To be stern with holiday park owner?

[LadyoftheCheeses]

My parents own a static caravan on a relatively small but well looked after site. They are due to pay for next seasons ground rent soon but are thinking about selling as they're not getting enough use to warrant the rent.

My partner and I would like the buy the caravan from them and pay the ground fee to the site.

Here's the issue - the site have said the van is too old and they'd rather not have it if my parents don't want the caravan anymore. My parents have no contract, nothing written and there are no rules regarding age of the caravan - this would not have been raised as an issue had we not have discussed us buying it, it was only when we called to explain that they said all of this.

I've spoken to the owners wife and politely explained that although the van is old, we'll be doing small renovations and plan to spend a good few seasons on site and then upgrade to a newer caravan. She has essentially said they don't want the van on site so that's that.

Where do we stand?! My parents are happy to sell the van to us, and we have the funds to purchase that and the ground rent for the season immediately. I have a call with the owner in a few hours, but I need to know where both me and my parents stand in terms of selling the caravan whether that be to us or someone else - baring in mind there is no contract at present.

Thanks!

Ah that’s a shame then tho tbh I’d never buy one again after owning and learning all the ways they will prince every penny off you.

Honestly you might find they won’t even sell you a new one. They may of decided your too much hassle now when they could just get someone new in.

How old is old? We talking the ones with the old slightly curved roofs, dodgy brown, single glazed no heating types.

YABU. It’s their site and they’ve said no. Buying a caravan really is just throwing your money away. It does nothing but depreciate in value.

@PizzaPunk yes I suppose so, however they had no issue with my parents keeping it, they've only said it's too now now because we want to take it over.

@Rainingalldayonmyhead I never assumed we had any 'rights', I was simply looking at where we stood in terms of ownership/selling and so on

Thanks for all of your replies, it's been really insightful. I'll be leaving the thread now, I appreciate everyone's times!

Yeah I wondered this too. ^

I know a woman who sold her house to pay off a bunch of debts around 7 years ago, as she was drowning in debt, and she bought a caravan to live in, from a park owner who was selling them. She can live there all year round but has to leave the caravan/the site for 3 weeks every February so they can do 'essential maintenance.' She bought a caravan for £25,000 that was 8 years old. What they didn't tell her (when she signed the contract,( is that she will have to buy a new/newer one when the caravan was 10 years old. It was there - but in the 'smallprint!'

So just 2 years later, she had to sell the old one privately, which she did - for £15,000. £10,000 LESS than she bought if for! And then she had to buy another one (five years old this time) that cost her £37,000. So she had to take out a loan of £22,000 for the newer caravan. This second caravan is nearly 10 years old now too, and she will be losing another 10 or 15 grand on that I reckon, as she has to buy a third one soon! They have her over a barrel. She also has to pay around £250 a month to stay at the park, and use its facilities.

As has been said @LadyoftheCheeses be as stern as you like, you don't have a leg to stand on.

We looked at buying a lodge, really a large static caravan, a few years ago. We did loads of research and realised that once we paid for it we basically had no rights. The management of theses sites can just make up rules as they go along. OP, you can ask, but don’t be surprised when they say no.
Have a look on fb, there are lots of groups on there.

Unfortunately if the look of the caravan isn’t in line with the rest of the caravans on the site and is shedding the park in a bad light I understand their position

Can you seek it off and upgrade

they had no issue with my parents keeping it there

They were probably being more lenient to long term renters like your parents and also because your parents may be fairly elderly, now is a good opportunity for them to make the change and request that it be removed

I'm not a caravan person so this is a genuine question - what is so bad about having an older caravan on their property?

@LadyoftheCheeses this is going to be a nightmare situation and could end costing your parents a lot of money get themselves out of this situation.
I recommend you read this group and take advice from them...
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1488700298019076

We too looked at a "lodge" aka static van site and the location/facilities were amazing - but when we read the small print, we were horrified. Basically they had you completely over a barrel regarding the age of the vans and when we looked at resale values we'd have been having to pay at least another £50k every 10 years on top of the site fees and original purchase. The whole industry is unregulated and I can only begin to imagine how many people get trapped by unread small print.

Basically and I don’t want to sound as bad as this is about to. But old caravans end up looking more like shanty shacks next to brand new lovely 2024 caravans.

So you go form this lovey modern pristine image to the run down part of town. Because they changed the exterior looks so much.

Private Eye cover the subject of one site owner in particular who makes up any rule and regulation when it suits him to the people who have homes on sites. I can only imagine that it is the same for owners of holiday sites.

Agree, you won't win this even if you are stern

I mean let’s face it which one would you want to look at.

I don't get his either.

My great aunt had a caravan on a site in mid Wales in the mid 1980s, and it was around 15-17 years old - a late 1960s one, and it was soooooo basic! 😆 Paraffin lights, no integral heating (just one calor gas fire,) no loo or shower (had to go to the ablutions hut,) and just one double electric plug socket for the TV, and maybe a hairdryer, and there was a camping stove to enable us to cook, and boil the kettle on. We pretty much lived on stuff from the chippy, and a local cafe! (Sausage rolls, crisps, sandwiches etc...) Ahhhhhhhh, good times!

But yeah tl;dr, my great aunt's caravan was at least 15-17 years old! Some caravans were even older! Like from the 1950s!

I'd just do as others have suggested and tell them your parents have changed their minds and want to keep it a couple more years. You and your parents sort out the finances between you.

@UndermyShoeJoe Those 2 are not remotely comparable. One would be about triple the price of the other for a start! (Maybe more!)

But that’s the ones caravan site owners are pushing the sale on. The older ones didn’t have patio doors so I can’t compare.

Just tell them your parents have decided to keep it when they call.

Then you just pay your parents and they can pass it on.

Most sites have this rule. It’s not a fight you can win. 🤷‍♀️

This would be considered a cheap starter caravan on most sites if purchased when new.

Still looks a hell of a nicer than the old one.