Static caravans and ownership.

October saw the final results from the annual static caravan ownership survey.

This annual survey targets feedback from new static caravan owners who have purchased a holiday home on a UK holiday parks, and is seen by many as the most comprehensive survey of its kind.

With the launch of many new ‘’luxury’’ specification caravans the average sales value of static caravan holiday homes continues to increase. New sited static caravan prices now range from £15,000 – to well over £100,000.

Many new owners have reported that Static Holiday Caravan ownership has brought many lifestyle benefits over the past year including;

‘’Encourages more breaks with friends and family’’
‘’Gets my husband away from the office’’
‘’No more packing – everything we need is kept in our caravan’’
‘’Friendship and community with other owners’’
‘’Children love caravans!!!!’’

The survey results also gives help and support to prospective new owners as they are able to learn from people with real life experience. Suggestions included;

‘’Find the best pitch’’
‘’Location, Location, Location’’
‘’Facilities on the park are crucial to owners’’
‘’Don’t buy more than one and a half hours from your home’’
‘’Why not buy with friends’’

As with previous years the main negative feedback came from owners who have sold their static caravan a short time after purchase and have been subject to heavy depreciation.

Other concerns included damage to van when subletting, high site fees and the inflexibility of some holiday park ownership contracts.

A spokesperson advised ‘’Many people enjoy huge lifestyle benefits from static caravan ownership whilst subletting to subsidise the cost of ownership. We urge prospective customer to complete as much research as possible prior to purchase to ensure they make the right long term decision. As with any capital purchase (such as a new car) if you make the wrong choice and wish to sell a short time after purchase, depreciation becomes a major factor’’.

Choosing a static caravan

When choosing a static caravan you will probably look for the holiday park which meets your requirements and then move onto the caravan. Selecting the right holiday park is vital to ensure a long term ownership.

Now for the caravan and looking for the right caravan to suit your needs. Most of the Parks will deal with majority of the manufacturers. If buying directly from the park you will probably deal with a salesperson instead of direct with the manufacturers. You can collect brochures direct from the manufacturers to research all the models and specifications which will not only ensure you choose the correct model but also help you to understand what to look for and choice of different models. To see the caravan you can visit them at key caravan exhibitions as most top manufacturers will display there, see events.

The static holiday caravan has been designed for holiday use instead of full time living. With its modern construction and use of high quality materials the static caravan should be built to British and European standard: BS EN 1647 but some luxury caravans are built to BS 3632 confirming to residential standards.

Normal static caravan can come in either one or two sections with width up to 22ft and 60ft long. If you have a one piece model this is a single unit and the two piece is known as a twin and usually assembled on site.

Decide on how many bedrooms you require as most caravans can be from 2 to 4 bedrooms but up to eight berths. Manufactures will normally have their own layout but will offer a number of ranges depending on your budget.

When it comes to size and specifications you should not only look at all of your own needs but if you are sub letting then there maybe other requirements. This decision should be looked at before purchase, maybe make a list of what you need and what is needed for sub letting.

Budget will normally make your decision also how often you use the caravan and again if you going to sublet. If you will be there for long periods of time then it may be worth spending a little extra to gain more living space or an extra bedroom but if only there for short periods and subletting you may opt for the standard size and specifications hopefully providing you with a better return.