Expert guide to buying a Haven Caravan
Buying a holiday home caravan is an important decision both emotionally and financially, so you need to fully consider all the pros and cons. The more information you have the better able you will be to make the right decision for you and your family.
The first thing to consider is location, location, location...
If you are thinking of buying a Haven caravan then you have probably already stayed in at least one of thier 38 coastal located holiday parks throughout the UK which are on some of the best prime land overlooking breathtaking beaches. If so you may already have a favourite park in mind but for this guide we are going to focus on one of the most popular even if it is not the cheapest. The information you read here can be applied to any of the Haven Parks.
Let's consider the case for buying a Haven Caravan at one of the best locations in the UK: Perran Sands in Cornwall. This is in fact the most expensive Haven Holiday park in terms of site fees, but arguably it is one of the best and in terms of making money from letting out the caravan to other holidaymakers offers the best returns. In terms of location, well who wouldn't want to holiday by one of the best Cornish surfing beaches on the North coast, just down from Newquay Perran Sands is right next to the beach and by an 18 hole golf course. The park itself boasts two heated swimming pools with flume slides and a surf school on the beach as well as an arcade, great choice of restaurants, onsite supermarket and a huge range of leisure activities.
Buying a holiday home caravan is an important decision both emotionally and financially, so you need to fully consider all the pros and cons. The more information you have the better able you will be to make the right decision for you and your family.
The first thing to consider is location, location, location...
If you are thinking of buying a Haven caravan then you have probably already stayed in at least one of thier 38 coastal located holiday parks throughout the UK which are on some of the best prime land overlooking breathtaking beaches. If so you may already have a favourite park in mind but for this guide we are going to focus on one of the most popular even if it is not the cheapest. The information you read here can be applied to any of the Haven Parks.
Let's consider the case for buying a Haven Caravan at one of the best locations in the UK: Perran Sands in Cornwall. This is in fact the most expensive Haven Holiday park in terms of site fees, but arguably it is one of the best and in terms of making money from letting out the caravan to other holidaymakers offers the best returns. In terms of location, well who wouldn't want to holiday by one of the best Cornish surfing beaches on the North coast, just down from Newquay Perran Sands is right next to the beach and by an 18 hole golf course. The park itself boasts two heated swimming pools with flume slides and a surf school on the beach as well as an arcade, great choice of restaurants, onsite supermarket and a huge range of leisure activities.
Perranporth Beach - Haven Holidays image
What value would buying a static caravan offer compared to buying a holiday home in the same location?
First let's consider the argument for buying a holiday home here:
Buying a holiday home in for example Perranporth in Cornwall with a distant sea view could cost you easily a minimum of £600,000 (price checked Rightmove summer 2023) before you add in the £35,500 stamp duty on a second home, then the soon to be double council tax for holiday homes in Cornwall (starts 2024). You then need to factor in the utilities (water, gas, electric, broadband), don't forget the house insurance for holiday homes which unfortunately will be considerably higher than your main home (more risk for a house left empty or used by paying guests) and finally that big unknown…the continual upkeep not only of the garden but everything else in the house as well as the fabric of the house itself…
Here is a realistic cost forecast:
Annual average running costs of a holiday home in Cornwall from 2024
Council Tax (Band D) double £2221 = £4442
Insurance (covering letting) £1000
Garden maintenance (small garden twice monthly in Spring/Summer) £1000
Utilities (average consumption 3 bed house - gas/electric/water/broadband) £5000
Yearly property maintenance/wear and tear - £3500
Total yearly cost = £14942…
You will need about £650,000 in capital to buy the home in the first place and then expect to spend £15,000 per year running it.
Of course if you buy a holiday home it should (in normal times) gradually increase in value but that is not guaranteed and remember that any gain you make on the house will be subject to capital gains tax when you come to sell it as a second home.
One other factor which might be worth bearing in mind is that second home owners in popular tourist spots are not always warmly welcomed by the local population, so it might not be quite the idyllic relaxing holiday home you has hoped for.
What value would buying a static caravan offer compared to buying a holiday home in the same location?
