Buying a new caravan – the costs explained
Buying a new caravan is one of the biggest decisions you could make on the leisurely side of life. There are so many factors at play, from style to model to cost, and even the latter can’t be simplified into one round figure.
When searching for a caravan to call your own, the upfront cost of the model is just one factor at play in your budgeting decision. There are two other key areas of cost to keep mindful of. The first involves the annual site fees, essentially your key to the park: site fees are payable so you can site your holiday home on our park. The second is something a little closer to home, the running costs of the model itself. This article will explain the costs of running your caravan and hopefully answer at least one of the many questions prospective new owners are bound to have. We’ll even give you a few pointers to offset some of more stinging bills that come with static caravan ownership.
Cost of your holiday home
When browsing the Haven site and others for a range of holiday homes, the prices you’ll see include the cost of buying the caravan itself as well as the essential add ons that come with it. These are namely the basics like siting and connection as well as safety and security of the van and wider park.
The buying process means that you don’t have to fork out for the entire figure you see all at once, unless you want to! We have a finance option to make paying for your holiday home more manageable. Here's a summary of our finance plan:
Pay a 10% deposit
Pay monthly on a term length of your choice
Maximum term length is seven years
The cost is subject to a fantastic APR rate of 10.6% (representative)
Finance is subject to status and availability. Please note: we may receive commission from the finance provider if you enter into an agreement with them. Speak to a member of our team at your chosen holiday park to find out more.
Your annual site fees
Site fees are a key cost of running your static caravan. They’re best described as the amount you pay annually to keep your holiday home sited on its pitch at the park for a year. These fees vary between parks and the amount to which they add up to also depends on the type of holiday home you have, the size and specific location it sits in the park you’re an owner at.
Holiday parks in locations with more demand tend to have higher site fees and a higher amount of facilities on the park, so the figures shown are very much representative of the package around your holiday home. The fee covers everything from maintenance and security to grass cutting and landscaping, as well as access to any owner-only facilities; pools and entertainment. Check with the expert at your chosen holiday park for the lowdown on site fees.
Offsetting your site fees
Your holiday home can help you offset ownership costs, if you're prepared to let it out when you're not using it. You can let through us and our letting service can take away the significant time and effort spent managing your property privately. At Haven there are three ways in which we help our owners offset their site fees and handle the hassle so you don’t have to.
Fixed letting service – an option that gives you complete peace of mind as you'll know what your letting will generate for the year. Giving us your letting dates at the start of the season enables you to plan and you know what time you have to enjoy your holiday home yourself.
Flexi letting service – a higher risk option but with potentially higher returns. This avenue allows you to let your holiday home on any given date, any time during the season if we have sufficient demand and can take lettings on your desired dates.
Let2offset – our new service that you can sign up to when you buy a holiday home; or if existing owners part exchange their current holiday home. Available when you buy selected holiday homes at selected parks, as long as you let your holiday home with us for a set number of weeks, you could earn preferential letting income that'll cover your site fees until 2031. Terms apply.
Whatever your preference, our letting experts do the hard work, from marketing to welcoming guests, so you don’t have to. There are fantastic extras in our service too. Cleaning is inclusive and we’ll take care of anything if there’s an issue with our guests. Rest assured, your holiday home will be left looking spick and span and you'll have income to put towards your site fees and running costs.
Your annual running costs
Bills. We’ve all had to pay them before through our regular homes and paying for utilities in a holiday home is no different. The costs of running your second place includes gas and electricity, water, holiday home insurance and non-domestic business rates.
These fluctuate from year to year and are something to factor into your holiday home budget. We’ve produced a handy table of timelines and the average annual costs of maintaining a new caravan. See this in more detail here and start planning for life as a second home owner with Haven.
If you have questions about buying a holiday home, please don't hesitate to contact us. Call us on 0333 202 1460, chat to us online or book a park visit, we'd love to hear from you.
Related Posts
First time caravan buyer's guide
Static caravan finance: a guide
Exclusive benefits for Haven owners
Important information
Let2offset - make no site fee payments until 2031
Let2offset is a contractual lettings product that offers eligible owners a guaranteed letting income at a preferential rate (calculated each year) in exchange for a stipulated number of letting breaks. It also allows eligible owners to pay their site fees and receive their letting income in 12 equal monthly instalments; the monthly site fee amount charged by Haven will be after deduction of the letting income.
‘Make no site fee payments when using Let2offset until 2031’ is available at 33 Haven parks excluding Burnham, Cardigan View, Far Grange, Garreg Wen, Lydstep Beach, Riviere Sands and Seaview. The letting income received will vary by make, model and location. The monthly site fee payment does not include running costs e.g. utilities, rates & insurance.
“Make no site fee payments when using Let2offset until 2031” is applicable to new and existing customer purchases of new Atlas Sahara 3 Bed or equivalent or superior grade holiday home purchases made through Haven where customers have also signed up to Haven’s Let2offset contract. It is not applicable to private sales and cannot be used in conjunction with our free Site Fee promotion. It is available across 40% of eligible Parks and applies when letting a new Atlas Sahara 3 Bed holiday home (or equivalent or superior grade for 15 weeks.
An example of how “Make no site fee payments when using Let2offset until 2031” operates under Let2offset is the purchase of an Atlas Sahara 3 Bed holiday home at Primrose Valley with a monthly site fee of £585.00 (includes purchasing discount of £45) and monthly letting income of £803.67. The monthly difference equates to £218.67, which will be credited to the owner's account. Both letting income and site fees are subject to yearly pricing reviews and the monthly site fee costs and letting income shown in the example are based on 2024 figures.
Modelled assumptions on expected annual site fee and letting income charges over the 7-year lettable life of the Atlas Sahara 3 Bed indicate that under Let2offset it is anticipated that these customers will continue to receive a monthly credit during this period, however, this is not guaranteed. The modelled assumptions are based on the historical performance of Haven over the past 5 years of trading.
Images are shown for representational purposes. Access to holiday home is subject to park opening times.
Park cannot be used as a permanent residence. Haven Leisure Ltd is registered in England (No. 01968698) and is a FCA appointed representative of Bourne Leisure Limited (t/a Haven). Bourne Leisure Ltd is registered in England (No. 04011660) and is authorised and regulated by the FCA (Financial Services Register No. 312847) as a credit broker and insurance distributor. Registered office: One Park Lane, Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, HP2 4YL. We may receive commission from the finance provider if you enter into an agreement with them.