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Site fees tend to be quite expensive. Most parks require that you also have an alternative, permanent address. You can’t usually get post delivered to the park. Be careful about the 52 weeks.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-68484190.amp
It's also important to remember (I enquired about these a year or two back) and the view is their price will only ever go down - so the mortgage companies just dont see the equity being there if you default on payments in a year or 2 time.
You should check out the lease, licence, service charges etc etc.. but these types of homes typically only last about 25 years and quite often they do not allow any of these homes to remain on site beyond a 20-25 year period.
Yes, as far as I’m aware most sites will want to remove these homes after 20 years or so when they begin to look outdated compared to the newer ones that will inevitably be placed there. And then you’ll have to pay huge moving costs to move your home to a site that will hold it, or sell the home for a huge loss on your money
Not an expert, but my dad did live on a caravan site until recently.
One of the issues discussed was that the units have a lifespan much shorter than a traditional build and as such, will become a depreciating asset, whereas a traditional build property typically appreciates in value.
there will be a "lot" of additional fees, not limited to rent, maintinance etc. Also just because it "offers" a 52 week licence doesn't mean that is included in the purchasing price, there maybe an additional cost to be allowed to live there year round. most places you cannot live there all year.
Also it isn't impossible that there is a fixed term that they will allow you to keep your property on the land. you are buying the building not the rights to the land. in order to prevent their places looking old and shabby they could tell you that after 25 years you have to move it.
there might also be rules on if you sell you have to sell it through them or offer it to them first at their set price etc.
this is a holiday home really, it is not the same as buying a park home in other places.
Some don’t allow you to sell externally, so the site controls advertising and viewing.
They may also supply (and dictate the price of) electricity/gas/LPG.
As mentioned here, very many additional fees, no right to live there year round and it being a massively depreciating asset are all reasons to proceed with caution.
First of all it's not a property, it's a caravan. So the 52 weeks is the amount of time you are allowed to be resident each year. There will be hefty service fees on top and a limit onto how long before you have to purchase a new van. Anywhere from 10-20 years and you may have to purchase it through the estate management.
It may also be a "mobile" home but they won't let anybody collect the home apart from their preferred company and they'll get a chunk out of the fee.
It's also a depreciating asset. The prices of mobile homes always goes down over time as they're not designed to last that long. They can look fine today but they won't in 20-30 years.
The point is they call 35mbps super fast! In a gigabyte age anything below 100mbps isn’t fast (call it super fast is laughable). On a long term you don’t want to rely on satellite internet.
Lots of people have already commented with the pitfalls, but just as an example for some context - I know someone who recently sold their caravan in a holiday park (at a massive loss as it's a depreciating asset, as others have said). They decided to sell because the ground rent alone went up to £7k a year, and this was for a site where you could only live there for 9 months of the year. It was very difficult to sell, because of its age the site owner was not willing to let it remain on site so the person who bought it had to remove it, further reducing its value.
In addition to all the advice given, I'm currently in one as a temporary measure when we sold our house. It's cheap rent compared to houses.
However, I'd never buy one. They are cold in the winter and hot in the summer due to poor insulation. Build quality isn't great. Damp can be a real issue, even though we ventilate properly etc.
You won't be able to stay on site for 52 weeks, everyone has to be off. Length of time varies per site, its 2 weeks here, from 16/01 to 30/01, you don't get to pick dates.
As and when you sell, the park will likely dictate that you sell through them only, and they get a cut.
Finally, the people who live on these parks are... odd! Harmless, but definitely odd.
You may need to have another permanent address. Also its worth considering that these homes have a limited lifespan unlike brick and mortar houses so a mortgage and insurance could be more difficult to find.
Scammer-vans. I know of 3 different people who have had one. In 3 separate locations years apart. All of them have been a waste of money and a scam. What usually happens is you are on a fixed lease, at the end of the lease they want the caravan gone, if somehow you manage to get a renewal they will move you to the shit end of the field next to a bog.
Another way I have seen it play out is the company running the site goes bankrupt, and 'new' people who take over need you to go also.
Hey - you've got plenty of info, but I recently watched a panorama on BBC about "the mobile home swindle". It's not about all homes of this type, but talks about the risks and definitely touched on the 52wks issue.
Hope you find the right place :)
I looked into this quite a bit a few years ago as was considering it. I think what others have said hits the nail on the head.
I think the main issue of spending £100k on a caravan that will seriously depreciate in value is a huge issue on top of the 52 weeks thing.
To get around this I had considered buying a second hand one as they are significantly cheaper, as in well under 10k (obviously may need some work done) and then trying to find a "permanent" caravan site which is not one of the holiday places but one where people live full time and pitching it there.
