Universal credit and a holiday caravan

[lifeisrubbish123]

so after the fiasco of not being able to buy a car because or would take me over my savings threshold etc and my dad not paying the garage direct my step dad has paid the garage the £8000 and I have to pay him back in instalments.

So dad is going to write me a cheque for £7000 to pay off the holiday and then the remaining money he will keep hold off for me.

I was looking at saving back some money each month for the next year and then putting this in to a static caravan holiday home.

ia there rules on this with universal credit as I have seen conflicting advice online. I wouldn’t look to be renting it out, but potentially could I’d that makes it easier to do etc? Failing that will just get a motorhome but then it’s the faff of MOTs and road insurance

It could be classed as capital I think? Same as if you had two houses. If you were to rent it out then you definitely would lose all entitlement to UC. How much is the caravan worth?

Your post doesn't really make sense - I don't understand at all what's happening with your dad/stepdad/car/holiday or why any of that is relevant.

If you're able to buy a static caravan or motorhome over the next 12 months then I'm surprised you're entitled to UC at all tbh. But yes, they'd count it as capital in your claim I believe.

Op has posted before I think - someone ( dad ?) wanted to give her money for things like a car but if you get lots of money you are no longer entitled to have people like me paying her UC

so she wants to find ways to spend this money without UC finding out

its like “how can I cheat the system” - “ what can I buy that makes my life better but won’t count as deliberately depriving myself of the means to pay my own way in life “

Why have you got so much money available to you if you are on UC?

Her dad came into some money (inheritance?) and wanted to (1) buy OP a car and (2) pay for a family holiday. But OP is on Universal Credit and if her dad had given her the money, it would have taken her over the savings threshold.

Hence finding ways for her dad to pay for (1) and (2) directly.

I see you inherited morals 🙄
Not sure ring fencing UC is what it’s supposed to be there for.

Just take the money, be over the threshold for a bit, keep all the receipts for what you bought and when the savings goes back under the threshold just claim again? Job done.

Regardless of UC rules, don't buy a holiday caravan. Whatever you pay for it will halve (or worse) as soon as you buy it, and you will have to find rent (often several thousands of pounds) every year.

If your site allows you to rent it out (many don't) they usually have the right to manage rentals, so you will get people on those £10 holidays trashing your caravan and you will just get a tenner minus the gas/electricity/valeting charges. The site makes money on selling them drinks and entry to things like swimming pools, so don't care that you get nothing out of it.

Even if you are allowed to manage it yourself you will need to rent it out during school holidays when you are likely to want to use it, and you will have to empty it of your own belongings when it is being used by others. You will also have holidaymakers (as opposed to owners) staying next to you if others on the site rent out, which means you never know who your neighbours are from one week to the next.

When you come to sell it you will be offered a fraction of what you paid, and you also have to pay the site 'commission' even if you sell it yourself - industry standard is 15% plus VAT.

They can be lovely to have if you can afford a top spec one on a private (ie no rentals) site, but even then, only if you can afford to write off the money. Sites change hands all the time, so you could buy an expensive caravan/lodge (some cost £200K) on a quiet site, and two years later be offered a fifth of what you paid, minus commission, if you want to move on because it has new owners and has become noisy.

I’m not trying to cheer the system,
I recieve £2400 UC as I have £840 housing, x2 child element, disabled child and LCWRA

i her carers allowance, HRC LRM PIP, HRC LRM DLA, child benefit and some child maintenance.

I am currently Unable to work so do not have earnings to fall back on.

my dads inherirwnve gift to me is £15,000.

nothinf about morals, I accepted that if my dad didn’t buy the car through his account I couldn’t do it.

the static home I have found is £14,995.
So I have £8000 left of my dad’s money, I will also be receiving £1500 for Christmas for me and the kids to use towards something beneficial/nice. So that’s £9500. I would have to save £5000 which if I can do over 12 months.

Having a static caravan would mean opportunities for me abs my kids to go away for the weekend more, especially if we hit a hard financial time. I would be over the UC entitlement for perhaps a month or two however I know then I would also lose so much per month to keep the savings and my dad doesn’t want that as it’s not there for that.

From the age of 18 until 31 I worked 70 hour weeks, paying high taxes etc. I have only been out of work for 14 months. I am trying to re train into something that I can potentially do around my illness but right now I am struggling

@ShyMaryEllenthank you for this advice. It was an idea I had started to look into, I didn’t realise all these other costs etc. I see I’ll need to do a lot of research

You can go over the threshold if the money comes in and out within one UC Month. I had my UC review recently and had a similar situation as MIL gave us money for house repairs. They asked about this big lump sum coming in but were fine with what we did. Things like a car or maintenance are essential.
Do you have a credit card? UC also didn’t question any money coming in to clear debts so you could buy the holiday on credit and then immediately pay it off.

I had read your other thread (and not commented as couldn’t help) but I think it was the caravan bit that made me think what a headache it would be to try to get all this to work! That’s because, like @ShyMaryEllen, I did know a little about this and wondered how it could possibly work! If you could find a caravan that didn’t incur all these overheads and regulations, I agree it would be lovely for your family. I thought you’d be trying to “ring fence” UC whilst renting the caravan out and negotiating the nightmare of these sites. Sadly the dream vintage caravan or eco-hut I’ve seen on those TV home/lifestyle programmes usually tend to be “just sited on a little corner of family land” 😂

Wouldn't it be better if he just transferred a grand a month to you?

@TwoFeralKidsi could ask him for a cheque each month yes, but if he kept hold until I decide then I don’t feel I am wasting the money. I want something out of it that I can see came from my grandads money.

I don’t want to ring fence @IleftmybaginNewportPagnell just would be nice to have had a holiday home we cpuld go to whenever. If I did have to rent it out it would be declared to Uc. But I’m thinking it’s too much hassle. Maybe a motorhome instead xx

I understand that. Yes motorhome sounds better I’d say! Not tied to one place. I had a little camper for a while and loved the pared-down life.