Tell me about buying, selling and living in... Static Caravans

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Tell me about buying, selling and living in... Static Caravans

23 posts & 17 voices | Started 7 months ago by no_eyed_deer | Latest reply from grum

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no_eyed_deer - Member

I'm considering this as an option for a living unit, chez moi.

There's a £20k outlay to buy the thing outright. Then 'site fees' / rent on top of this for £185 per month, with water inclusive.

With bottled gas and electricity left to pay for, it *could* work out as a fairly reasonable way of living, compared to renting.

But..

Are there any pitfalls to look out for?

For instance:

Apparently, the man at the site suggested that the market for these things is very low at the moment, so its value could very well go up over the 2.5 years (at least) that I'm likely to live there.

Do I trust him?

...my view is that it could also go down in value too!

If it does, what sort of a hit am I likely to take on this £20k outlay?

What are these things like to live in long-term?

Any other advice gratefully appreciated! Cheers

I'm hoping this'll work out 'cause my shared rented housing situation is really getting me down at present..

Posted 7 months ago #
avdave2 - Member

Can you live in it all year round on the site you are looking at? Many sites have restrictions. Also does the site have an age limit for units, again many do and you have to replace it once it reaches a certain age.

Posted 7 months ago #
mos - Member

They do dereciate, at about the same rate as cars. GF's parents bought one 12yrs ago for £15k, they now have to pay someone to take it away & scrap it.

RE. the living all year round thing, is that because if it is habitable all year round it is considederd a dwelling & must meet building regs?

Posted 7 months ago #
z1ppy - Member

avdave2 +1

On a local site that only has 11month occupancy restriction, we were amused to find, the whole site up sticks and goes to Spain for a month together..

Posted 7 months ago #
Steve-Austin - Member

Read this, all of it.
http://england.shelter.org.uk/get_advice/finding_a_place_to_live/mobile_homes

Posted 7 months ago #
no_eyed_deer - Member

It's a year round residential thingy. You pay council tax on it too. So it's like a house, but made of plastic. I think? Hmmmm...

Thanks for the link! I'll give that a good read.

Posted 7 months ago #
alexxx - Member

Id be more tempted to buy a nice field - drop a 2nd hand caravan on it - make some yurts / sheds and get water off the fell and electric via solar or water

Posted 7 months ago #
no_eyed_deer - Member

I've basically done some sums and the static caravan would work out about the same as renting in a shared house, but only if I lost around £6K on its value over 2.5 years.

Does that sound like a reasonable loss on a static, or am I gonna be left with a pile of worthless scrap plastic over that time..?

I suspect I'm going to have to do a bit more research on this.

The yurt idea in a field sounds great - almost what I was looking for basically!

I've got so bloody desperate about this living situation in this stupid university seaside town that I've been looking almost dreamily at portacabins. And imagining:

Portacabin + field.

It's almost a caravan really.

Posted 7 months ago #
Elfinsafety - Member

You need to look into it a bit, there's all sorts of rules and regulations surrounding caravan dwelling. I think there's something about not staying in one location for longer than a certain period, or then it becomes a 'permanent' home which requires planning etc etc. something like that.

Posted 7 months ago #
Steve-Austin - Member

You need to look into it a bit, there's all sorts of rules and regulations surrounding caravan dwelling. I think there's something about not staying in one location for longer than a certain period, or then it becomes a 'permanent' home which requires planning etc etc. something like that.

You're guessing aren't you?

---

no_eyed_dear I meet a lot of people who have bought caravans.chalets etc and I am yet to meet one who has not lost money, or been ripped off. Its really up to you, but I would have a serious look at other options.

I'm happy to answer any specific questions. Email me if you want to discuss further. its difficult to discuss it on line...

Posted 7 months ago #
Jujuuk68 - Member

As an ex estate agentI used to find they can be impossible to sell on again. Often the site owner had "deals" with local agents and your restricted to who you can sellthrough, and that the agent can effectively "veto" your buyers as well.

I'd steer clear myself. I'd rather rent a poky studio flat, after all, its only 4 walls, and if you get out enough...

Posted 7 months ago #
no_eyed_deer - Member

Hmmmmm.... between the lines, this is all reading very much as I suspected it might be.

£20k's a lot to risk really.

Back to square 1.

Posted 7 months ago #
Elfinsafety - Member

You're guessing aren't you?

Erm yeah, based on a recent high-profile case what was splashed all over the media, for one.

And other things. Which you of course woon't know anything about.

But hey, feel free to enlighten the ignorant, eh?

Posted 7 months ago #
GlitterGary - Member

They're bloody cold when it's the middle of Winter too.

Posted 7 months ago #
spooky_b329 - Member

Stay in a couple as holiday homes in the winter. Bloody cold!

Also, as someone mentioned above, apparently the site owner has the final say over a sale, so you can essentially be imprisoned on the site and be unable to move.

I'd be thinking, big touring caravan, farmer with a space out back. We used to store a horsebox at a local farm, he always had two or three caravans tucked behind a barn with guys living there, they all had a hookup from the dodgiest distribution box ever.

Posted 7 months ago #
Berm Bandit - Member

Dale farm ...you know it makes sense

Posted 7 months ago #
bikebouy - Member

A lot of our club folk have caravans on a secure site. They treat it like a home and most use them most weekends/skool hols that kinda thing. I think (only going on what my mates say) that this particular site must be cleared Oct31-Mar01, within this period you can't occupy the van only clean/repair it. Once the site opens up (between those dates) you can live there throughout if you like (some teenagers do during the summer months) There are restrictions on all sorts of stuff, noise/BBQ's?music/vehicles/footy yadda yadda....

Posted 7 months ago #
project - Member

Worked in two sites now, first the vans where parked so close together, they where a fire risk, and no where to park, car park down end of field, also no storage for bikes, or anyhing else, gas and electric,water and sewage are expensive the landlord controls that.

Second van asked to put up a shelf in bathroom, the walls are either plastic, metal or wall boarded, and about 1 inche deep, the walls cant take wall plugs and if its not fitted at manufacture youre stuck, also all the waste service pipes run outside, so when its cold they freeze, so flushing the toilet, and the ones i worked in dont have a bath, just a shower.

Oh and theirs a certain type of person who inhabits vans, .........................

Posted 7 months ago #
bruneep - Member

Thing is when you get one, you just want another and another....

Posted 7 months ago #
Oxboy - Member

wheres that bruneep? looks fantastic!

Posted 7 months ago #
Elfinsafety - Member

Isle of Sheppey.

Or maybe Rhyl.

Oh and theirs a certain type of person who inhabits vans,

What, people who can spell properly?

Posted 7 months ago #
Gary_C - Member

Pikeys you mean ??

Posted 7 months ago #
grum - Member

You need to look into it a bit, there's all sorts of rules and regulations surrounding caravan dwelling. I think there's something about not staying in one location for longer than a certain period, or then it becomes a 'permanent' home which requires planning etc etc. something like that.

It's true, my GF's mum just bought some land up on Harris and the planning people won't let them live in a caravan on it indefinitely while they are building other stuff.

Posted 7 months ago #

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