Great numbers of Britons have long aspired to buy a holiday home, and indeed, many of them have gone on to realise this dream. It has been reported, for example, that in 2021, some 447,000 people had a holiday home where they spent more than 30 days, a 4.7% increase compared to the situation a decade earlier.
However, with recent census data indicating that less than 1% of people in England and Wales own a holiday home, there are clearly a lot of not-yet-realised dreams.
It seems this is particularly likely to be the case among younger people. There is evidence of the numbers of people in the 20-to-60-year-old cohort who own holiday homes having declined in recent years, whereas higher numbers of 70-year-olds have come to own such properties.
Introducing Static Caravans as A Holiday Home Option
Whenever you see the term “static caravan”, this is a reference to a prefabricated holiday home that is typically stationed permanently or semi-permanently on a holiday park.
As its name suggests, a static caravan is the type of caravan that is not designed to be towed regularly. So, when you see popular leisure parks such as Hornsea Leisure Park on the East Yorkshire coast offer “private static caravans for sale”, you will know these are fixed units that remain in the same place, right through the year, for their owners to visit and use.
Static caravans boast home-like amenities, encompassing the likes of spacious living rooms, fully equipped kitchens, and calming bathrooms. This further helps to make such caravans an appealing option for a lot of cost-conscious people who may have otherwise thought of buying a traditional brick-and-mortar holiday home, such as a rural cottage.
3 Factors That Will Impact on The Choice You Make
We have mentioned the cost dimension a few times in this article already.
We have been doing that because in an era in which many people struggle to afford a first home, never mind a second one, static caravans have been suggested as a potentially cheaper route to holiday-home ownership.
Would this factor alone, though, make acquiring a private static caravan the right choice for you? Or are there other aspects you will need to think about when making your decision?
Below, we have set out several of the key things to bear in mind:
- Your Budget for A Static Caravan
Referring again to Hornsea Leisure Park, this popular Yorkshire Coast site presents plenty of relatively cheap caravans to buy. At the time of us writing this, the site’s prices for private static caravans for sale started at less than £30,000.
However, used static caravans can also potentially be found for as little as around £10,000 or so. This is quite the contrast with the situation for brick-and-mortar holiday cottages in the UK, which can be priced from approximately £150,000 upwards, even in less “fashionable” areas.
But of course, you could also potentially spend as much as £150,000 or more on a static caravan, depending on the particular lodge’s size and features, and the location of the park.
Whatever choice you make between a static caravan and a traditional holiday cottage, you will need to account for the “headline” purchase price of the holiday home you are considering, as well as ongoing costs like utilities and maintenance.
It will be of critical importance to set a realistic budget, and to make sure you can comfortably cover all these expenses in the long term.
- How Frequently You Expect to Use the Static Caravan
Even bearing in mind the low costs associated with static caravan ownership compared to other types of holiday home, you will want to be sure of using it frequently enough to justify the money you will be putting into the purchase and subsequent ongoing expenses.
It will be vital to clarify what the specific terms are with regard to how the given holiday home is used. Hornsea Leisure Park, for instance, is open 52 weeks a year, so the owner of a static caravan there can schedule in a spontaneous visit basically whenever they like.
However, this same park does operate under a holiday licence, which means someone who owns a static caravan at the site is not permitted to treat their lodge as a permanent residence. Hornsea’s static caravans are very much holiday homes intended for use solely for short breaks, as is the case at so many other leisure parks across the UK.
- Whether The Caravan’s Location Meets Your Needs and Preferences
Static caravans, by their very nature, don’t tend to move around much. So, location is a critical factor. You will need to thoroughly research the parks that interest you, including their reputation, their proximity to your home, and the quality of the facilities.
We would strongly advise you to visit potential sites in person, ideally during multiple different seasons. This will help give you a true sense of the environment and how you will feel spending time there as a holiday home owner.
So, Is It the Right Decision to Purchase a Private Static Caravan?
It can make sense for certain people to seek out cheap caravans to buy, such as if they desire a more affordable holiday home option than a brick-and-mortar cottage.
Many families, professionals, and retirees alike appreciate how a private static caravan can give them a convenient getaway in a location they adore.
It is not, though, a one-size-fits-all solution:
- If you require somewhere that would allow for permanent residence, you may need to look at the aforementioned brick-and-mortar homes on the market.
- As for if you aren’t prepared for ongoing costs, you might be best off renting a holiday home or static caravan whenever you fancy a short break, instead of committing to everything involved with purchasing.
Weighing the various benefits against the likely costs, and giving careful thought to your lifestyle, will help you reach an informed decision on whether buying a private static caravan would be the optimal path for you.
After that, it may simply be a case of finding the most suitable model of caravan!
