Static Caravan Information Service

The safest bet must be buying direct from the park owner, you should be guaranteed a pitch and it is very unlikely he will sell you a load of rubbish as you will be staying on his park.

Buy through a dealer but make sure that he can arrange to put it on a park that is to your liking.

You can get some good bargains buying privately but I must stress extra caution here, make sure you know what you are buying, is it free from HP and that there are no outstanding bills owing to the park owner.

In all cases you must check with the park owner/manager to make sure there is a pitch for your caravan and how long you will be able to keep it on his park. Some parks operate a system where you have to change your caravan once it becomes a certain age, so it would be a waste of time buying a caravan which was 11 years old if it has to be taken off the park when it is 12 years old.

If you are new to static caravans and this is going to be your first purchase, we suggest you take someone along with you who has some knowledge of static caravans especially if you are buying privately. First of all start with the general appearance, does it look in good and original condition both inside and out. Static caravans should not need painting on the outside or painting and wallpapering on the inside, as this will greatly reduce their value. Now look at the outside more carefully, especially round the doors and windows, look for signs of new mastic or sealant being used, the skylights and flues for the same signs. Also check the Chassis, some older caravans that have been near the coast suffer with corrosion from the salt air. Now check the inside of the caravan, again around the windows and doors looking for any signs of damp. Check the floor just inside the doorways, does it feel spongy, this could be caused by poor fitting door or leaking doorframe. Also check the ceiling for any signs of damp, especially in the four corners and around the skylights. It doesn’t have to be an old caravan to develop a leak so check on a regular basis, some can last 25 years without any problem. Check the upholstery for signs of wear or any tearing, if it is a fairly new caravan and the upholstery is showing signs of wear this could indicate it has been a hire van. Does everything look original or has Mr DIY been at work, this is very important with all the electrical and gas fittings. (All Park owners should arrange for a gas safety check to be carried out on all caravans sited or changing ownership on their Park, this also includes new caravans). If the caravan is fully sited, check that everything is in working order and all doors are a good fit. If the caravan is only parked on a sales pitch you may find the doors will not fit properly, this is nothing to worry about, it should be rectified when the caravan is fully sited on your pitch.

If you are happy with everything you see, hand over your money and start enjoying your new purchase

Important News

We are getting increased complaints from members who feel they have been deceived when buying their caravan with extravagant losses when selling. One member (pensioner) paid £25,000 for a used static, used his life savings plus he had to take out a loan, due to health problems he had to sell 10 months later. The park offered just over £8,000 to buy it back (very large UK holiday company) wouldn't even pay off his loan.

We have taken a typical example of a New Willerby Granada 35' x 12' two bedroom RRP from Willerby £23,311.25 and for sale fully sited on a park in Kent for £31,995 (not including site fees).

As you can see a big difference but the Willerby figure is RRP so the Park will buy it at much less than that and when you try to sell most Parks only offer you the basic trade price it does not take a lot of working out that you could loose nearly half your money if you had to sell back to them in the first year.

To avoid falling into the same trap ask for a written buy back guarantee ie. what will they give you in 12 months time if it was necessary to sell.