Static caravan

[Mum233]

Hi
We have been looking into static caravan ownership to escape to at weekends. We are in the south east.
Are there any parks that don’t charge a lot of money for site fees? It would be just a base. Not too worried about facilities. I looked at haven and was shocked by amount of site fees!

You need to stay away from the big boys and look for smaller private owned sites. Fees will vary massivley, there are lots of Facebook groups you could sign upto to get more local information.

It's not just the site fees.
At the end of a set term you have to replace the caravan with one from a very specific list decreed by the site owner (and arrange disposal of the old van).

Site fees range from £4k to £6k a year.
Then there is gas & electric.
Then there are compulsory safety check fees (boiler/plumbing)
Then there is fuel costs to get there.
Some don’t allow you to rent it out.
Some have rules around age of van.
HUGE resale loss.

You don’t buy one to make any money.

Our monthly costs were £950 per month. Fuel on top of that to get to it at weekends & time off work.
fees due for the year so we sold.
Bought for £34k sold around 7 years later…for £3,200… yes…£3,200.
Most fantastic 7 years, we absolutely loved it but it became financially untenable.

@ColinRobinsonsfamiliar wow thats shocking, i cant believe that was all you sold the caravan for!.
I can see why it became financially untenable, we priced one up earlier in the year and it would have cost us around £600pm, we just couldnt justify that cost.

What's your purchase budget and ongoing annual budget?
Would you be content escaping to the same place every weekend?

As an alternative, a touring caravan with a seasonal pitch, or a motorhome.

Not looking to it as an investment just wanting somewhere near the coast to escape to and make the most of our DC being an age where a beach is fun!

Independent sites without clubhouses are significantly cheaper, but have someone look at the contract for you who is familiar with the pitfalls.

Not sure where you are in the South East but St Herman's Estate have a number of small sites on Hayling Island.

No frills but site fees are circa £2k pa for an 8 month season.

Buying one has been one of the best decisions - the whole family love it. Rather sad that we won't see it again until next March now ( although realistically it was getting a bit chilly now).

Just as a comparison you could rent a static caravan twice a month for a 3-night break at somewhere like Camber Sands for the whole of 2023 for around £6,000. No site fees, no maintenance and no depreciation.

I know it's not the same as having your own bolt hole with all of your stuff there but gives you flexibility and options to try different sites.

We looked at statics when DC were little so I'm not against the idea. The reality was that once they were at school with weekend sports, parties and other family commitments we would have used it a lot less than we thought we would. And for £600+ every month we could have some pretty good short breaks without the ties.

Its often cheaper to buy a large touring caravan and look for a seasonal pitch, then just get some on to deliver it to the pitch, tourers hold value much better than statics