Static caravans offer owners a home away from home. Having a holiday property to retreat too is an attractive prospect for many buyers. You can choose a spectacular location, local facilities to suit you and you have the option of renting out the property when you are not in residence

Static caravans can be purchased for reasonable prices but there is a significant amount of variance in the prices. As you would expect pre-owned static caravans can be a great way to get value for money, if you are after the luxury end of the new market you should anticipate paying a lot of money for your static caravan.

There are a number of things to consider if you are going to buy a static caravan. Static caravans are designed to stay in one place, they can be moved but it will be a costly and time consuming exercise. With this in mind the first thing to consider is location. Make a short list of the places that you are happy to go to time and time again. Consider not just the caravan park itself but the local area.

When you have decided upon your preferred location you need to think about where in the park you would like to be situated. Perhaps your would prefer to be at a quiet end of a park or maybe you would rather be in the midst of the buzz, right near the facilities. Choose wisely, as your placement within the park will have a significant affect on your enjoyment of your static caravan.

Budgets for static homes need to include running costs, they are more expensive to run than standard towed caravans. You will have to pay rent and possibly money to a park residents association / towards the upkeep of the park, your caravan will also be connected to mains electric and fresh water so do not forget to factor those in to your budget projections.

Some people choose to use their static caravans as permanent residences. If you choose to do this then you need to check that permanent residence is permitted. Planning permission is necessary if the caravan will be used permanently. Recently a caravan site in Aberystwyth has run foul of the council because they do not have planning permission for 44 out of 68 caravans. They are now applying for retrospective planning permission, if it is not granted then the residents of 44 of the caravans may be homeless for six weeks of every year. They claim that the council were completely aware of the situation over the twenty year period, a charge the council deny. Ultimately this case highlights the need to fully check out the status of the site before you commit to it.

If you are not looking to have a permanent residence then you may want to rent out your static caravan when you are not using it. This can significantly contribute towards the running costs of your caravan particularly if you are only going to use it for a few months of the year.

Buying a static caravan can be a great way to own a holiday home. But make sure that you do a lot of research so that your static caravan will always be the perfect retreat.

As of the 20^th April 2010 caravans that measure up to 2.55m wide will be able to be towed behind any normal car in the U.K. and VAT will be payable on caravans up to this width.

Previously caravans measuring more than 2.3m wide had to be towed by a car with a gross weight of over 3500 kg. VAT did not have to paid on any caravan over 2.3m wide. After the 20^th April the standard VAT rate of 17.5% will be resumed on any caravan up to 2.55m wide.

The changes have come about after a challenge from the European commission. The aim of the changes is to bring the U.K. into harmony with regulations across Europe. The changes have been made in the form of amendments to the Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regulations of 1986.

What this means for caravanners is that if they purchase a caravan between 2.3 and 2.55m wide in the next seven days VAT will not be payable. This represents a significant saving. However it will not be road legal until the 20^th April if it is to be towed by a regular car.

Reactions from the caravan community have been general positive. A number of commentators have highlighted the benefit of having an increased range of road legal caravans for users with regular cars. Many people have already benefited from what is effectively a VAT suspension on larger caravans which are due to become legal next week.

U.K. tourism will also potentially increase thanks to this legislative change. Many European caravanners have vehicles that can, at the moment, not be driven legally in the U.K., but from April the 20^th they will be able to bring their caravans to the U.K. for holidays, hopefully having a positive impact on the tourism industry.

When selling a used caravan first impressions are extremely important! This is especially true for a buyer of a secondhand caravan. The buyer is likely to want to spend extended amounts of time in the caravan so it is important to create a good impression straight away. Selling on-line is great for caravans as you can reach a huge audience with just one advert. Be thorough and you will be successful.

1. Firstly give your caravan a spring clean. Empty it of all your personal belongings and clean it thoroughly inside and out, including all appliances.

2. If there are any small low cost jobs to be done consider doing them! This will create a good impression for any prospective buyer.

3. Carry out all of the checks that a prospective buyer would. This way you can set a fair price and remind yourself of all the great things about your caravan, as well as areas that need improvement.

4. Write an accurate and enticing description, include as much relevant information as possible in your description. Be completely honest and you will save time in the long run.

5. Take pictures. Provide a number of pictures showing as much of the caravan as necessary to give prospective buyers a good idea of what your caravan is like and the condition that it is in. Adverts with pictures attract significantly more attention than ones without.

6. Ensure that you have all the necessary paperwork. Including CriS documentation, service history and any repair receipts. Any customer will want to see these so that they know they are not making a bad purchase.

