Buying a static caravan

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At a glance

• You buy the caravan plus a licence to keep it on its pitch for a set period — it isn’t land, and it isn’t for ever.
• Both trade bodies say a holiday caravan is a lifestyle purchase, not an investment: it loses value.
• Buy from a park and the Consumer Rights Act 2015 protects you; buy privately and you have much less protection.
• NCC member parks give a 14-day cooling-off period and must let you take a draft agreement away to read.

What you’re actually buying

You are buying two separate things:

1. the caravan — a movable item (in legal terms a “chattel”), not land; and
2. a licence to keep it on a particular pitch for a set number of years — the “agreement period”.

HARPA (formerly BH&HPA) stresses that it isn’t a “forever purchase”: there is always a limit on how long the caravan can stay on the pitch. NCC member parks must offer at least 12 years from first purchase for a new caravan or lodge, and HARPA member parks at least 10 years. The licence agreement explains what else to check.

Both trade bodies describe a holiday caravan as a lifestyle purchase, not an investment. It loses value over time, and when you sell you should expect to get back less than you paid.

From the park, or privately?

From the park. The park is a business, so you have the full protection of the Consumer Rights Act 2015 (below). NCC member parks also follow the NCC’s Best Practice Guidance for Holiday Parks, which applies to agreements made on or after 1 May 2023.

Privately, “on the pitch”. Most licence agreements let an owner sell to a private buyer who keeps the caravan on the same pitch — but only if the park approves the buyer, and usually after the park has been offered the chance to buy it first. The sale goes through the park office, because the park must make sure every owner meets the holiday-use checks and the site licence conditions. The NCC says checks on private buyers must be no stricter than on the park’s own customers and mustn’t be used to block a sale, and that the buyer must get terms no less favourable than the seller’s agreement, for the time left on it.

When you buy privately you are unlikely to get the consumer rights that apply when you buy from a business, and any warranty may have expired or have little left. In law, a private seller only has to make sure the caravan matches its description and that they have the right to sell it; the “satisfactory quality” rule applies only to sellers acting in the course of a business.

Bringing a caravan you already own (“bring-ons”). No law makes a park accept a caravan bought elsewhere, and the model agreements reserve siting, connection and removal work to the park or its contractors. Some operators do accept bring-ons on selected parks — Park Holidays UK, for example (2026). Ask the park.

New or used?

HARPA compares buying used with buying a used car: it’s cheaper, but the manufacturer’s warranty may have expired or have little left, and there may be wear and tear. A used caravan on its pitch also comes with less time left on the agreement — on NCC parks, a pre-owned caravan gets at least what remains of the 12 years from when it was first bought by a consumer.

If you are buying a new caravan that isn’t already on the park, budget for transport from the factory, siting it on the pitch and “commissioning” it — connecting it to water, electricity and drainage.

Part-exchange is common: parks often offer to take your current caravan as part of the deal. What a park offers is a commercial decision — the NCC’s dispute service won’t consider complaints about buy-back values.

Prices vary widely. As examples of operators’ own published prices (October 2026): Park Holidays advertises caravans from £9,995; Away Resorts quotes pre-owned caravans from £19,995, new caravans from £34,995 and lodges from £69,995; Lyons Holiday Parks quotes used caravans from £17,995 and new from £29,995. Then there are the running costs every year — see the costs of owning one.

What NCC member parks should do when they sell

The NCC’s Best Practice Guidance (third edition, February 2025) says member parks should:

• give you a copy of the guidance and a draft agreement at the first meeting, with as much time as you need to read it and take legal advice;
• show the full price of caravans for sale — make, model, year, size, berths and features, the price including VAT, optional extras and siting charges — and any compulsory extra charges such as pitch fees (or say that they apply);
• avoid high-pressure selling, such as persistent calls pushing you to pay a deposit;
• tell you before the sale whether letting is allowed, and never present letting as an investment or mislead you about income;
• give a 14-day cooling-off period from the date of order, during which you can cancel without penalty (longer can be agreed for off-plan purchases);
• sell new and used caravans approved under the NCC’s Manufacturers’ Approval Scheme (or another recognised scheme) unless they tell you otherwise in writing, with current gas safety certificates from Gas Safe registered engineers for used caravans;
• hand over the manufacturer’s handbook and warranty, transfer any unexpired warranty free where possible, and not charge for warranty repairs.

Parks that persistently break the guidance can be warned, suspended or expelled from the NCC.

