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Is it cheaper to live in a caravan than a house UK?

Not only are caravans much cheaper to buy than traditional properties, but the cost of living is also cheaper. Living in a caravan means you're exempt from paying council tax, instead site owners are charged based on the number of pitches they have and this is then passed onto you as a nightly combined charge.

comfort-insurance.co.uk - 5 Pros of Living in a Caravan - Comfort Insurance®
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Are you fed up of rip-off rental payments or eye-watering mortgage payments? Do you feel the need to get out and see the world, without being tied down to any one particular place? Then living in a caravan could prove to be the perfect way to escape the rat race and open up a world of opportunities.

But before you sell up and hit the road, you need to consider one question – can you live in a caravan?

Can you live in a caravan?

This is essentially a two-part question – the first being a question of the legal position when it comes to living in a caravan, the other at the practicalities and how suited you’d be to living life in a caravan – so let’s look at the legal implications first.

Can you have a caravan as your main home?

Although many camp and caravan sites are closed at certain times of year, or operate a policy that prohibits you from living in a caravan all-year round, there’s actually no law that stops you from living in a caravan and having it as your main home. If you can occupy your caravan all-year round, you’ll most likely be living on a residential park (or part of a holiday park designed for residential use) and the rights of both yourself and the owner of the caravan site are protected, so long as you have a written agreement in place that sets out the terms and conditions of your occupancy.

Could you live in a caravan as your main home?

Before you start searching for a suitable caravan park to pitch up on, you need to consider whether you’re suited to life in a caravan. Living in a static caravan will mean having limited living and storage space, so you’ll not have as much storage space for possessions and clothes, and you may have to use some shared facilities – caravans don’t usually come equipped with white goods, so there’s a good chance you’ll have to do your washing in a shared laundrette. But enough of the possible downsides, as there are plenty of reasons why living in a caravan all year round could be perfect for you.

What are the advantages of living in a caravan?

You’ve seen your ideal site, you’ve got your dream caravan in mind, and now you just need a few real reasons to take the plunge – here are the main advantages of living in a caravan.

1. It’s cheaper than renting or buying a house

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Private rental prices are through the roof, there’s a shortage of social housing, and interest rates are on the rise, which could be bad news for anyone with a mortgage. Whereas even a modest property in the UK can cost close to £100,000, you can pick up a good quality, used static caravan for around £15,000 – in fact, for £100,000 you can pick up a brand-new, top of the range, luxury caravan. There’s no stamp duty to be paid either, though you will have to pay 5% VAT on the purchase price. You will have to pay an annual fee for having your caravan pitched on a site, but this will still be a lot cheaper than renting or buying a property, even with the cost of buying the caravan included.

2. It’s cheaper than living in a house

Not only are caravans much cheaper to buy than traditional properties, but the cost of living is also cheaper. Living in a caravan means you’re exempt from paying council tax, instead site owners are charged based on the number of pitches they have and this is then passed onto you as a nightly combined charge. You’ll also be able to save money on your utility bills. Your caravan will be powered by an electric hook-up on site, the price of which will be included as part of the nightly fee. Usage is unlimited, and if there is ever a power cut, you can use a back-up generator for power. The heating system will most likely be dual fuel, meaning you can run it on gas or electric, while the fridge can be run by gas, 240v electric hook-up or 12v electric battery power! And you can completely cut out expensive gas bills by using bottled gas.

3. You aren’t tied down to any one location

Living in a caravan doesn’t necessarily mean living in a static caravan, and living your life on the open road is certainly an option. Although you’ll be limited to the storage space and facilities that come as part of your campervan, you can live your life in any part of the country you see fit – perhaps touring the wilds of Scotland in the summer, before taking advantage of the warmer south coast, or even European weather in the winter. There are no UK laws that prevent you from living in your motorhome, campervan or van all-year round, and the only stipulation you’ll have to meet is that your vehicle has passed its MOT and is fully road legal. There may be restrictions on where you can park up and reside, which you’ll need to research yourself depending on where you decide to go. For more information, check out Living in a Motorhome – Pros & Cons

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 4. You can live on your own land

Living in a caravan doesn’t necessarily mean pitching up at a campsite, if you’ve got your eye on a plot of land – maybe somewhere scenic by the sea, or an idyllic rural setting – you could by that land and pitch your caravan there. You’ll most likely need to apply for planning permission, but if you are going to be living there as part of a self-build or renovation project and your house is uninhabitable, you should have no problem gaining permission for one.

5. Life can be one big holiday

Most caravan sites are set in destinations that attract tourists – which means they are often areas of natural beauty and may even have a lot of attractions close by, especially if they’re set in a more rural area just outside one of the UK’s major cities. So, when you’re away in a caravan and you have that feeling when of total relaxation, you can come home to that every day, without ever having the downbeat feeling of packing up and going home. And if you live in a motorhome, you can pack up and move on to the next adventure.

Make sure your insurance is sorted

Whether you’re pitching up in a static caravan, or living life on the road in a motorhome, you’ll need an insurance policy that covers you for every eventuality and insures all you possessions – while living in a caravan can cut your living costs, insurance is one thing you should never cut back on. To find the right policy to suit your needs, give our insurance experts a call on 0208 9840 666 – our unrivalled choice of policies, is what makes 99.85% of Comfort Insurance’s customers say they’re happy with our service and would recommend us to a friend*.

*April 2014

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comfort-insurance.co.uk - 5 Pros of Living in a Caravan - Comfort Insurance®
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