Buying a static caravan, advice sort please
Discussion
You'll have your site fee's which will be from anywhere from 1500 quid to over 3-4 grand a year. Your gas bottles which will normally have to be bought from the site but to be fair unless your there all the time you wont use more than 3-4 a year and your elecric which is normally metred.
One thing that is very very important is check your contract over the purchase of the static. A site owner can charge you 20k for a van but will have a maximum life expectancy of say 10 years, or even less if its second hand. Look at the sites policy.
A good friend was on a great site with a really nice owner but the original owner sold it to some flash 30 something businessman who proceeded to bully everyone who's van was over ten years old and changed everyones terms and condidtions and put up the yearly charges etc.
He told one bloke that he needed to buy a new static (off him) as his was too old, The guy replied that he couldn't afford it, he said 'fine, go and find another site then' basically rendering his van worthless.
Second hand statics are worth nothing off site, and normally when you sell a percentage has to be paid to the site owner so when everyone on my mates site buggered off he didn't care as when they sold the van they had to pay him 2 grand for every static that they sold. So old owners had to pay the yearly charge until such time they sold the van to new owners, they paid him his 2 grand, then new owners obviously have to pay the new charges when they are due.
A win win situation for the site owner.
One thing that is very very important is check your contract over the purchase of the static. A site owner can charge you 20k for a van but will have a maximum life expectancy of say 10 years, or even less if its second hand. Look at the sites policy.
A good friend was on a great site with a really nice owner but the original owner sold it to some flash 30 something businessman who proceeded to bully everyone who's van was over ten years old and changed everyones terms and condidtions and put up the yearly charges etc.
He told one bloke that he needed to buy a new static (off him) as his was too old, The guy replied that he couldn't afford it, he said 'fine, go and find another site then' basically rendering his van worthless.
Second hand statics are worth nothing off site, and normally when you sell a percentage has to be paid to the site owner so when everyone on my mates site buggered off he didn't care as when they sold the van they had to pay him 2 grand for every static that they sold. So old owners had to pay the yearly charge until such time they sold the van to new owners, they paid him his 2 grand, then new owners obviously have to pay the new charges when they are due.
A win win situation for the site owner.
So something that looks wonderful with trellis work, plants and flowers and decking all around, isn't going to matter to a site owner, if it's 10 years old, they will want it replacing?
Need to look at that then!
Is it right that you are locked out of the site for a few months of a year?
Need to look at that then!
Is it right that you are locked out of the site for a few months of a year?
MJG280 said:
Consider buying a tourer as large as you can afford. It's usually cheaper to leave on a site all year round and you have the option of leaving whenever you want.
Wouldn't someone be able to drive off with it? Short of removing the engine, I would be in fear of turning up to the site and it gone.LOTUS F1 said:
So something that looks wonderful with trellis work, plants and flowers and decking all around, isn't going to matter to a site owner, if it's 10 years old, they will want it replacing?
Need to look at that then!
Is it right that you are locked out of the site for a few months of a year?
It depends on the site owner, but the bad ones yes, they get a cut of a circa 25K van every 10 years as you have to buy through them + installation\setup fees. That's a lot of money in their pocket, you having a few flowers and some nice trellis work on an old van is no money for them.Need to look at that then!
Is it right that you are locked out of the site for a few months of a year?
The place my parents have their van locks them out December through February I think. Gives them time to do general maintenance\repairs. Don't quote me on this but I think there are council tax issues if the site is open all year round.
LOTUS F1 said:
MJG280 said:
Consider buying a tourer as large as you can afford. It's usually cheaper to leave on a site all year round and you have the option of leaving whenever you want.
Wouldn't someone be able to drive off with it? Short of removing the engine, I would be in fear of turning up to the site and it gone.Tourer: Normal, tow along caravan, towed behind a family car or 4X4 (a caravan)
Static: Large "towable" van but would need an artic or tractor to shift anywhere (these are the park homes)
Sadly as you have found, park homes aren't generally for all year round living, if you want cheap accomodation and non standard living, how about a houseboat?
I understand there are some cheap mobile homes for sale in Basildon, Essex. Might be worth a look 
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-essex-1472804...
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-essex-1472804...
MJG280 said:
Consider buying a tourer as large as you can afford. It's usually cheaper to leave on a site all year round and you have the option of leaving whenever you want.
We have thought about this, you only pay circa £30 a month to store a van at a site, then pay £150 or so a week when you are there. Works out cheaper and as mentioned you don't have to stay on site and secondhand tourers seem to be cheaper too.A bloke i know decided to club together with his family to buy a static on a site, paid the first years fees (£2000) and take it in turns to use it at weekends, week each during the summer. Arrived down one weekend and the caravan was missing.
He called the site manager who informed him that he was in breach of the contract as only the person named on the contract was allowed to use it. They had removed the caravan into storage at a cost of £1000 plus extortionate storage costs.
To reinstate the caravan would be another £1000 but no-one else in the family would be allowed to use it, which he couldn't afford, alternatively the site would buy it back at about half the initial price or transport it to another site for a couple of thousand and no refund on the site fees.
It can be an expensive business.
He called the site manager who informed him that he was in breach of the contract as only the person named on the contract was allowed to use it. They had removed the caravan into storage at a cost of £1000 plus extortionate storage costs.
To reinstate the caravan would be another £1000 but no-one else in the family would be allowed to use it, which he couldn't afford, alternatively the site would buy it back at about half the initial price or transport it to another site for a couple of thousand and no refund on the site fees.
It can be an expensive business.
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