Static Caravan

[1Strawberrycat]

Has anyone bought a static caravan that they live in full time? I’m interested in one that is 35 years old, on a site where they are all old. It’s in good condition but I’m worried by the time I die it will be worth nothing. Any ideas would be appreciated.

Check out the horror stories on the FB page, Holiday Park Action Group.

Don't do it. At 35 years old already, it is worth nothing now and if the site contract changes (eg they implement an age limit on caravans) you'll struggle to find another buyer for it or it will cost an absolute fortune to get it re-sited (very few sites will accept a caravan of that age that they haven't sold you). And that's the simplified version of the pitfalls of buying a static (old or new).

It’s worth nothing at 35 years old

I concur with the above post lots of horror stories about the pitfalls of static caravan purchases.
35 years old caravan definitely not,you be as well set fire to your money.

35 years old?

you know you cant stay in most of them year round?

As far as I’m aware you can’t have a caravan as your permanent home here.

It depends on the type of park. Holiday parks don’t let you stay all year round, but it’s usually only one or two months per year you can’t stay there, not most of the year.

Static home parks you can stay in all year. But as others have said there are plenty of horror stories about them, and at 35 years old a caravan is practically worthless already.

This is not a “holiday” site. It is a Site for full time retirement living. It has been there for many years. The 2 things are very different. I appreciate that there are many potential pitfalls to static caravan buying but many people live full time on proper sites for years. The majority of the caravans are also the same age and beautifully maintained. I wish to have replies from people who actually live in them who have a proper understanding of what I am asking.

35 years is really old for a static caravan and even if it’s well maintained there’s a high risk of developing problems such as damp etc. and unlike modern day statics I can’t image it’s particularly well insulated and will be cold and expensive to keep warm in the winter. A van that age won’t be worth much, how much are they charging? You also need to consider the service charges etc which can increase (sometimes significantly depending on the park owners) annually. If buying it is really what you want then just be realistic that unlike buying a property you won’t see that money again as it’s only going to continue to depreciate.

Have a survey done.

Check it has a 99 year lease (for the ground it is stood on).

Please, seek legal advice, particularly surrounding the lease.

I have a proper understanding OP and I KNOW that a 35 year old caravan is not worth anything. As long as you’re not expecting to get anything back for it should you need to sell, then crack on. Do make sure it’s a residential site though and not a holiday park.

We have 30 year old one and it is worth nothing. It only cost us £1800 twenty years ago.

It’s starting to show its age now and we intend to replace it soon.

My friend lives in one. It's freezing in winter but she loves it. I really worry for her as it's an oldish van and she has no back up plan if it goes tit's up and ut starts leaking or similar.

35 years old ?! I imagine you’re getting ripped off already . These sites rip everyone off . You certainly won’t get anything back if you come to sell it in the future. Def check out that group to see the horror stories from people . We had 3 in my family and the site fees go up year on year and everything is more expensive. One even charged us £10 to use the hosepipe .

Does it matter if it's worth nothing when you die? You'll be dead it's not gonna matter.

My parents looked into a static home on a ‘retirement’ site, 6-7 years ago. They decided it would be difficult to heat in winter, to keep cool in summer and was only viable if they were going away regularly/had another home. They also had concerns about the total lack if resale value of the static should they decide to sell - the contract said they basically had to gift it back to the park owner!

My DD lived, as a park grounds warden, in both a caravan and park home.

Caravan was noisy in the rain. Heated using gas bottle central heating. Gas bottles were expensive but the heating was decent in winter. However this was a brand new van and brand new heating system. The main bedroom had a large dressing room type wardrobe- it attracted mould. It was difficult to stop mould because all.the windows were ground level and they left it for work. Even though work was on the park they still didn't like leaving it open like that. Also there's not a lot of storage - they chucked everything into the second bedroom and outside locker. Very, very hot in summer - she said it was like.living in a tin can.

The park home - this was older but still only 10 year old. It had better insulation and I think it was built for year round living. Noisy in rain but less so. Same type of central heating and expensive in gas bottles and difficult to keep warm. Repairs weren't cheap but she didn't have to fund them. The park home wasn't like living in a tin can though. Same issue with windows but it didn't seem to attract the same level of mould as the caravan did.

Then there's the annual.charges and utilities on top which increase often by a lot and the rules which mean if your unit gets old or you dont meet their requirements they can kick you off. There's a lot.of control the park owners have over you.

you need to re think your objectives

• do you want somewhere comfortable to live in when getting older?

or

• is your objective to leave the most "value" you can when you die (not that you will be aware of the £ by then obviously)?

frankly I am amazed (concerned) that any sites still allow a static home which is 35 years old.
Have you confirmed in writing (3 times) what rules the site operate? Many will require you to replace the caravan after it is x years old, at your expense, and with them taking a cut of the sale of the old one.

There are lots of websites devoted to explaining what it is like to live in a "park home" and the key facts regarding how each site operates. You should do a lot more of your own research,

Or, in other words, you want replies that support your decision to buy one.

I think you will get very, very few of those OP.

No, its an absolute nightmare, they will steal all of your money and leave you bankrupt and homeless

What about park homes/static caravans on your own piece of land? All the horror stories appear to be around park owners and increasing fees, but if you buy a piece of land and keep one on your land surely that doesn't have the same pitfalls?

Are you allowed to do that

Think you would need planning permission.

You need planning permission. Not to put the caravan on the land, which you can, but to actually live in it.