardur bay - The Lea is full but there are 2 next door - does he like it?He started with an older caravan probably 15 years ago and traded up to a newer unit about 5 years ago.
The site fees are c£3.5k a year.
It’s a nice site on a deserted beach, and whilst it’s not my cup of tea, I can see why they picked it.
Their family is very much a UK holidaying family, so it suits them, but he is aware it’s a lot of cash a year.
He lives near us on the Welsh border near Chester, so the caravan is just over an hour away and they go most weekends.
The site is closed only 1 month a year, so the combination of frequent visits and longish availability means they maximise their VFM.
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