Written by John Kruse, one of the leading experts on Bailiff Law, this consumer friendly guide is essential reading for anyone who comes into contact with a bailiff.
The book is easy to understand and clearly explains the rights
a bailiff has, and also what they cannot do when collecting debts and repossessing goods etc.
The Benefits of Having Your Own Caravan are,You Have A Weekend Retreat Whenever You Want,The Downsides Are The Ground Rent Is 3k+ A Year,Certain Sites will Only Allow Vans of A certain Age,Unless you are willing to let it out can be quite expensive.Unless money is no object,Some site owners are a law to themselves,see my post on What happened with my father in laws caravan,at a haven site. Hope this helps.
The Benefits of Having Your Own Caravan are,You Have A Weekend Retreat Whenever You Want,The Downsides Are The Ground Rent Is 3k+ A Year,Certain Sites will Only Allow Vans of A certain Age,Unless you are willing to let it out can be quite expensive.Unless money is no object,Some site owners are a law to themselves,see my post on What happened with my father in laws caravan,at a haven site. Hope this helps.
Hi Craig,
I read that post - rather put me off the idea. We were looking at a Haven Site as well (Berwick Upon Tweed).
the negative thing about static caravn ..(well i dont know if its the same in england as it is in N.I) if you want to sell it you have to sell it to the caravan site owner and he gives you rubbish money on it... I bought a 23K caravan three years ago and had to sell it for the matromonial settlement and he offered me 6K for it i was furious!!!! cos no way it is worth 6K but i was not allowed to sell it privately
my mother in laws just tried to sell her static bought it a year and a half ago on a ideal caravans site near seahouses paid 8000 quid didnt read the small print went to sell it this year had to sell it back to them man came out ill give u 3000 best offer so basiclly lost 5000 quid on it and also had to pay site fees of 1000 quid a year on top off it so personally i think you are mad to buy a static anywhere
welcome to the world of caravan owners we have owned a static van for over 10 years and we could tell a few storys i wouldnt advise anyone to buy one now the owners of these parks are a law unto themselves we used to love our van but over the years the greed and the dos and donts on these sites have taken all the pleasure out of caravanning every week there are new rules or they want more money out of you we used to go every weekend to relax and enjoy now its a worry
premium sites only allow the age of the van not to exceed 10 years, some parks allow higher age vans. always check the terms of the pitch agreement and make sure the park does not unlilaterally change terms of the agreement after you have signed it. When unexcpected fees and charges start being added on, NEVER get roped into renting your van out to recoup them, this will be a one way trip so prepare to lose lots of money.
We originally had it on one site, Golden Sands, Rhyl and it was great, however, new site owners came in and changed all the rules (to suit them) and increased site fees despite saying there would be no changes! As a consequence the Park has rapidly gone downhill and the current Caravan Owners Group are in the middle of a second court case against the Park! There is a thread on here somewhere which was blantantly hi-jacked by the Staff and so it meant that the thread got closed!
Anyhow, we were fortunate to find a fantastic Park which was willing to take us (and our caravan) so we moved there - it's a bit of a well kept secret so PM me know if you want to know where it is!
One thing I would say is *before* you buy a caravan on *any* Park don't get drawn in by the sales patter, they will use phrases like "living the dream" etc to try and entice you in. In fact if they have sales staff I'd instantly be suspicious of *why* they need them - so beware.
Also, ask if they have an Park Caravan Owners Group - if the Park says they haven't, then they are probably lying and trying to hide this fact from you. They use the old "divide and conquer" so that they can do what they want regarding Park Rules and Regulations - there are some unscrupulous Site Owners out there and whilst some of their actions, policies, procedures etc may or may not be illegal, that is a matter for the courts, some of their actions are certainly morally questionable.
Finally, make sure you speak to *genuine* owners on the site - they will give you an insight into what to expect and what the Park is *really* like.
Caveat emptor is never more applicable than when buying a static caravan!
Make sure that they are members of the British holiday and Home Parks Association and also ask for a copy of the agreement that you would have to sign. Make sure you read all the small print.
You are absolutely correct Badwanger, the BH&HPA did try and help me with there dispute resolution scheme but it has turned into total farce. There is a loophole that says both parties must agree to arbitration.
The snakes just simply decline to take part and thats the end of it.
So all these code of practice rules are farcical also, that is what I relied on and paid the price. I have been to trading standards who contacted the FSA.
They want nothing to do with it, as they say not enough are complaining.
This consumer issue is massive and it's going to get a lot worse. I know of others who have consulted solicitors, only to come up against a brick wall and lost more money. I thought my case was bad, until I read other posts on this website and what has happened to my good friends on the same park. Some of the stories i have heard border close to criminal.
The majority of caravan parks I believe are decent and in my opinion, if they let you lease out your property then they can't be all that bad.
Its the vermin that need eradicating, and what happened to the banks should apply to bullying holiday Parks.
A campaign needs starting with two main aims.