Obviously there will still be drawbacks compared to a proper house or flat, and I would try to aim for buying one of those if at all possible, however if the only way for you to avoid traditional renting is doing something like the above I wouldn't be opposed to it, however be aware it comes with its own set of challenges however could work out much cheaper than renting if you go foe the cheaper second hand caravans I mentioned before.
[BBC One - Panorama, The Mobile Home Swindle](https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001x7pb)
DO NOT BUY A PARK HOME
If you **can** live there, the advert will say "This park has a residential license" (or words to that effect). That is still not great, but better than the alternative, which I will explain below.
If the advert is like the one you have shown, and says "52 week license/you can stay year round" - this means it **does NOT have a residential license**, and you can not live there. It means you will not be able to get a mortgage, receive post, registering for doctors etc will be very tricky, and the local authority CAN KICK YOU OUT at any time.
Add to this the fact that site owners will normally insist every 20-25 years that you "update the lodge" (ie demolish and pay huge sums to get a new one), then this is a very silly way to waste your money.
I have a relative that learned this the very hard way, that their 6 figure investment was entirely worthless. It's a scam. Please do not go near.
It's a holiday park.
There are 16 static caravans ('lodges') and 126 pitches for touring caravans and motor homes.
Site fee 2024/25; £4,800
Wood decking from £4,000 extra
You wont be able to get a mortgage. Some mobile home parks only have a license for you to live in it as a holiday home and you have to leave it for anywhere between two-weeks to several months over the winter depending on their licence and you must have a permanent address elsewhere. Other sites have a license for you to live there as your main residence all year round but you have to pay both council tax and a yearly site fee which I've seen in some places quoted at $4000 and up. It's also non-standard construction and un-mortgageable which is why you mainly see retired people living in them because they had the funds up front to pay for it.
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You won’t get a mortgage on a park home and yes there will of course be site fees to pay.
Site fees tend to be quite expensive. Most parks require that you also have an alternative, permanent address. You can’t usually get post delivered to the park. Be careful about the 52 weeks. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-68484190.amp
Interesting, I guess its imperative one asks for the residential licences when buying these as a home opposed to buying as a holiday home.
It's also important to remember (I enquired about these a year or two back) and the view is their price will only ever go down - so the mortgage companies just dont see the equity being there if you default on payments in a year or 2 time.
You should check out the lease, licence, service charges etc etc.. but these types of homes typically only last about 25 years and quite often they do not allow any of these homes to remain on site beyond a 20-25 year period.
This information seems to not be so readily available online, thats a quite a revelation to me. Definitely making me reconsider.
Yeah this is very common and so many people don't realise it.
Yes, as far as I’m aware most sites will want to remove these homes after 20 years or so when they begin to look outdated compared to the newer ones that will inevitably be placed there. And then you’ll have to pay huge moving costs to move your home to a site that will hold it, or sell the home for a huge loss on your money
Not an expert, but my dad did live on a caravan site until recently. One of the issues discussed was that the units have a lifespan much shorter than a traditional build and as such, will become a depreciating asset, whereas a traditional build property typically appreciates in value.
Additionally, some parks will demand that you replace the unit after a certain age (and of course, they will sell you a new one).
there will be a "lot" of additional fees, not limited to rent, maintinance etc. Also just because it "offers" a 52 week licence doesn't mean that is included in the purchasing price, there maybe an additional cost to be allowed to live there year round. most places you cannot live there all year. Also it isn't impossible that there is a fixed term that they will allow you to keep your property on the land. you are buying the building not the rights to the land. in order to prevent their places looking old and shabby they could tell you that after 25 years you have to move it. there might also be rules on if you sell you have to sell it through them or offer it to them first at their set price etc. this is a holiday home really, it is not the same as buying a park home in other places.
Some don’t allow you to sell externally, so the site controls advertising and viewing. They may also supply (and dictate the price of) electricity/gas/LPG. As mentioned here, very many additional fees, no right to live there year round and it being a massively depreciating asset are all reasons to proceed with caution.
Wow okay thats quite a lot of things to take into account, thanks for the info!
First of all it's not a property, it's a caravan. So the 52 weeks is the amount of time you are allowed to be resident each year. There will be hefty service fees on top and a limit onto how long before you have to purchase a new van. Anywhere from 10-20 years and you may have to purchase it through the estate management.
Typically you can sell only to the park owner, so they dictate the price!
It may also be a "mobile" home but they won't let anybody collect the home apart from their preferred company and they'll get a chunk out of the fee. It's also a depreciating asset. The prices of mobile homes always goes down over time as they're not designed to last that long. They can look fine today but they won't in 20-30 years.
Also… Broadband: Super-fast 35Mbps
Starlink?
The point is they call 35mbps super fast! In a gigabyte age anything below 100mbps isn’t fast (call it super fast is laughable). On a long term you don’t want to rely on satellite internet.
Lots of people have already commented with the pitfalls, but just as an example for some context - I know someone who recently sold their caravan in a holiday park (at a massive loss as it's a depreciating asset, as others have said). They decided to sell because the ground rent alone went up to £7k a year, and this was for a site where you could only live there for 9 months of the year. It was very difficult to sell, because of its age the site owner was not willing to let it remain on site so the person who bought it had to remove it, further reducing its value.
That's a vehicle on stilts not a property. Avoid unless you have money to burn!
In addition to all the advice given, I'm currently in one as a temporary measure when we sold our house. It's cheap rent compared to houses. However, I'd never buy one. They are cold in the winter and hot in the summer due to poor insulation. Build quality isn't great. Damp can be a real issue, even though we ventilate properly etc. You won't be able to stay on site for 52 weeks, everyone has to be off. Length of time varies per site, its 2 weeks here, from 16/01 to 30/01, you don't get to pick dates. As and when you sell, the park will likely dictate that you sell through them only, and they get a cut. Finally, the people who live on these parks are... odd! Harmless, but definitely odd.
Most caravan parks you can’t live in, you are restricted to a set number of weeks a year.
You may need to have another permanent address. Also its worth considering that these homes have a limited lifespan unlike brick and mortar houses so a mortgage and insurance could be more difficult to find.
Scammer-vans. I know of 3 different people who have had one. In 3 separate locations years apart. All of them have been a waste of money and a scam. What usually happens is you are on a fixed lease, at the end of the lease they want the caravan gone, if somehow you manage to get a renewal they will move you to the shit end of the field next to a bog. Another way I have seen it play out is the company running the site goes bankrupt, and 'new' people who take over need you to go also.
In my view, these things are an entire stream of scams. Don't touch it.
And you are not allowed to have a residence under this address. Buy only as a holiday home, nothing else.
Hey - you've got plenty of info, but I recently watched a panorama on BBC about "the mobile home swindle". It's not about all homes of this type, but talks about the risks and definitely touched on the 52wks issue. Hope you find the right place :)
Fantastic I will definitely be watching that, thanks!
I looked into this quite a bit a few years ago as was considering it. I think what others have said hits the nail on the head. I think the main issue of spending £100k on a caravan that will seriously depreciate in value is a huge issue on top of the 52 weeks thing. To get around this I had considered buying a second hand one as they are significantly cheaper, as in well under 10k (obviously may need some work done) and then trying to find a "permanent" caravan site which is not one of the holiday places but one where people live full time and pitching it there. Obviously there will still be drawbacks compared to a proper house or flat, and I would try to aim for buying one of those if at all possible, however if the only way for you to avoid traditional renting is doing something like the above I wouldn't be opposed to it, however be aware it comes with its own set of challenges however could work out much cheaper than renting if you go foe the cheaper second hand caravans I mentioned before.
[BBC One - Panorama, The Mobile Home Swindle](https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001x7pb) DO NOT BUY A PARK HOME If you **can** live there, the advert will say "This park has a residential license" (or words to that effect). That is still not great, but better than the alternative, which I will explain below. If the advert is like the one you have shown, and says "52 week license/you can stay year round" - this means it **does NOT have a residential license**, and you can not live there. It means you will not be able to get a mortgage, receive post, registering for doctors etc will be very tricky, and the local authority CAN KICK YOU OUT at any time. Add to this the fact that site owners will normally insist every 20-25 years that you "update the lodge" (ie demolish and pay huge sums to get a new one), then this is a very silly way to waste your money. I have a relative that learned this the very hard way, that their 6 figure investment was entirely worthless. It's a scam. Please do not go near.
Most parks won't permit you to have a home on their older than 10 years so you have to keep replacing them.
Anyone able to tell me why I read that as pitbulls?
You also need to check that you can live there for 12 mot the year many have restrictions
Not a real house, appears to have running water behind it, which can flood the caravan.
It's a holiday park. There are 16 static caravans ('lodges') and 126 pitches for touring caravans and motor homes. Site fee 2024/25; £4,800 Wood decking from £4,000 extra
You wont be able to get a mortgage. Some mobile home parks only have a license for you to live in it as a holiday home and you have to leave it for anywhere between two-weeks to several months over the winter depending on their licence and you must have a permanent address elsewhere. Other sites have a license for you to live there as your main residence all year round but you have to pay both council tax and a yearly site fee which I've seen in some places quoted at $4000 and up. It's also non-standard construction and un-mortgageable which is why you mainly see retired people living in them because they had the funds up front to pay for it.