Choosing A Holiday Park For Your Static Caravan

This short guide is designed to help you choose the right holiday park for your static caravan. A static caravan is a great way to enjoy limitless holiday time for yourself and your loved ones. It is, however a large financial commitment and for this reason alone it is important to get it right. Choosing the park for your static caravan is important. Often the caravan you buy will already be on site so the purchase and the choice of park can be one and the same thing.

Choose with your head not your heart

As a general rule, if you have fallen in love with a park you have visited, take a breath and a good look around before signing yourself up to anything. A lot of impulse buys of this kind can lead to disappointment later. This guide will hopefully help you avoid that kind of mistake. 

Location of the holiday park

However much you are impressed with the beautiful views and the immediate surroundings inside the park itself, be sure to check out the wider area. Most holidays will involve leaving the park, so take those trips and visit the local restaurants and attractions if you can. Make a point of mentioning where you are staying to the locals you meet and watch their reactions. This can tell you a lot about how your park is received in the local area. Ask them about the area out of the peak holiday season too.

It is important that your static caravan park is not too far away. If you are to enjoy your holidays there often, do you really want to be driving for four hours? A good rule of thumb is to keep travel time to two-and-a-half hours or under. This is especially important if you are letting out your static caravan to others, as you don’t want to be travelling for hours to maintain, clean or attend to any emergencies which may arise.

Check the size of the pitch

Do you have plenty of room around your static caravan to stretch out and enjoy, or is the park trying to cram in as many caravans as it can to maximise its revenue? Take a drive around to look at the space between units.

Check general levels of maintenance

Are the park’s communal areas well kept? The individual pitches are maintained by the residents, but the rest of the park will give you an idea of how much care and effort the park management are putting in. Are hedges and lawns cut and roadways well maintained?

Check the level of security in the park

Different parks have different security arrangements. Is it gated and locked? Does it have someone responsible for security present 24 hours a day? Is there a public phone on site should you need one and not have access to your own phone inside your static caravan because of some emergency? 

Stay in a static caravan on the park if possible before you buy

There is nothing like experience to teach you whether you will enjoy this or that park. Try not to buy from the first one you visit, no matter how impressed you are. You should wherever possible, sample others, even if you eventually return to your first choice.

Speak to other static caravan residents

When you do try out a park, be sure to talk to the other residents. Would they have made the same choice if they knew what they know now? What problems, if any, have they experienced with the park management? What terms do they enjoy for pitch fees et.?

Find reviews and accounts from ex-residents

There are many sites such as TripAdviser where you can find a more honest account of the site you are interested in, than you may get from the sales team.

Make a list of the facilities you want on the park

The facilities available in static caravan parks vary a great deal. Your list will help to narrow the choice quickly.

Talk to the management

You need to be able to get on with the management and to trust them. Make sure they are clear about such things as time restrictions, age restrictions, allowed visitor numbers and rules about pets. Find out if they have plans to improve anything you may already be concerned about.

Find out if you can rent out your static caravan

Renting out your static caravan can be a great way to cover at least your pitch fees. Many parks will allow you to do this and will even help keep an eye on your tenants for you, should they need any help. If you do intend to let your static caravan, find out about any extra obligations this may imply.

Join social media groups for residents of the park or parks you are interested in.

Static caravan parks usually have their own Facebook group or other social media group where residents can share their thoughts and concerns about the park.

Joining one of these can give you a much better idea of how life is on the park you are interested in. Pay attention to complaints that residents may have and how quickly they are resolved. Is park management included in the group? Where they are it is usually a good sign of healthy relations between residents and management.

Make the most of the sales team

The park sales team, if it has one, can be a great source of discounts and deals if you are a confident negotiator. A good tip is that they should always be flexible on the first asking price.

Get everything in writing

When you do come to strike a deal with the site management make sure the terms of your agreement are written down and that you can understand them. Do not sign anything in a hurry. Take away any documents to peruse at your leisure. Do not be pressured into a purchase.

This is a marketing article from My Holiday Home Insurance, specialist insurance providers in the leisure sector. We provide insurance for holiday homes, static caravans, leisure homes and holiday lodges. Our team of experienced advisers are always happy to help, so for more information call our Northampton office on freephone 0800 988 0890.  To stay up to date about topics like this please like and follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter.