To give up renting and go and live in a mobile home?

[Milkshakebelly]

DH and I have been renting for the past 10 years. The likelihood of us ever getting on the property ladder is slim to none. I'm sick of renting and out rent is going up each year, I'm worried that it will get to a point where we will have to downsize because we won't be able to afford the rent as it keeps increasing.

I've seen a company on Facebook that builds luxurious mobile homes - I mean REALLY luxurious. To look at them on the inside you would think they were houses. I dismissed the idea as the likelihood of us finding land to park it on round here is unlikely.

However, I've been told by someone that there is a local farmer that owns a lot of land and may be willing to let us use abit of his land for this purpose.

I've told my parents and they have gone apeshit. They think it's an awful idea. In my eyes it means our "rent" would be dramatically reduced and we would own it, have abit of land around us instead of being squashed into a 3 bed terrace.

AIBU? We have two young DC's if that makes a difference.

Have you looked at the tiny house movement at all? A lot of people are seeing this kind of living as an alternative to renting or owning a house. But, there are tons of difficulties legally, in terms of where to set up, so that's what I'd look into first.

You can buy houses like this on proper plots, you say?

Like where? Any links?

Would be very interested in hearing more about it!

I think if you live in a caravan/mobile home you're not allowed to live there for 12 months a year - something to do with council tax.

I work in housing and In our area planning would definatey enforce unless you have permission for year round use..that means you would have to move any unit you put on .Also unless you buy the land and put in services yourself it mean a site and paying ground rent. You stil have to pay things like council tax! Also we would definately get SS involved if it was an unofficial emcampment if kids were involved .

I was thinking of suggesting this to MIL. She has no savings to speak of really, no pension, rents her home but could probably get together enough to buy a mobile home and I wondered if it would be a good way of having a bit more stability when she retires next year.

One of my DM's friends loves his. Swears it's the way of the future. South east though, so our winters are perhaps mild compared to elsewhere.

Those really nice mobile homes cost a fair whack, I doubt living in one would be any more affordable than renting.

I think it's a good idea in theory, but you will need to do so much research into the issues already mentioned by pps.

I know you say your op question was because your parents have said that even in theory it's a bad idea. I happen to disagree with them; if you could do this legally and ensure a comfortable existence then good for you, but honestly, who cares? Why even mention it to them at this stage?

Obviously, do some proper research before you do anything erratic like putting down any money one of these.

As for shelf life. You can reclad, add extra insulation, change the windows and doors, refit bathroom and kitchens.
Even add a tiled roof.
( unless you are on a park with restrictions )

If you did get planning, the farmer rents or sells you the land think about how you'd feel about living in a rural location.
Just like a remote cottage
Would there be buses nearby?
Would you be ferrying kids around all the time?
Would you be happy being isolated?
Would you be happy away from the shops and takeaways?

I know people livng in static caravans, centrally heated, double glazed. They're quite happy there.

heron98 the not living all year round only applies to holiday homes or parks.
These parks close in the winter, some just for February.

If you have permission for residential use you can live permanently in the static home but of course you then have to pay council tax. Usually band A

Google it! Mobile homes for sale https://www.onthemarket.com/details/3979715/

Done more googling - park homes on plots in Bracknell are going for £350k!

Personally I think this all sounds like a pain so I'd stick with renting

Have you looked at shared ownership op?

well google your area looking for park homes or residential parks.
May take a few tries

For instance around Edinburgh there is
Nivensknowe
Pentland Park
Straiton Park
Monksmuir
Kevock vale
Willow wood

To name a few. Some are aimed at over 50s.
All charge various ground rents

Check on gumtree for them for sale.
Some do go through estate agents or other websites

Theres no stamp duty to be paid as its not a house but the park owners get a share of the purchase price on selling.

I live in a caravan when in the UK. It's double glazed, centrally heated and I love it! My in laws first bought it after selling their home 15 years ago. It's on a holiday park and only for use 11 months of the year - I just don't come 'home' for that month. I don't pay council tax, but I'm also not on the electoral register - getting credit would be a problem and I can't vote too. If it was a residential, then I could be registered, but then I'd have to pay council tax and the ground rent would be higher too. I have to pay ground rent of £2900 a year - water is included - gas is £70 a bottle and I use 1 a week in winter, 1 a month in summer. Electric is paid quarterly, my last bill was £59, yes for the previous 3 months covering winter and I was here for 2 of those months, I'm due another bill any day. The ground rent and utilities increase every year and I have no control over it. If I bought my caravan new, it would be over £45,000. I bought it second hand for £18,000 8 years ago. It has 2 bathrooms - one with a full bath one with an ensuite shower room.
The outside is cleaned every year and I have a washer and drier which live in a storage shed outside. It's very much my home from home.