First let's consider the argument for buying a holiday home here:
Buying a holiday home in for example Perranporth in Cornwall with a distant sea view could cost you easily a minimum of £600,000 (price checked Rightmove summer 2023) before you add in the £35,500 stamp duty on a second home, then the soon to be double council tax for holiday homes in Cornwall (starts 2024). You then need to factor in the utilities (water, gas, electric, broadband), don't forget the house insurance for holiday homes which unfortunately will be considerably higher than your main home (more risk for a house left empty or used by paying guests) and finally that big unknown…the continual upkeep not only of the garden but everything else in the house as well as the fabric of the house itself…
Here is a realistic cost forecast:
Annual average running costs of a holiday home in Cornwall from 2024
Council Tax (Band D) double £2221 = £4442
Insurance (covering letting) £1000
Garden maintenance (small garden twice monthly in Spring/Summer) £1000
Utilities (average consumption 3 bed house - gas/electric/water/broadband) £5000
Yearly property maintenance/wear and tear - £3500
Total yearly cost = £14942…
You will need about £650,000 in capital to buy the home in the first place and then expect to spend £15,000 per year running it.
Of course if you buy a holiday home it should (in normal times) gradually increase in value but that is not guaranteed and remember that any gain you make on the house will be subject to capital gains tax when you come to sell it as a second home.
One other factor which might be worth bearing in mind is that second home owners in popular tourist spots are not always warmly welcomed by the local population, so it might not be quite the idyllic relaxing holiday home you has hoped for.
Buying costs of a holiday home vs Haven caravan at Perran Sands Cornwall
Buying Costs |
Holiday Home |
Haven Caravan |
Purchase Cost |
£600,000 (average price of 3 bed with sea view) |
£20,000 - £100,000 (depends on type of caravan bought) |
Stamp Duty Tax (second home) |
£35,500 |
N/A |
Legal Costs |
£3000-£5000 |
N/A |
Total buying costs |
£639,500 |
£20,000 - £100,000 |
Yearly running costs of a holiday home vs Haven caravan at Perran Sands Cornwall
Running Costs |
Holiday Home |
Haven Caravan |
Council Tax (Band D double rate from 2024) |
£4442 |
included in site fees |
Insurance |
£1000 |
included in site fees |
Garden/Site maintenance |
£1000 |
included in site fees |
Utilities - Gas/Electric/Water/Broadband |
£5000 |
£2000 |
Property maintenence |
£3500 |
£500 |
Site fees |
N/A |
£7290 |
TOTAL |
£14942 |
£9790 |
Typical mid-range Haven 3 bedroom caravan Perran Sands - approx £40,000
Now let's consider the case for buying a Haven caravan
When you buy a caravan you will have access to everything you would in a holiday home in the same location but also so much more because of everything the holiday park offers on top.
Things to do:
When you buy a haven caravan you are not just buying a caravan in a standard holiday home park, Haven holiday parks are equipped with fantastic heated swimming pools with flume slides, arcade areas, soft play zones, a multitude of restaurants and loads of additional leisure activities like surf schools, archery, racket sports etc, and in addition to all this you will also get access to the members only lounge bars and private areas as well as the exclusive owners only events organised throughout the year.
Comfort:
Static caravans are now a world apart from the cold, drafty and uncomfortable creaky caravans you might have experienced as a child on holiday. Nowadays they really are a luxury home, beautifully crafted, with central heating and smart bathrooms and kitchens, comfortable lounges and quiet luxurious bedrooms. Haven offers the very best caravans from the top manufacturers of Swift, ABI, Atlas Leisure Homes and Willerby.
Caravan and lodge options start from the more basic but comfortable and practical static caravans right up to seriously luxurious pads with spa like bathrooms, designer kitchens, spacious living and bedrooms and large outside terraces. There really is something to suit everyone's taste and budget.
Firstly let's consider the value buying a Haven Caravan will give you...
Understanding what you own and what you rent when you buy a Haven Caravan:
You will own the caravan in its entirety and you are buying the right to have exclusive use of your chosen pitch, but you do not own the land the caravan sits on, and in effect a large part of the yearly site fees cover a ‘rental’ payment for the pitch as well as fees for all the park facilities and maintenance, landscaping and security.
Caravan options available at Haven Perran Sands range from secondhand basic caravans sleeping 4 priced from £20,000, through to brand new statics sleeping 6 priced from £38,000 right up to the latest brand new top of the range luxury statics/lodges priced at over £100,000 offering spa like accommodation and features.
Site fees at Perrans start from £7290 per year. This includes your pitch fee, park facilities (swimming pools, arcades etc) landscaping and security. The site fees also offer some very nice extras such as 15% discount in all the bars, restaurants and shops, 50% off all sports and leisure activities and exclusive use of owners facilities and owners parties which take place throughout the year. Note that Perran Sands sits at the more expensive end for site fees with other Haven parks starting from just £4000 per year.
