Buyer's Guide - Buying a Caravan

All our award-winning holiday parks are on or near the coast and packed with our special combination of activities and entertainment. We're part of Bourne Leisure Limited, one of the UK’s leading holiday home ownership companies, which means we’re always investing more into our parks to give you a great time, all the time.

As an owner you’ll also receive special perks, have access to exclusive facilities and a dedicated Experience team, these are just some of the reasons to choose Haven.

Purchasing a Holiday Home is a lifestyle investment, not a financial one. Caravans can depreciate quickly, especially in the first few years, it's why we want you to be absolutely sure that holiday home ownership is a lifestyle that’s right for you and your family. 

That's why we have our 30-day Lifestyle Money Back Guarantee; it gives you that extra peace of mind as we understand it’s a big decision. We want you to be sure you’ve made the right decision and enjoy all the lifestyle benefits of ownership at Haven for many years to come. If, however, something unforeseen does happen or you change your mind within 30 days of purchase, you can hand the keys back to us and we’ll refund you in full. 

It’s important to note that depreciation is most significant during the initial years much like similar items. This is influenced by many factors such as market conditions, stock availability for both new and used holiday homes and overall demand. Additionally, VAT is paid on a new caravan adding to the initial price paid.

You’ll be the proud owner of a holiday home, but not the land itself.

Your annual fees cover your right to occupy a pitch, as long as you stick to our park rules.

All of our parks are dog friendly with the exception of:

• Burnham-on-Sea with the exception of Cedars Lawn, The Oaks and Hawthorn Close 
• Pitches 1-60 Lakelands at The Orchards.

If you wish to bring any animal other than a dog, you must obtain written permission from the General Manager.

The average depreciation rate of a static caravan is similar to that of a car. It’s also worth bearing in mind that newer caravans depreciate more quickly than older caravans. 

A static caravan stays in one place. When you buy a static caravan at Haven it will be sited on one of our 39 holiday parks. Unfortunately, we don’t have static caravans for sale to be moved to other holiday parks.

Many of our Haven Approved used static caravans will already be sited on a specific pitch, which means you could own your own caravan within 7 days. Subject to finance arrangements. If you’re buying a new caravan, or want a Haven Approved used caravan but on a different pitch, then you may have a wait for the pitch you would like to become available and the caravan to be sited on it.

Haven is National Caravan Council member, which means we follow a consumer code of practice and a set of minimum standards.

One of the most important things you can do is to make sure you read your contract thoroughly and seek legal assistance if needed.

From new, a static caravan can be expected to last for up to 20 years. Of course, this depends on factors such as how well the caravan is maintained. 

You'll need to buy a TV Licence for your static caravan if anyone, at the same time, is watching or recording live TV on any channel or watching or downloading BBC programmes on BBC iPlayer at your main licensed address (your home address). 

Buying a static caravan is a big decision, and not one that should be taken lightly. It’s important to think about the reasons why you want to own a holiday home and how much usage you’ll get from it. It’s not the right decision for everyone, so you should think about the pros and cons carefully. 

As the holiday home isn't being used as your sole dwelling (this is known as a residential holiday home), you won't be liable to pay council tax on it. 

A mortgage isn’t an option when purchasing a holiday home, however there are two ways to pay for your static caravan:

1. Payment in full – Up to £1,000 can be accepted in cash with the remainder paid by cheque, BACS, credit or debit card.

2. Park finance – A minimum of 10% of the value of the holiday home is required as a deposit when using our park finance option. All details can be processed on park. Subject to status.

Our parks are holiday parks, not residential parks. Your holiday home is designed to be used for holidays, leisure breaks and recreation. 

There are many things to consider when buying a static caravan. 

Firstly, you need to think about what your family needs are, such as how many bedrooms and bathrooms, and whether you’ll want central heating. 

Secondly, you need to consider what your budget is, and can you get the caravan you want with the budget you have.

Our Haven Letting Service offers the ultimate peace of mind; our trusted team will do all the hard work so that you don't have to.

We're there for you at every step and our complete letting service gives you the confidence that you and your holiday home are being well looked after.

If you prefer, you can also choose to let you holiday home privately.

Letting options not available at Cardigan View, Far Grange, Garreg Wen, Riviere Sands and Seaview. Let2offset is available at all parks with the exclusion of Burnham-on-Sea, Cardigan View, Far Grange, Garreg Wen, Lydstep Beach, Riviere Sands and Seaview. Terms apply.

If you would like to use finance to pay for your holiday home, all that we ask for is a 10% deposit of the value of the holiday home.

Our interest rate is 10.6% APR (subject to status).

New holiday homes are available from £449.75* per month.

If you are interested in buying a static caravan at one of our Haven parks please chat to us online or call us on 0333 0201460.

That’s a definite yes. We’re here to help in any way we can – that includes payment options (subject to status).

If you are interested in buying a static caravan at one of our Haven parks, please give us a call on 0333 202 1460 and we'll be happy to help. 

Yes – a minimum of 10% of the holiday home price.

If you are interested in buying a static caravan at one of our Haven parks please email our team at enquiries@havenholidayhomes.co.uk and they will be happy to help.

We are a finance broker, so once your finance agreement is in place, you will need to contact Santander directly if you have any queries. Their contact information will be on your finance paperwork and they’ll be happy to help.

This depends on your circumstances and the lending criteria of Santander, our finance provider.

When you are ready to buy a holiday home and apply for finance, the Holiday Home Advisor submitting your finance application will need to see originals of the following documentation to prove identity:

• Passport or driving licence
• Birth certificate or a  marriage certificate if you don’t have a passport or driving licence. 
• Proof of address such as a recent (within three months) utility bill or bank statement

Please note: our finance provider Santander may ask for additional information

This depends on your individual circumstances. Santander, our finance provider has lending criteria that borrowers must meet.

If you’re interested in buying a holiday home on finance, our Holiday Home Advisors can see if finance is an option for you during a park visit. 

We don’t, but Santander, our finance provider might do.

You’ll be the proud owner of your holiday home when your last monthly payment to Santander has cleared. Please note: you’ll own the holiday home not the pitch or land the holiday home sits on.

When you’ve found your dream holiday home, your Holiday Home advisor will create a finance application with you and submit it our finance provider, Santander. They will need originals of the following documentation to prove identity: 

• Passport or driving licence
• Birth certificate or a marriage certificate if you don’t have a passport or driving licence. 

Our finance provider Santander may ask for additional information.

Please note: we may receive commission from the finance provider if you enter into an agreement with them.

You can discuss all things finance on a visit to the park you're interested in. Here's where you can book your park visit 

When you’re planning to buy a holiday home, there are a few extra costs to be considered such as annual site fees, non-domestic rates, water, gas, electricity, safety tests, insurance and alarm maintenance.

These start from £5,627 and can change from year to year.

It’s also worth keeping in mind any extras you might fancy such as getting your holiday home prepared for winter.