BUT, you can't just ask a farmer to site it on his land. He needs planning permission and your council might not want to give it.

It is very hard to get permanent planning permission for these as people often use them as a step to getting pp for a house. I wonder if that is why the farmer is being helpful?

Great possibility but you need to do lots of research.

I live on a six acre smallholding and in my experience agricultural land is seldom allowed a change of use. Really have grave doubts that even if you bought the land from the farmer you would be granted pp to build a house or site a mobile home.
Connection to services could be expensive. In our very rural area we have no mains water or drainage. We each have our own bore holes and septic tanks but these again are costly to install. A new bore hole recently cost £7000.
My suggestion is thoroughly research it first. Have a scout round the area. Are there other properties like these about? If so maybe the planning dept is more willing to allow such development.
Frankly I wouldn't worry about the lifespan of these buildings. Prefabs were erected as temporary housing after the war and had an estimated life of 10 years. People are still living in them. As has been said vigilant maintenance will keep the building shipshape.

I don't think it's as easy as it sounds due to planning permission etc. Maybe the farmer is hoping to make some off the books cash in hand ground rent?

If you are on an official site, you have a permanent address, but higher costs. If you are on an unofficial site or one that's only open 11 months of the year, you might not officially live there and it may cause problems with doctors, schools etc?

The 11 month a year sites can work for older people because they can spend a month or two in somewhere like Benidorm or Malta cheaply in the winter, but that wouldn't work for someone with school age DCs.

YANBU to want to do this as an alternative to high and insecure private rental, but I'm not sure that it's as easy as you might hope.

Although I do wonder what would happen if someone who isn't from the travelling community, assuming that you're not, decided that they wanted to take up the same lifestyle? Would you be able to get a pitch on a permanent travellers site? Although I assume that there are waiting lists?

People live in caravans while they are building their own houses? I wonder what would happen if you said you were building a house on the farmers land where you parked your caravan but did it very very slowly?

I wonder what would happen if you said you were building a house on the farmers land

That would require a planning application for a permanent dwelling.

We have done it for 2 years OP.

Look in your local area if there are any static caravan sites that are open 52 weeks of the year. You can't say you "live there" but basically you permanently holiday there. You do need to keep a registered UK address for things like car insurance etc as it will be considered a holiday home.

It worked out fine for us- about 60% of the people on there "lived there". We brought our static outright and then paid £300 ground rent a month with utilities on top which were billed quarterly. No council tax or TV licence to pay (TV licence is included in site fees). You can get finance deals on them.

There were people who had sky TV installed and there was free WiFi across the site although we did have a internet dongle as well to use during busier periods.

It had full central heating (gas) and a electric fire so plenty toasty in the winter.

Just keep in mind that static caravans do depreciate quite quickly and some sites require you to replace every 10 years (ours didnt). Plus we had to give the site I think 15% of the sale of the caravan when we sold it. We were allowed to keep it and rent it out if we wished but we had to do it through the site who would of taken a percentage of the rental so we decided against it.

Just keep in mind that you are very close to your neighbours, you will be living on a holiday park (so noisy kids etc) and on ours we couldn't have pets as we weren't allowed to keep them in the vans for a few hours while we were working.

Not what we wanted with a young family- but when DD is grown up and has flown the nest we will more than likely go back again.

When I say a registered address- it is perfectly legitimate to use say your parents address. We checked and doubled checked this before we signed anything and it was fine.

The council would probably be more concerned if OP was living in a caravan and "building a house" with no planning permission, Barbara.

Also worth noting that parks are only allowed to have residents for 11 months of the year, you would have to make other arrangements for the month

People are right about putting a caravan on farmer land though- it isn't considered residential land, therefore you cannot live on it.

It's different if say a farmer allowed you to park one on his driveway as that is his residential land and they can't stop that- but farming land is agricultural land, not residential land.

It's different if say a farmer allowed you to park one on his driveway as that is his residential land

That's more like what I meant. Farms often have farmyards, driveways stables etc with ample room to park a caravan that is not agricultural. What if there was planning permission to convert a barn into a residential property and the OP lived in the caravan while they were 'converting' the barn with an expected completion date of 2117?

I'm sorry but I'm still at what laska said about SS!!!