Your caravan running costs will of course depend on how much gas/electric etc you use but are approximately £2000 per year, this cost covers your gas, electric, water, insurance and non-domestic business rates (this is instead of council tax). We would suggest allowing £500 per year maintenance costs on the caravan, obviously in the early years when it is brand new there will likely be no costs but there maybe repairs required in later years.
So the running cost of having a holiday caravan at Perran Sands in Cornwall would be approximately £9100, but to be safe say £10,000 per year ongoing costs with the capital outlay depending on what grade of luxury and space you need but varying between £20,000 up to £100,000.
How much of the year can you use your Haven Caravan?
Haven caravan parks shut over the winter period for annual maintenance and upgrading works meaning that you cannot access your caravan everyday of the year. The precise dates each Haven park closes for Winter vary slightly but as a guide most open in early March and shutdown in late October so you can expect 8 months of use over the best weather period every year.
Try before you buy…
One of the best aspects of buying a Haven caravan is that you can go and experience everything the holiday park and caravan has to offer by taking a holiday before committing to buy.
Buy with the confidence of a full 30 day money back guarantee
Haven are so confident that you will be delighted with your new holiday home that they offer a full money back guarantee for 30 days after the initial handover of a new or used caravan (excludes existing owners or part exchange deals). If the holiday lifestyle on a Haven Park does not suit you then you are guaranteed a full refund.
Haven caravan finance options to spread the cost
Haven offers caravan finance packages on all of their caravans which typically require you to put down just a 10% deposit and then the remaining balance is financed by a loan at a low APR of just 9.9%.
Buying a Haven Caravan - a decision made with the heart or the head?
Every year hundreds of people invest in a Haven caravan as their perfect holiday home. It might be young parents planning for the family holidays as the children grow up for many years or the retired grandparents who finally want that perfect escape home where they can relax in peace while also creating magical memories with grandchildren and family whenever they wish.
Buying a Haven caravan is about buying a family holiday home from a choice of 38 of the best seaside locations in the UK where for most of us we could never afford to buy a holiday home in such a fantastic location. Let's be honest, life should be about spending quality time with our loved ones and friends and creating memories that last. A Haven holiday caravan offers one of the best value ways of making that happen.
When you buy a caravan you will have access to everything you would in a holiday home in the same location but also so much more because of everything the holiday park offers on top.
Things to do:
When you buy a haven caravan you are not just buying a caravan in a standard holiday home park, Haven holiday parks are equipped with fantastic heated swimming pools with flume slides, arcade areas, soft play zones, a multitude of restaurants and loads of additional leisure activities like surf schools, archery, racket sports etc, and in addition to all this you will also get access to the members only lounge bars and private areas as well as the exclusive owners only events organised throughout the year.
Comfort:
Static caravans are now a world apart from the cold, drafty and uncomfortable creaky caravans you might have experienced as a child on holiday. Nowadays they really are a luxury home, beautifully crafted, with central heating and smart bathrooms and kitchens, comfortable lounges and quiet luxurious bedrooms. Haven offers the very best caravans from the top manufacturers of Swift, ABI, Atlas Leisure Homes and Willerby.
Caravan and lodge options start from the more basic but comfortable and practical static caravans right up to seriously luxurious pads with spa like bathrooms, designer kitchens, spacious living and bedrooms and large outside terraces. There really is something to suit everyone's taste and budget.
Firstly let's consider the value buying a Haven Caravan will give you...
Understanding what you own and what you rent when you buy a Haven Caravan:
You will own the caravan in its entirety and you are buying the right to have exclusive use of your chosen pitch, but you do not own the land the caravan sits on, and in effect a large part of the yearly site fees cover a ‘rental’ payment for the pitch as well as fees for all the park facilities and maintenance, landscaping and security.
Caravan options available at Haven Perran Sands range from secondhand basic caravans sleeping 4 priced from £20,000, through to brand new statics sleeping 6 priced from £38,000 right up to the latest brand new top of the range luxury statics/lodges priced at over £100,000 offering spa like accommodation and features.
Site fees at Perrans start from £7290 per year. This includes your pitch fee, park facilities (swimming pools, arcades etc) landscaping and security. The site fees also offer some very nice extras such as 15% discount in all the bars, restaurants and shops, 50% off all sports and leisure activities and exclusive use of owners facilities and owners parties which take place throughout the year. Note that Perran Sands sits at the more expensive end for site fees with other Haven parks starting from just £4000 per year.
Your caravan running costs will of course depend on how much gas/electric etc you use but are approximately £2000 per year, this cost covers your gas, electric, water, insurance and non-domestic business rates (this is instead of council tax). We would suggest allowing £500 per year maintenance costs on the caravan, obviously in the early years when it is brand new there will likely be no costs but there maybe repairs required in later years.
So the running cost of having a holiday caravan at Perran Sands in Cornwall would be approximately £9100, but to be safe say £10,000 per year ongoing costs with the capital outlay depending on what grade of luxury and space you need but varying between £20,000 up to £100,000.
How much of the year can you use your Haven Caravan?
Haven caravan parks shut over the winter period for annual maintenance and upgrading works meaning that you cannot access your caravan everyday of the year. The precise dates each Haven park closes for Winter vary slightly but as a guide most open in early March and shutdown in late October so you can expect 8 months of use over the best weather period every year.
Try before you buy…
One of the best aspects of buying a Haven caravan is that you can go and experience everything the holiday park and caravan has to offer by taking a holiday before committing to buy.
Buy with the confidence of a full 30 day money back guarantee
Haven are so confident that you will be delighted with your new holiday home that they offer a full money back guarantee for 30 days after the initial handover of a new or used caravan (excludes existing owners or part exchange deals). If the holiday lifestyle on a Haven Park does not suit you then you are guaranteed a full refund.
Haven caravan finance options to spread the cost
Haven offers caravan finance packages on all of their caravans which typically require you to put down just a 10% deposit and then the remaining balance is financed by a loan at a low APR of just 9.9%.
Buying a Haven Caravan - a decision made with the heart or the head?
Every year hundreds of people invest in a Haven caravan as their perfect holiday home. It might be young parents planning for the family holidays as the children grow up for many years or the retired grandparents who finally want that perfect escape home where they can relax in peace while also creating magical memories with grandchildren and family whenever they wish.
Buying a Haven caravan is about buying a family holiday home from a choice of 38 of the best seaside locations in the UK where for most of us we could never afford to buy a holiday home in such a fantastic location. Let's be honest, life should be about spending quality time with our loved ones and friends and creating memories that last. A Haven holiday caravan offers one of the best value ways of making that happen.
Get more detailed no-obligation information on Haven caravan ownership
Always holiday on the sunny days!
What's the biggest gamble we all make when booking a UK holiday? - the weather...let's face it the big gamble whenever you book a holiday in the UK is will the sunshine?
Imagine having your perfect holiday home always just waiting ready for you so that when the weather is perfect you know all you need to do is pack a bag, jump in the car and drive down to it!
De-stress after a tough week at work?
How many times on a Friday night after a busy working week don’t we all wish we could just escape for a weekend me-time recharge? Well imagine swapping a boring weekend at home doing the same chores, shopping and tip runs for a snap getaway break to perfect sandy beaches, restaurant food and your luxury caravan…
How much does it cost to stay at Perran Sands in the summer holidays for non-owners?
A standard week during the school summer holiday for a family of two adults and two children with access to the park facilities varies depending on what grade of caravan you rent. A typical week ranges from £1900 for the most basic up to £3000 for a luxury caravan. I guess you can start to see how owning a caravan might make financial sense, if you took just three weeks holiday per year in a middle grade caravan for a family of four it would cost circa £7500 during peak season.
What's the biggest gamble we all make when booking a UK holiday? - the weather...let's face it the big gamble whenever you book a holiday in the UK is will the sunshine?
Imagine having your perfect holiday home always just waiting ready for you so that when the weather is perfect you know all you need to do is pack a bag, jump in the car and drive down to it!
De-stress after a tough week at work?
How many times on a Friday night after a busy working week don’t we all wish we could just escape for a weekend me-time recharge? Well imagine swapping a boring weekend at home doing the same chores, shopping and tip runs for a snap getaway break to perfect sandy beaches, restaurant food and your luxury caravan…
How much does it cost to stay at Perran Sands in the summer holidays for non-owners?
A standard week during the school summer holiday for a family of two adults and two children with access to the park facilities varies depending on what grade of caravan you rent. A typical week ranges from £1900 for the most basic up to £3000 for a luxury caravan. I guess you can start to see how owning a caravan might make financial sense, if you took just three weeks holiday per year in a middle grade caravan for a family of four it would cost circa £7500 during peak season.
Make your Haven Caravan investment work for you and help pay for itself..
An investment in a Haven caravan in your perfect holiday park can also become a money spinner if you so wish. It is unlikely that you will use your caravan for yourself on every week so that will leave you with plenty of spare weeks when you could put it to work and rent it out and make some serious cash to help offset its running costs. If this appeals to you then there are several options open to you depending on how 'hands-on' you wish to be, including Haven's in-house schemes and third party holiday booking platforms like Airbnb.
The easiest way to rent out your caravan is to let Haven manage the whole process and for this they offer two basic schemes:
Fixed letting: You submit the dates that you are prepared to make the caravan available for others to book and Haven agrees which dates they wish to take. Haven then agrees a fixed guaranteed income for these dates with you whether they manage to let the caravan or not.
On the fixed letting model you will get roughly one third of the amount Haven take, so if your caravan rents for £1500 you will get £500.
Flexi letting: You receive the full price paid by the holidaymaker, minus the cost of entertainment passes, £35 cleaning fee, £10 welcome services and a 15% Haven commission fee. This scheme gives you the chance to earn more during peak times but the trade off is that Haven does not guarantee the income, so if the caravan does not get booked out you earn nothing for that week.
On the flexi letting model you will get roughly half of the amount that Haven take for the booking so again for a rental of £1500 you will get £750
Alternatives to using Haven’s in house letting service
As a caravan owner you have free choice in how to let out your caravan when you are not using it. If you have lots of friends who would like to use it regularly then you might consider a ‘mates rates’ agreement with them cleaning it after their holiday, or you would use Airbnb or similar.
If you use a third party booking service remember to factor in the booking commission and cleaning costs, likely to be around 20% of your total. So on a £1500 rental you would pocket £1200.
Could you cover all your running costs from letting out your caravan?
Yes, this is certainly possible.
At Perran Sands a mid-grade caravan for a family of four for one week during peak season costs £2500, and during low season £1000, so if you managed to rent it out for 4 weeks of peak season and 4 weeks on low season that would gross you £14000. Now your return would depend on whether you rented it yourself using Airbnb returning about £11,000 or you used the Haven letting service returning you £7000. Obviously you may manage many more weeks of rental but we have kept to fairly conservative expectations.
Either way you can see how you could cover the majority, if not all of your yearly running costs by letting out your caravan and still enjoy many holidays for yourself throughout the year.
An investment in a Haven caravan in your perfect holiday park can also become a money spinner if you so wish. It is unlikely that you will use your caravan for yourself on every week so that will leave you with plenty of spare weeks when you could put it to work and rent it out and make some serious cash to help offset its running costs. If this appeals to you then there are several options open to you depending on how 'hands-on' you wish to be, including Haven's in-house schemes and third party holiday booking platforms like Airbnb.
The easiest way to rent out your caravan is to let Haven manage the whole process and for this they offer two basic schemes:
Fixed letting: You submit the dates that you are prepared to make the caravan available for others to book and Haven agrees which dates they wish to take. Haven then agrees a fixed guaranteed income for these dates with you whether they manage to let the caravan or not.
On the fixed letting model you will get roughly one third of the amount Haven take, so if your caravan rents for £1500 you will get £500.
Flexi letting: You receive the full price paid by the holidaymaker, minus the cost of entertainment passes, £35 cleaning fee, £10 welcome services and a 15% Haven commission fee. This scheme gives you the chance to earn more during peak times but the trade off is that Haven does not guarantee the income, so if the caravan does not get booked out you earn nothing for that week.
On the flexi letting model you will get roughly half of the amount that Haven take for the booking so again for a rental of £1500 you will get £750
Alternatives to using Haven’s in house letting service
As a caravan owner you have free choice in how to let out your caravan when you are not using it. If you have lots of friends who would like to use it regularly then you might consider a ‘mates rates’ agreement with them cleaning it after their holiday, or you would use Airbnb or similar.
If you use a third party booking service remember to factor in the booking commission and cleaning costs, likely to be around 20% of your total. So on a £1500 rental you would pocket £1200.
Could you cover all your running costs from letting out your caravan?
Yes, this is certainly possible.
At Perran Sands a mid-grade caravan for a family of four for one week during peak season costs £2500, and during low season £1000, so if you managed to rent it out for 4 weeks of peak season and 4 weeks on low season that would gross you £14000. Now your return would depend on whether you rented it yourself using Airbnb returning about £11,000 or you used the Haven letting service returning you £7000. Obviously you may manage many more weeks of rental but we have kept to fairly conservative expectations.
Either way you can see how you could cover the majority, if not all of your yearly running costs by letting out your caravan and still enjoy many holidays for yourself throughout the year.
