Considering a static in Cornwall, any advice would be great!

[BenjaminS92]

Hi all,

I'm only in the consideration stage at the moment of figuring out whether or not to go ahead with a static in Cornwall. I'm looking at the Perran Sands park in Perranporth, however I'd like some advice to as whether my plan is one worth considering?

In peak season their statics can fetch as much as £1900 per week, not bad considering the amount to be made in the summer term could easily cover the overall site fee's incl' utilities.

I have a few questions which will ultimately seal the deal on whether it's worth going ahead.

1) I know Haven can let your caravan out for you, they will deal with all the check-ins and check-outs, what kind of fee do they take on top of site fee's for that service?

2) For those that let their statics out directly, how do you go about check-ins and check-outs, and with regards to entertainment passes, do you discount the price to accommodate these or increase the price in order to include these in these in the booking?

3) I might be in the position to be given a loan to deposit on a static, the loan about is 15% of the unit value or a minimum deposit of £3,000 whichever is greater. I may be in the position for a loan to cover two deposits, do sites allow multiple purchases by a single owner?

4) What changes can be made to the site? I know that with prior permission you can install verandas, however can you do anything else to the outside of the caravan and pitch to improve the overall look of your static?

Any advice, guidance, etc would be greatly welcomed.

[fhb]

Hello and welcome.
There are people on here who do let their vans out who should be along to give some advice, but meanwhile there are already several posts on the forum about the subject which you should read.
It sounds as if your plans are to buy the van solely to sublet as an investment. I suspect that the majority opinion will be that this would be a bad buy, especially as your questions suggest that you are very inexperienced in static ownership.
As far as what changes YOU can make, you need to ask the site directly - the rules will not only vary from site to site, they may (and often do) vary from pitch to pitch and - depending on what sort of contract you have - from season to season.
You also need to remember that the fees you have to pay to the site owners are rarely fixed, they generally increase year on year.
These fees will have to be paid whether or not you are able to let the van out, and there will also be legal requirements for electric (and gas if applicable) checks, insurance etc.
To stand much chance of letting it out for top money, you will need a good quality van on a desirable pitch, and you will need to keep it in excellent condition, which will be a regular cost for upkeep - cleaning, replacement of items when cleaning is no longer adequate, etc.
There ARE people who own and let vans as a business and make a profit, but in most cases the only parties making much profit are the people who own the actual park.
Carry out your research very carefully - you are evidently in the very early stages of finding out what is involved and buying a van before you are certain it is what you want will be a very, very expensive mistake - remember that reselling a van is not nearly as easy as buying it, and 90% of the time a big financial loss is the result.
Good luck in your plans.

[slattster]

I would talk to the site directly about this , also find out how long you get the ‘£1900’ per week , once the van is a few years old I would expect that will drop but your outgoings will be the same.

[DavidE]

I would do a lot more research before you get involved in ‘van ownership in the way you describe.
I do not have my ‘van on a haven site, nor do I let mine out but do know and speak with others that do.
The comments have been along the lines of
Haven only deal with letting ‘vans out for the 1st few years of their life ( as I remember 5years).
They let out at lower rates each year as ‘van gets older.
Their charges for the service take the majority of the income.
I would ask you the question, if there isso much money to be made out of owning ‘vans and letting them out do you not think Haven would have the sites full of their own fleets of rentable ‘vans as opposed to “sharing” the profits with others ?
If you factor on top of this the interest cost of borrowing the finance as an extra cost to you I really think you need to really do some worst case scenario sums and decide if you truly want to get involved in the system.
It is usually involves a significant financial loss if it becomes necessary to sell a’van after short term ownership so beware a mistake could be a very expensive one.

[Mosquito]

I have a three bedroom two bathroom holiday home on a holiday complex with 5 outdoor pools, a spar, free minibus trips to the local beaches and the town. It fully equipped and I only charge €995 for a week in August and it's lower in other months. You're guaranteed the weather and there's entertainment for the kids. If you could achieve what you are saying, you would be doing very nicely thank you very much. Does anyone fancy a holiday in Spain?

[DavidE]

Originally Posted by Mosquito

I have a three bedroom two bathroom holiday home on a holiday complex with 5 outdoor pools, a spar, free minibus trips to the local beaches and the town. It fully equipped and I only charge €995 for a week in August and it's lower in other months. You're guaranteed the weather and there's entertainment for the kids. If you could achieve what you are saying, you would be doing very nicely thank you very much. Does anyone fancy a holiday in Spain?

A well made point Mosquito. I wouldn’t call the OP’s figures wrong but I do know I’ve seen a ‘van owner on a Haven site state elsewhere that their ‘van was typically let by Haven for £650 a week and Haven ‘s charges for managing this was £400 p.w. They decided £250 a time was just not worth it.

[Peter.R]

All you need to know is on this forum.... Somewhere..!

http://www.gostatic.co.uk/showthread.php?t=4201

[water hog]

It will never pay for itself, just browse the internet