Many of us have now made the move from camping and staying in tents to renting caravans when we go on holiday. For many of us caravans are a home from home with many of the creature comforts afforded to them within their own homes with the added advantage of being in a more scenic location and enjoying the benefits of the great outdoors.
In days gone by families would rent a caravan and travel to a destination of their own choosing – usually a caravan park set against the back drop of a well known tourist destination – but now many are choosing to buy their own caravans and have them remain in one place all year round. This is referred to as having a ‘static’ caravan.
If you wish to do this there are a few important points to raise.
Ground Rent
You can buy – or lease – a plot of ground for your caravan to remain stationary on in increments on one year. Most people opt for an annual ground rent which can be anything from £500 to £2,500 depending on the location of the caravan park and also depending on the size of the caravan you wish to berth there. Within this annual fee is the cost of the ground rent plus administrative charges and fees for keeping the surrounding ground well maintained and also for security.
Rates and Council Tax
This is something that many caravan owners are not aware of – and subsequently have fallen foul of. If a caravan is ‘static’ and remains so for a period of time you may become liable for water rates and council tax. Many have – and will doubtlessly continue – to argue the point that a caravan is a mobile home and therefore does not qualify for these charges but sadly this is not the few of local authorities.
If you are intending to buy – or least – a plot of land to berth your caravan it is worth checking with the caravan park of your choice well in advance to find out if these rates and council tax charges are applicable. They will be able to tell you and should be able to give you an estimate as to how much the charges are likely to be given the size of your caravan.
Additional Charges
You may find, depending on how your caravan is being used, that there could be additional charges levied against you. Again it is worth while finding out as much as you can about the caravan parks you have in mind before making any attempts to secure a site.
If a caravan is to be used off season as a residential dwelling you may find that you will incur additional charges for such things as refuge collection, the delivery of mail, and the provision of water. Again it is important to ask these questions of the site manager and also the local authority who have overall control when it comes to how caravan parks are licensed and what they are obliged to incur charges against.
These same rules apply if you wish to berth a caravan park abroad and again it is important to make all the necessary enquiries before embarking on the purchase – or lease – of a site.
