Does anyone keep a caravan on a site in the UK?

[MummyDoIt]

I'm seriously considering buying a caravan on a site in the UK. I've looked at the prices of the caravans themselves so know roughly what I can afford and what is in the 'if I win the lottery' category! However, I'm a bit wary of annual charges, hidden costs or other pitfalls. I know some sites have limits on how old the caravans can be. Can anyone give me some guidelines on costs and other things I should bear in mind?

I'm looking to keep it on one site permanently, would want to use it for about ten months of the year and ideally sublet some of the time to cover costs.

[mummymeister]

you really need to call up some sites in the area that you want to site it in. there is a big site near Looe called Looe Bay and we drive past it on the way in to looe when we are on holiday there. i know they make you change every 5 years and i think the letting has to go through them ie you cannot let it independently.

[LtEveDallas]

We have a static on a site in UK. I could tell you what we pay / what the rules are, but it differs from area to area and site to site.

We bought ours for 9K. It's 10 years old, recently refurbished and tip top condition. 2 Bed (6 berth). It costs us 3K a year in fees and electric, gas is extra. Our site is only open 1 Apr - 31 Oct each year and has no extra facilities. There is no rule here for how old a caravan can be, just that it looks tidy etc. We love it and use it every school holiday and lots of weekends.

In the same area the biggest site has a 10 year rule. They have caravans for sale that start at 5K, but they only have 2 years left on site. Considering that some of the better ones can set you back 50 / 70 / 100K I think that is pretty unreasonable to tell you that you must buy another after only 10 years. That site charges 7K per year, plus electric, plus gas, but it does have on site shop / club / pub etc etc - I just dont think it is worth it in a place like this.

If you are thinking of buying in an area where there is a lot to do (where we are there is a the beach, a swimming pool, fair, amusements, parks, clubs with childrens entertainment, pubs with adult entertainment, cafe's, restaurants and fast food outlets and more) then I don't think you need to pay extra to have all that on your doorstep too - in fact we prefer being on a quiet site (lots of OAPs) because we don't get any drunks at midnight (except us!).

If the area you are thinking of is quiet, then you may want to pay the extra for entertainment for children. DD loves the beach and walking up the Fort with us - but would still rather go to the fair!

[LtEveDallas]

Oh, if you want to use it 10 months per year then you probably need to find a site with piped gas for central heating. Caravans are still cold in the summer at times - they are bloody freezing in the winter

[hiccymapops]

It really does depend on the area/site and if you're looking at a static or a tourer.

We have a static on a very busy, family friendly holiday site, and we pay double the amount our friends pay on a quieter site further up the road.

Every site/area is different. Definitely shop around, and make sure you know exactly what you're paying for. At the end of our first year, we had a bill for another £1000 for rates, which nobody had even mentioned. We'd presumed our ground rent covered that, but apparently our ground rent is just that, gas, electric, rates, insurances are all extra.

[MummyDoIt]

Thank you for replying. I'm looking in the Dorset/Hampshire area, close to Lymington. We have family there and it would be lovely to spend time with them. We did look at one site there recently and it was lovely but pricey. Around £5k for the annual rent, though they did have a pool and other facilities. In terms of facilities, I know we'd use an indoor pool a lot but not bothered about anything else.

So we'd pay ground rent, gas, electric and insurance. Rates I hadn't even considered. Is this normally extra or is hiccymapops' site unusual?

[LtEveDallas]

Our rates and elec are included, gas and insurance isn't so I think it must vary site to site.

With our elec being included we are told we are NOT to have electric fires, fan heaters, table top washers etc - only normal lighting, TV, kettle, fridge (originally said no microwaves as well until we revolted!).

Site owner retains the right to enter the caravan to check on this, but in reality he doesn't.

I would say £5k is about right - ours is cheaper because the owner is elderly and a 'bloody good chap' who doesn't agree with putting rents up unless his bills go up - he "Doesnt need to make a profit any more, I've got more money than I can spend already" (I'm sure it will change when his son takes over, hopefully not for years yet)

[DOLLYDAYDREAMER]

Hi - We have some caravans at Hoburne Park & Hoburne Naish so in the right area for you - We have one for ourselves & 3 we rent out - both sites have all the facilities you would need - indoor/outdoor pools, entertainment club, restaurant etc. The site fees plus elec (no gas) rates, insurance etc comes to about £4k a year. there are always caravans for sale at various ages/prices, The sites are open 10 months per year & weekends only during the 2 shut months, the maximum age for any caravan is 15 years. You could buy one that has a few years left quite reasonable to see how it goes - the letting market is quite good if you can get your self organised