7. Place the caravan in an easily accessible place. Anybody that is coming to view your caravan will be pleased if it is located on flat ground and they can walk all the way around it.

8. When all of these tasks have been completed your caravan will be an attractive prospect for any potential buyer and with the huge number of customers who search on the web for used caravans it will surely not be long before your caravan has found its new owner!

9. After making the sale you should arrange a secure way to take payment. If necessary ask your bank about how to safely receive money from a customer. Be aware that taking cash, cheques or bankers drafts can in some instances leave you vulnerable to unscrupulous buyers.

10. The final job is to make sure that you have provided the new owner with all of the relevant paperwork. Don’t forget to transfer CRiS ownership, if applicable, with the CRV2 registration documents. This must be filled out by both the seller and the new owner and sent to CriS who will charge a small fee to register the new owner of the caravan.

C4Caravans is a marketplace for the sale of caravans. We provide a marketplace for both dealers and private sellers. There are advantages to buying from each, private sales can be considerably cheaper but you will not get the after-care service that you will get from a reputable dealer. Either way there are a number of things that it is advisable to check out when buying a used caravan so that you can accurately gauge the cost of any work you may have to do to it and avoid unforeseen and potentially expensive problems.

• Always check it first! Do not buy a caravan or part with any money without spending some time looking at the caravan and evaluating the condition. Carry out as many checks as possible, after all this is going to be your home away from home as well as being a significant financial investment so it is worth getting it right.

Firstly ask to see the paperwork.

1. Ownership Documentation – ownership can also be verified through the CRiS scheme (started in 1992). Make sure that both the windows and the chassis are etched with the same CRiS number. Do an HPI check. This ensures that your caravan does not have outstanding finance, it guarantees its provenance and checks that it is not stolen or recorded as an insurance write off.

2. Service History – including any documentation and receipts for repairs done. Any pre-owned vehicle should come with a complete service history.  It is preferable that it does because an owner that has looked after the paperwork is likely to have taken care of the caravan as well.

3. It is always worth finding out how easy it is to source replacement parts for the caravan in the U.K. particularly if it is a foreign make, old or made by a manufacturer who is no longer in business.

4. Ensure that your paperwork is in order as well.  Larger and heavier caravans require a different driving license.  Make sure that your car can safely and legally tow the weight of the caravan you are looking to buy.

Examine the exterior of the caravan. Make sure that it is placed on a flat surface and that you are looking at it in good light.

1. Ensure that the caravan stands level when on even ground. Check the chassis underneath and have a quick look on the roof to see that everything is in order.

2. Look at the bodywork of the caravan, inspect for rust, cracking, dents and scratches.

3. Check the tyres and the spare tyre. They should be changed at least every four years, ask when this was last done.

4. Examine the grab handles, awning rails, waste outlets, external sockets, corner steadies, the jockey wheel and any other running gear. All of these should be in good working order. Make sure that the mechanisms are not bent and work smoothly.

5. Gas and electrical connections – If possible check all external sockets are working and connect the caravan to a car to ensure that the electrics will work properly both whilst driving and when the engine is off.  Connect the gas to make sure that this works as well.  If there appears to have been any D.I.Y. on either the gas or electrical systems it is advisable to call in a qualified person to check them over.

6. Look at the windows and doors. They should fit perfectly and not be displaying cracks or other signs of wear. They can be expensive and difficult to replace dependant on the model. Don’t forget to check the hinges as well.

Thoroughly inspect the interior.

1. Damp – Check everywhere for damp, this is one of the biggest issues with used caravans, particularly if they have not been used for some time. Beds, corners and lockers should all be inspected. If you miss something it could be costly to repair.

2. Inspect the seals. The lifetime of seals varies depending on what they are made of, it can be anything between 5 and 20 years. Check what they are made of and find out when they were last replaced.

3. Examine the floors – they should be evenly laid, neither spongy or sagging. Weakness can be rectified but it may be costly.

4. Locks and fittings should be sturdy and in working condition on all doors, windows and lockers. Make sure that you receive a full set of keys when you buy the vehicle.

5. Investigate the smoke alarms, water pumps, ovens, electrical sockets, lights, vents and all other accessories and fittings. Ask the previous owner to show you how they work and see everything in action.

There are lots of advantages to buying a used caravan. Be thorough and you will avoid problems in the long run. You should expect that there will be some things that you will need or want to change on your caravan. When you have all of the details you can make an informed choice about what work you want to do. Then you will be able to buy yourself a used caravan assured that you will be a satisfied customer of a caravan that will keep you happy for many years to come.