static caravan

Anyone know anything about static caravans? I've looked at one which seems ok to me but I know nothing about them. It didn't feel damp & was nice & clean but what sort of things can go wrong with them? The owner of the site thought it was about 6 years old,it doesn't have mains electricity,water comes from their supply,it has a gas fire,2 bedrooms & is 30' long. Nice site just where I want to be but not sure I'm up to using solar panels & car batteries for electricity & stuff.Does 5,000 pounds seem about right ? Thats what they are asking ,any advice welcomed Confused

RichardW

How much of that £5k is site fees?

Sites also take a cut of all private sales on site too.

Check for damp, soft floors (at the edges & door ways).

Take draws out & check inside the frame.

Check under beds / mattresses for damp.

If you cant live without power it really does not matter if its cheap or not.

kate s

Thanks for the advice.The site fees are 850 on top of the 5 thousand which seems alot less than other places I've looked at but they had more facilities.

Calli

Check the chassis too Very Happy

Is there a possibilty of electricity - I would hate to be without power. Gas heating can get very damp too.

Hate to say it but sounds very dear to me - but then I am a cheapskate and we bought the mobiles and had them moved to our own land.

stumbling goat

A couple of other things to consider:

1. is the caravan going to be allowed to stay on that pitch if sold to a new owner?

2. does the siite have rules on how often the 'vans have to be replaced with newer models?

3. do the newer models have to be bought through the site owners?

4. what about all other bills, council tax, rates, site fees?

5. usually the site owners get their percentage off the seller, not the buyer, but check what this site does?

pm

kate s

I'm glad you think its expensive I thought it was just me being tight Smile

most people seemto think 5,000 k is peanuts but its alot to me & I want to spend it wisely.I've heard before that gas fires make dampness,I can only use the van from March to October so maybe wouldn't need the fire a lot.I wouldn't be allowed a generator but theres a solar panel & some car batteries which I guess I would get the hang of --------- given time I'm not great with technology Confused

thanks for the advice

kate s

stumbling goat wrote:

oh eck thats quite a list of things I'd never thought of,should they have told me about council tax,rates etc or would nobody seriously expect that anyone was so dim they didn't think of it for themselves? Site fees are #850 for an 8 month season is that quite reasonable Confused

stumbling goat

It's nothing to do with being dim, maybe unaware or uninformed.

If you can only use it for 8 months where will you live for the other 4 months?

Some sites let you use the vans during daytimes for those 4 months when you are not allowed to stay overnight there.

good luck whatever you decide to do.

sg

Calli

Is this for permanent living?

kate s

Iwas looking for something permanent, but this came up in just the right spot for me to do some local events & markets with my textiles & nothing permanent has turned up yet,lots of places go for holiday lets in the area I'm looking at.I could live at my sisters for the remainder of the year if I didn't find anything permanent

Green Man

This Autumn, I sold our ten year old Willerby 2 bedroom for £8000 in one week through site owner who had a waiting list. Seemingly good second hand vans are in short supply. We had ours for two years and had no maintenence problems. I sold it for the same price as I paid, which I was really chuffed about as I expected to loose money. I have now bought a seaside house, and the real bills have started to come in.

T.G

Check the floors, especially near doorways as they go, also check in all cupboards for signs of mould/mildew, check that the gas appliances (should there be any are) certificated. Check the chassis.

If it’s a site, check that they don't have an age of caravan clause, as in when your van gets to 10 years old you have to get rid and get a new one; many sites have clauses on age of van. Also check how long the ground lease is for etc.

kate s

Lots of good advice thanks everyone I knew I could rely on you Smile

.Turns out my caravan is nearer to 15 years old than 6 years & I'm even more wary now although to me it looked pretty good for its age I think its too much of a risk with my hard earned cash Sad

Cathryn

You could talk to Pricey as well. He will have lots of good advice.

stumbling goat

kate s - to date your potential van have a look at the makers plate which will give among other things the model number, serial number, weights. If you telephone the maker, they will tell you the date of manufacture?

good luck

sg

Sally Too

Quick comment... we bought a caravan from a farmer, who had bought it from a site once it was deemed too old to stay there. He used it for a year as he did renovations and we bought from him for £500. Yup five hundred!

Now he was a pig farmer, so we did need to air it well and wash all the curtains to remove the aroma. We also paid to have it transported and needed to replace some of the water pipes and the gas boiler to heat the water. Other wise it was in excellent nick and it has been in use here for a year housing helpxers.

The van is 30'x10' and of a somewhat dated design, but fully functional now.

Of course is is not on a commercial site, and I'm not sure if it would be accepted onto a site.... having said that it does NOT look shabby in any way. So there are bargains out there.... at least there are some in N.Ireland!!

Calli

Check inside the boiler and the fuse box. The commercial sites have a checklist update sticker which will tell you which site in Rhyl it came from Wink

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