Guide to Buying a Static Caravan

Mobile Home (Photo credit: kenjonbro)

If you’re thinking about buying a static caravan for the first time, here are a few tips about things to consider and esquire about:

• What are the site’s conditions? Your site, after your static, is the most important thing to you. Check out whether or not it has the facilities you’ll need and also whether or not you’ll be able (and happy) to comply with all their regulations and conditions;
• Have you selected a static that’s an appropriate size? Buying small and cute might look cost-effective but not if you and your family start to live cheek-by-jowl day after day and frictions start to arise as a result;
• Does the static have all required facilities? You may think that roughing it a bit is part of the fun and it might well be – for a short period! After that, it might become tiresome, so be clear that it has everything you’ll need to provide the minimum comfort levels and facilities you’ll require;
• What’s happening in the local area? Your site might be great but if the nearest restaurants, pubs and shops are a 15 minute drive away the novelty of rural isolation might soon wear off. Considerations here also apply in terms of undesirable things going on nearby – for example that adjacent farm might look appealing but will be less so if tractors and machinery start making noise at 4am every morning; 
• Do you understand what insurance will be required in order to protect your investment? If not then speak to a specialist such as Cover4Caravans or someone similar;
• What condition is the static in? If you don’t know what to look for when performing an inspection, then get someone to help who does. Remember that, just like with a motor vehicle, things might look fine on the surface but there may be troubles internally or underneath that will result in you needing to some big cheques unless you spot them in advance;
• What are your site neighbours like? True, this is tricky to ascertain sometimes and you can’t go around interviewing people but even so, look around at the condition of other caravans around you, how well their pitch is maintained, what the pet situation is and so on. Try to talk to a few people around you before making your purchasing decision – unless you’re planning to re-locate anyway;
• Do you plan to let your static out at times? If the answer is yes, make sure you check before purchase that the site owners (possibly also the local council) will permit it. Insurance might not be a problem, providing you declare your intentions at the outset and don’t start letting out unilaterally without informing your policy provider;
• Why is the current owner selling? The up-front answer is likely to be re-assuring and bland but some subtle questioning and discussion might sometimes evidence that there are issues other than those being declared. In one sense it might be none of your business but in others, it might give you a legitimate cause for concern;
• Look closely at local environment issues. Caravan sites perched precariously on cliff-tops, in flood-plains, alongside local rivers or directly on the coast, might all be at risk during times of bad weather. Some sites might be a challenge in terms of finding things such as flood or storm insurance cover;
• Clarify the site cost issues both in terms of the present and the future. For example, your pitch fees might seem very reasonable at purchase time but might look a lot less so if they rocket next year. Check out past annual increases and look for guarantees about future percentages where possible;
• Don’t assume you can go to your caravan whenever you wish. Some sites may close at certain times of the year and in terms of site conditions, local council regulations and your insurance provisions, it might not be possible for you to spend more than a specified number of days in your static each year. Make sure that you understand the details here and what it will mean for your plans.

These are a very few basic points but they might help you to avoid making a purchase you’ll subsequently regret! 

Make Extra Money By Renting Out Your Static Caravan

English: The caravan park at Pease Bay A high quality static caravan holiday home park in a secluded bay. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

From the early day of the package holiday, we all loved to save up and get away from it all on our “two weeks in the sun”. But against the background of the credit crunch and recent economic woes the financial landscape has changed and many of us simply can’t afford to holiday abroad any more.

Despite the unpredictability of our British summer, the undeniable cash savings of holidaying in the UK have driven a massive growth in the “staycation”.

A large chunk of this new holiday market is based around static caravans, usually a cheaper option than staying in a hotel or renting a house. With the added attraction for holiday makers, that the holiday parks the caravans are on usually have entertainment and facilities to hand right there.

Suddenly things look more and more attractive for static owner to start or increase the time that they rent out their caravan. As popularity is growing the financial benefits of renting out your static move from a way to try to offset the costs of your family holiday home, to a reasonable way to actually make some money from what can actually be a relatively low upfront cost.

Obviously for an owner moving into rental for the first time can be a little daunting. Although they will be used to the various site fees associated with static ownership, renting to others can throw up new issues and costs, such as specific rental insurance and regular gas and electrical safety checks.

There are a growing number of websites and forums where owners and potential owners can find information and advice, but a great starting point is the National Association of Caravan Owners website. You can find plenty of advice and information about costs and issues around the ownership and renting out. In particular you will want to look into insurance issues and they can help with quotes for that.

Borne out of a need for some kind of group or association representing the caravan owners themselves when dealing with park owners or manufacturers, the National Association of Caravan Owners are can provide support, information and even legal advice where required.

The obvious way to rent out your static, especially on some of the larger big company owned sites, is to rent via the park owners themselves. Obviously the services the parks provide and of course the charges they make (often they just take their cut from the payment the holiday makers make direct to them) vary and its essential to read any rental contracts before you sign and ensure you understand the costs and responsibilities on either side. This is an easy and reasonably hassle free way to rent, but is usually the most expensive method you can use.

In order to maximise your income you may decide to take on the role yourself and deal with all the renting and booking issues directly. With the advent of forums and websites it is now easier than ever to get set up online and start to make extra money from your caravan.