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Author Topic: Just stuff to know  (Read 7074 times)

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  • Offline monkeyboypk

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    Just stuff to know
    « on: August 06, 2022, 02:52:43 pm »
    Hi all. My wife and I have decided to sell our house next Spring and spend our time between travelling in Europe in our camper van and enjoying life in a static caravan on the Sussex coast. We know we need to have a permanent U.K. address as well, and that will be with our daughter. We are investing a lot of money in pensions so will have something to fall back on (I am lucky enough to already receive an emergency services pension at 58). When looking for a static caravan, and this will be our first, what are the main things we should be aware of? I would imagine this has been asked lots of times before, sorry about that! 

    Linkback: https://staticforum.co.uk/index.php/topic,859.msg2348.html#msg2348
     

    Offline Slattster

    Re: Just stuff to know
    « Reply #1 on: August 06, 2022, 05:11:21 pm »
    Hello monkey ,
    You will need to know the length of the season the site is open for , if it’s open all year round get a decent spec van that is well insulated . Where will you live in winter if it’s not open ?
    Fhb is the man for this type of question , so hopefully he’ll be on soon .
    Have a read thru the forum especially the ‘before owning a caravan’ section.
    I guess if your lucky enough to get to a ripe old age or one of you gets an ongoing illness then will want some bricks and mortar so keep that money aside.
    Be aware how long you can keep the van on the site for , some are as low as 8 years.
    Since brexit your only allowed in Europe for 90 days in any 12 months.
    Other than that …sounds a brill idea …good luck


    Linkback: https://staticforum.co.uk/index.php/topic,859.msg2349.html#msg2349
     
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  • Offline monkeyboypk

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    Re: Just stuff to know
    « Reply #2 on: August 07, 2022, 08:01:51 am »
    Thanks for the reply. We’ve been hopping between Spain and home and a campsite wardens Summer job in Cornwall for the last 4 years until we recently sold our Bailey tourer. Our long term plan is to rent in Spain and for us a static gives us so much flexibility when we’re back in the U.K. We’re at the age now where we are ready to take a leap of faith, so to speak, with regards to a little bit if risk when it comes to not having a house in the U.K. Without being big headed we are not short of cash and just need a new venture. Just the research is exciting enough to know we are doing the right thing……we hope!

    Linkback: https://staticforum.co.uk/index.php/topic,859.msg2350.html#msg2350
     

    Offline fhb2

    Re: Just stuff to know
    « Reply #3 on: August 07, 2022, 12:05:10 pm »
    Well, you seem to be going into this aware of the risks of using a static as your home - which is the first step. Having sufficient funds to take the gamble is the second step.
    Using your daughter's address for the purpose of owning a static - just be aware that the better parks will probably ask for documentary proof that this is a valid residential address for you (utility bills in your name, etc.) Your residence can be in this country or abroad - so if you rent in Spain and have bills in your name, then the Spanish address can be used (a static as a UK base is often the first choice for expats).
    You need to decide where any written communications relating to your pensions, banks, driving licence, medical reasons etc., etc will go to - a holiday static will not usually have a postal address, and very few will permit delivery to the office - and for important communications, this is not really a secure system..
    IF you decide to set up a postbox address, do this before you sell up,  a PO box also requires a residential address.
    As far as buying a static goes - somebody much wiser than me said there are three rules.
    1/ Read the contract.
    2/. Read the contract.
    3/. Read the contract.
    I will add - make sure you read, understand and agree with ALL the rules, terms and conditions before your commit yourself. If there is anything that is important to you that is not in the contract, then ask and get it in writing.
    Make sure the park is properly licenced/has planning permission for the type of use - otherwise you may end up getting caught in an argument between the park owner and the local authorities.
    The order of importance when looking:
    The area - whereabouts do you want to be? What local facilities do you want/need?
    The Park - what type pf park - lots going on, or very quiet?
    The pitch on the park - what is the view, what is adjacent? Do bear in mind that an empty field may not always be an empty field - it could turn into an extension of the park, or even a conctruction site for housing. And if it is arable land, harvesting time is both noisy and very, very dusty.
    Finally, the static itself - the nicest static in the wrong place will not make you happy. A static that is almost-but-not-quite-right but that is in the right location will make you happy.
    Decide whether you want your family to be able to use the static when you are not there - some sites allow this, some don't.
    Do you want to rent it out? If not, do you want to be on a park where other statics are used for renting? Or do you want an "owners only" park?
    Some parks (usually the more expensive lodge-type ones) have statics that have their own land-registry type lease, which usually gives a much longer right of legal ownership.
    Not only check how long the static can stay on site, what is the open season, are there restrictions on how long you can stay at a time (many sites have limits on continuous stays to make sure nobody is living full time).
    Do you want a park that allows dogs/cats? or prefer them not to be on site?
    How important is it that there is a good internet/mobile signal?
    Will the park allow you to keep your camper van on site?
    Bear in mind that static holiday and residential parks are big business with a lot of aggressive purchasers (including USA and Canadian companies) actively seeking out parks where the owner can be persuaded to sell - so the small, friendly park is always likely to be swallowed up by somebody with big development ambitions (this is where knowing what the council issued site licence actually says about number of statics etc. is very useful). Plus - the new owners are quite likely to look to see who they can turf out in order to re-use the pitch, and somebody who seems to be living on a holiday site is always fair game.

    A link below to NACO (which is basically an insurance company, but includes a lot of good advice).

    https://www.nacoservices.com/static-caravan-advice


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  • Offline monkeyboypk

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    Re: Just stuff to know
    « Reply #4 on: August 07, 2022, 01:46:22 pm »
    Thanks for that great info. The site we are looking at is an established holiday park, which we expect to be busy during the school holidays and quieter the rest of the year, which also has nice facilities. This gives us the chance to rent it out when we are not using it. The site is also open for 11 and half months a year. The problem with a residential address is something we are looking into, and we have a couple of options open to us. Spain is for 90 days once or twice a year, under EU rules obviously. A static will hopefully give us the opportunity us to spend time down on the East Sussex coast, a place which we love, and somewhere we can dip in and out of when we are back in the U.K. I’m sure there are pitfalls, and we are prepared for that, about owning a static, but we have lived for 12 months in a tourer over the last 3 years down in Cornwall with all its unusual weather as site wardens and if we can survive that, this should be a breeze!

    Linkback: https://staticforum.co.uk/index.php/topic,859.msg2352.html#msg2352
     

    Offline Sparkalicious

    Re: Just stuff to know
    « Reply #5 on: August 08, 2022, 08:08:51 am »
    Hi MonkeyboyPK,

    First off from me, welcome to the forum.

    Sounds like a real exciting time for you. Am very jealous. You are also taking the right approach and doing plenty of research.

    Keep us up to date on how it is all going. I would love to something similar when the time is right.

    Linkback: https://staticforum.co.uk/index.php/topic,859.msg2357.html#msg2357
     

    Offline fhb2

    Re: Just stuff to know
    « Reply #6 on: August 08, 2022, 08:48:17 pm »
    Ditto from me - half the fun is in the planning, the other half will be in the doing.
    Yes, there are possible pitfalls to a static - but there are possible pitfalls to everything, including staying put and not doing anything.
    About your mention of possibly renting it out  - unless you plan to only rent it to close friends and family, you will need to clear out all your personal possessions for each rental session,which could be quite an inconvenience (unless, of course, you plan to transfer everything to the camper van).



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