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Park Homes


steppensheep

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steppensheep

I think I might have asked about these before somewhere.  My instinct tells me they're a daft idea, but:

 

Pros

Cheaper to purchase, although you're obviously getting much less property than traditional house.

Apparently they have lower crime rates, due to people generally being around in the daytime, plus having a warden or whatever.

No stamp duty

 

Cons

Seem pretty expensive for a shed, but isn't everything these days.

Ground rent seems a potential grey area. Apparently it should be in the 60 to 200 quid per month ball park, although it looked susposciously like the articles were just quoting each other.

The park owner gets 10% of sale price when you sell up.

You're dependent on the good quality of the management/owner of the park.

Obligation to maintain your property in good condition.

Difficulty of valuation. Not on land registry so no history or local comparison

 

Here's an example. 65k at the mid to shabby end

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-61596873.html

 

Or slightly posher at 79k, which is about what they cost for a brand new one (although dont know what transport and fittings are included)

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-81452690.html

For comparison, the nearest house is 130k, although extending to half mile throws up a couple of flats for 80 or 90k

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AlfredTheLittle

I know of someone who lives in one. They seem happy, but have to use their parents address for post and have to move out for 1 month each year

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steppensheep
26 minutes ago, AlfredTheLittle said:

I know of someone who lives in one. They seem happy, but have to use their parents address for post and have to move out for 1 month each year

I forgot to mention , you can live permanently in residential parks but not leisure parks. I could do either as I would still have my flat in Berlin for half the year.

 

edit to add, I think one of the attractions, especially to oldiies, is the faint air of hold fashioned holidays.

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Bricormortis

The owners have a raw deal in terms of the law. 

I think they are legally known as your goods and chattels, on someone else's  land,  not your home.

Park home owners can oblige you to go get a new one or bog off.

When planning permissions for new builds are relaxed, a lot of park home owners may wish to sell up.

 

On the upside, the O'Hooligan family next door might let you borrow their horse.

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You dont own the land.

You have various sxams on which caracans to buy.

They are full of idiot oaps.

Consider it adventorous renting. Dont expect to get your money back.

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Democorruptcy
3 hours ago, steppensheep said:

I forgot to mention , you can live permanently in residential parks but not leisure parks. I could do either as I would still have my flat in Berlin for half the year.

 

edit to add, I think one of the attractions, especially to oldiies, is the faint air of hold fashioned holidays.

I know someone who has bought one of these statics https://www.willerby.com/static-caravans/holiday-homes/linwood

Brand new cost £26k including delivery and connection charges. Then £2.5k a year site fees for Mar until Jan. Apparently in winter B&B's offer discounts to holiday park people.

Say it lasts 10 years = £5k a year plus any extra site fee increases. Not particularly cheap, given the gas and electric are expensive compared to house tariffs. I suppose a community might appeal for some.

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SillyBilly

Would rather buy a static caravan and get it pitched at a decent caravan site with on site facilities like boozer/pool/sauna/entertainment if I wanted to live in something like that. Caravan without the wheels on the bottom. 

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Looked into this a few years back, the danger is that you've got a serious amount of cash utterly dependent on the land owners. They can charge what they want and you've got no escape. 

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reformed nice guy

I used to walk near a well established residential park. The newest must have been more than 10 years old but the others looked post war with patch ups here and there. When I first walked through I thought it was abandoned, as the cars were in a worse state than the houses, but was startled when I heard a door bang open. What sticks in my mind were the black cabs. Once I walked through it (on my walk it was a shortcut to pass through a small village) in the middle of a cold winter, the kind where the ice sparkles everywhere when the sun shined. I could see the steam coming out most of the houses except a few that I presumed were empty. I think that it was rock bottom for people with the pride not to live off the system and you could sense a feeling of sadness in the air.

A few years ago they flattened the area. I walked through one weekend while it was being done and saw that the insulation was terrible. There were also toys littering some of those carcasses of homes and felt bad for any children that had to endure those cold winters.

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Indeed.

Best way to describe park home is a caravanning mixed with an evil feudal overlord.

Buy some land - its pretty cheap, esp. small patches.

Get yourself a caravan and [park it on there.

If planning complain then move it, then move it back a week later.

 

 

 

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Green Devil
8 hours ago, spygirl said:

Indeed.

Best way to describe park home is a caravanning mixed with an evil feudal overlord.

Buy some land - its pretty cheap, esp. small patches.

Get yourself a caravan and [park it on there.

If planning complain then move it, then move it back a week later.

 

 

 

I think a lot of people must stick caravans on land they own to try and get planning for a house. Im not sure of the rules, maybe its something based on how long you've lived there unhindered. Must be an easy way to possibly convert a 1/2 acre site to a detached family home. I should look into it as its something i would try.

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I always assumed these were full of gypos trying to better themselves but not ready to give up the lifestyle. That, and old pensioners unable to climb stairs and looking to free up some cash. Is that not the case?

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12 hours ago, spunko said:

I always assumed these were full of gypos trying to better themselves but not ready to give up the lifestyle. That, and old pensioners unable to climb stairs and looking to free up some cash. Is that not the case?

No.

There's quite a few who are into the whole common-man, wiggling around common land laws.

 

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Frank Hovis

I know people who've lived on them for decades, perfectly happy, long established sites (> 50 years) in nice locations.

The common factors amongst the owners I know is that they're retired and they are very social and active in clubs and societies; so it's going to work for them: not much maintenance and they spend so much time out of them theyr'e not worried that they're fairly small.  They also like that they're right on top of their neighbours so are always chatting to them.  Obviously this could be selection bias because if they weren't socially active I wouldn't know them but I do get the impression that there is a big social side.  A relative, until recently when he bought a flat, divided his time between two caravan sites, one in England and one in France, he was retired, most of the people he used to talk about were retired, and that he was always talking about them shows how well he knew them and so how social the sites were.  The English site was however purchased by a big chain; the fees shot up, they started to take tourers so you had kids running about which was part of the reason for his selling that caravan. 

Financially I would say that they are are a sensible choice if your primary desire is for a nice safe place to live rather than a big house and garden and you accept that you are semi-renting.

As a younger working person as I presume you are @steppensheep I would suggest that it's not a good idea because they're not really going to be your cup of tea on the social side.  I get on well with my retired neighbours but I wouldn't want them popping in for a cup of tea every morning.

 

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30 minutes ago, Frank Hovis said:

I know people who've lived on them for decades, perfectly happy, long established sites (> 50 years) in nice locations.

The common factors amongst the owners I know is that they're retired and they are very social and active in clubs and societies; so it's going to work for them: not much maintenance and they spend so much time out of them theyr'e not worried that they're fairly small.  They also like that they're right on top of their neighbours so are always chatting to them.  Obviously this could be selection bias because if they weren't socially active I wouldn't know them but I do get the impression that there is a big social side.  A relative, until recently when he bought a flat, divided his time between two caravan sites, one in England and one in France, he was retired, most of the people he used to talk about were retired, and that he was always talking about them shows how well he knew them and so how social the sites were.  The English site was however purchased by a big chain; the fees shot up, they started to take tourers so you had kids running about which was part of the reason for his selling that caravan. 

Financially I would say that they are are a sensible choice if your primary desire is for a nice safe place to live rather than a big house and garden and you accept that you are semi-renting.

As a younger working person as I presume you are @steppensheep I would suggest that it's not a good idea because they're not really going to be your cup of tea on the social side.  I get on well with my retired neighbours but I wouldn't want them popping in for a cup of tea every morning.

Very interesting given my current thoughts.

Most of these may not be suitable given the fees, etc but same with those retirement community places.

But in later years, low costs, a community of like minded souls, etc sounds great.  Ideally, you'll own the site!  I'll look into that!

I've been thinking of van living (touring) for part of the year so maybe something like this would complement that nicely.

I sometimes use the laundry at a site near me and was really impressed with the site.  Got speaking to the manager - quiet a community doing what I was thinking.  Can't stay there all year but fine.  Plus no council tax!

Maybe I should have one here and one somewhere overseas (or just rent overseas part of the year)!

Or buy a few woodlands and keep moving between them!

Pretty certain I'll end doing something involving these places and a van or boat - off radar and cheap living seems the way to go for my financial and mental health.

Anyone been thinking similar or have info on people doing things like this?

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Frank Hovis
6 minutes ago, Harley said:

Very interesting given my current thoughts.

Most of these may not be suitable given the fees, etc but same with those retirement community places.

But in later years, low costs, a community of like minded souls, etc sounds great.  Ideally, you'll own the site!  I'll look into that!

I've been thinking of van living (touring) for part of the year so maybe something like this would complement that nicely.

I sometimes use the laundry at a site near me and was really impressed with the site.  Got speaking to the manager - quiet a community doing what I was thinking.  Can't stay there all year but fine.  Plus no council tax!

Maybe I should have one here and one somewhere overseas (or just rent overseas part of the year)!

Or buy a few woodlands and keep moving between them!

Pretty certain I'll end doing something involving these places and a van or boat - off radar and cheap living seems the way to go for my financial and mental health.

I'd say it would work very well with this.  They are pretty much the perfect "lock up and leave" home that gives you a permanent base and address (certainly park homes do, not sure if you can use leisure homes for a postal address) and as age inevitably slows you down then you spend more time there and less on the road.

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steppensheep

In my googling, a couple of the testimonials were from people spending half their time in Spain. The thing about them that most disappoints me is the price. The smallest 40*10 foot cost 80 grand new. You can  A developer can build a small house for that (I guess they don't have the economies of scale of a big residential developer.) Or, say its life is  40 years, that's 2k capital,  2 or 3k finance, and ground rent 1k per annum. You could easily rent a small house for that.

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