1. Recover losses, just as the banks have had to pay up
2. Change the law, to protect those that have static caravans now.
I thought my case was bad, until I read other posts on this website and what has happened to my good friends on the same park. Some of the stories i have heard border close to criminal.
Just out of interest was the Park in question Golden Sands, Rhyl?
The majority of caravan parks I believe are decent and in my opinion, if they let you lease out your property then they can't be all that bad.
Agreed. Our Park in particular is fantastic and were we so lucky to be able to move our caravan there!
Its the vermin that need eradicating, and what happened to the banks should apply to bullying holiday Parks.
A campaign needs starting with two main aims.
1. Recover losses, just as the banks have had to pay up
2. Change the law, to protect those that have static caravans now.
Without a doubt. I too tried to get Trading Standards, the Police, BBC Watchdog and even a solicitor involved - all it served was to cost time and money with no benefit. Our weekend retreat became a nightmare and rather than going back to work on Monday refreshed and de-stressed, the opposite happened! I was more relaxed at work than I was "at play" on that Park!
If you buy a caravan, you will love it for the first few months, then the annual pitch fee go up 30% after year 1 (or pay £350+VAT to move to a cheaper pitch), unexpected charges are added, and you start having to make back your losses by sub-letting, then it gets worse, the maintenance costs go up, things go missing and more unexpected fees (business rates - subletting is considered a business - and their compulsory insurance premiums etc) are added. You are billed for 10 gas bottles a month at £45 a go because the heating is on 24/7. You cant afford to pay your account on time because its now too high, so for each time you pay late, the park moves your van off its pitch or disconnects it from utilities at £285 a go. Your deam holiday home ends up a nightmare £30,000 debt.
Best advice, rent it, no commitments. You walk away at the end of the rental and you get a brand new van and a different park each time.
Fortunately I didnt lose, I recovered all my money by dragging it through the courts. My sympathy is with those less-informed and dont have the means to litigate a caravan park. Solicitors dont want this kind of work so its £500 on account and £500 per volley of correspondence. Police say fraud is a civil matter and trading standards quote chunks out of the Unfair terms in consumer contracts regulations.
The site I was on is in the North East of England. I don't want to name and shame them just yet, as i have recently contacted the BH&HPA and asked them to look again at my case. [ I will update once I get a reply ]
The dispute resolution service BH&HPA use are called ICAS [Independant Consumer Arbitration Service] now this is where it gets complicated!
In 2007 BH&HPA dispute resolution arbitrators were called IDRS who I have blasted in a previous post for lack of correspondence and time wasting.
IDRS informed me finally in 2009 that BH&HPA do not use there services anymore, so in July 2009 the ball started rolling again with ICAS.
The confusing bit is that ICAS has the same office as IDRS and all there paperwork has IDRS stamped all over???
Anyway that aside, the BH&HPA have relied on clause 4:2 in ICAS 2007 guidelines.
Qoute...
"Any party may initiate the use of ICAS but all parties to the dispute must agree to use ICAS in writing, by completing the application form,before the arbitration can commence."
Now here is my argument since I have looked more closely into the case,
the Respondant or Leisure company, HAVE SIGNED THE APPLICATION FORM IN 2007 WITH IDRS. Not only that ICAS have revised their guidelines in 2008 and a Conciliator has been introduced to negotiate with the parties first. In July 2009 I received no contact at all from any such Conciliator.
Looking closely at other clauses in ICAS and IDRS guidelines, in both there is a clause which mentions the "Power of the Arbitrator."
Qoute.....
"Proceed with the arbitration if either party fails to comply with these rules or with the arbitrators directions, or if either party fails to attend any meeting ordered by the arbitrator but only after giving that party written notice."
I am no Lawyer, but that is what I wrote recently to the BH&HPA and I await their reply.
On another note ,thanks Badwanger for your reply. looking at fork-it's post I have to add this.
I recommend NACO to insure your caravan they are quite reasonable if you tell them you let it out. Now here's the ironic bit, they have a good legal team which is free when you insure through them.
I should have consulted them when I had my dispute, but instead put full faith in the arbitration process provided by the BH&HPA.
Now here's the big warning and potential downside about hiring out your caravan.
Greedy park owners may laugh at and ignore the Code of Practice, but there is one clause they will use gleefully if they want you off or try to force upgrading.
Qoute......
"A new caravan will be allowed a minimum 10 year guarantee on the park before the owner will be invited to upgrade. However if the caravan is to be leased during the 10 year period then it will lose a year for each week it is hired.
In theory you can pay 50k for a new unit, let it out for ten weeks and be booted off after one season. The government body that made the Code of Practice were very quick to add that little clause in!
does anyone know of any sites that will allow you to site your own caravan on as ive been offered a ex display static caravan that heaven would sell for over 40k i can have it for less than 10k just need to find a site to take it within approx 100miles of cardiff
Static Caravans
site at Berwick (see my last post in this forum).
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Originally Posted by craighunter29874
Re: Static Caravans