Your rights when you buy from a business

The Consumer Rights Act 2015 covers caravans bought from a trader, including on hire purchase. The caravan must be of satisfactory quality — taking account of appearance and finish, freedom from minor defects, safety and durability — fit for purpose and as described. Faults pointed out to you before you bought, or that an inspection you made should have revealed, don’t count.

• 30-day right to reject. You can reject a faulty caravan within 30 days, counted from the latest of: ownership or possession passing to you, delivery, and being told that installation is complete.
• After that, you can ask for a repair or replacement, and then a price reduction or a final right to reject.
• Six-month presumption. A fault that appears within six months of delivery is presumed to have been there at delivery, unless the seller proves otherwise.

A manufacturer’s warranty is extra to these rights, not instead of them; the NCC guidance says parks must not use warranties to restrict them.

Cooling-off by law is narrower than many people think. The Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013 give a 14-day right to cancel only for distance contracts (online or by phone) and off-premises contracts. A sale signed in the park’s sales office is an on-premises contract — so the 14 days you get on an NCC park come from the NCC code and your contract, not from those Regulations.

If you were misled or pressured into buying, the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 has given you rights since 6 April 2025 to unwind the contract, get a discount or claim damages. Citizens Advice describes getting a full refund if you act within 90 days. See complaints and disputes.

Paying for it

• Mortgages. A regulated mortgage has to be secured on land. A holiday caravan is a movable item kept on a pitch under a licence, not land you own, so an ordinary mortgage is usually not an option. Buyers typically pay with cash, hire purchase or a loan.
• Hire purchase and loans. Hire purchase is covered by the Consumer Rights Act in the same way as a sale. NCC guidance expects finance options and total costs to be discussed at the first meeting. Finance terms vary — Park Holidays, for example, says its finance is subject to status and to age restrictions, with deposits from 10% (October 2026). If you have a complaint about a finance provider, use its complaints process first, then the Financial Ombudsman Service.
• Paying a deposit by credit card. Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act 1974, which makes the card provider jointly liable with the seller, doesn’t apply where the cash price is over £30,000. So it won’t protect a card-paid deposit on a caravan costing more than that.

Before you sign

What to check on the caravan itself:

• Gas and electrics: ask for current gas safety records from a Gas Safe registered engineer qualified for LPG and caravans, and an electrical inspection report. The NCC says private buyers should make these checks themselves.
• Its details: the year of manufacture and serial number on the agreement, the build standard (BS EN 1647 or BS 3632) and how much warranty is left.
• Damp: the NCC says older caravans used in the cold months suffer more condensation, seen and unseen, which can affect their life and value. Look for damp, and ask about heating, insulation and a winter pack.
• The chassis: under the NCC model agreement you must keep the caravan in good repair and able to be moved, so the condition of the chassis and axles matters.

Our buying checklist brings all of this together, ready to print.

Questions people ask

Can I get a mortgage on a static caravan?

Usually not. A regulated mortgage has to be secured on land, and a holiday caravan is a movable item kept on a pitch under a licence. Buyers typically pay with cash, hire purchase or a loan. Hire purchase is covered by the Consumer Rights Act like a sale.

Is there a cooling-off period when I buy?

On NCC member parks, yes: 14 days from the date of order, to cancel without penalty. That comes from the NCC’s code, not the law — the legal 14-day right to cancel only covers sales made online, by phone or away from the trader’s premises, not a sale signed in the park’s sales office.

Sources

Checked 6 October 2026. We wrote this guide from these sources, in our own words:

1. UK Parks (HARPA): Buying a holiday caravan FAQs (ukparks.com)
2. NCC Best Practice Guidance for Holiday Parks (February 2025) (thencc.org.uk)
3. NCC model Combined Purchase and Licence Agreement (June 2024) (thencc.org.uk)
4. NCC: 10 things to know before buying (thencc.org.uk)
5. NCC: Q&As before buying a holiday caravan or lodge (2025) (thencc.org.uk)
6. NCC: Making the best use of your holiday caravan (2025) (thencc.org.uk)
7. NCC IDRS complaints guidance (October 2024) (thencc.org.uk)
8. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 3 (legislation.gov.uk)
9. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 9 (satisfactory quality) (legislation.gov.uk)
10. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 19 (remedies) (legislation.gov.uk)
11. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 22 (30-day right to reject) (legislation.gov.uk)
12. Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, regulation 29 (legislation.gov.uk)
13. Sale of Goods Act 1979, section 13 (legislation.gov.uk)
14. Sale of Goods Act 1979, section 14 (legislation.gov.uk)
15. Consumer Credit Act 1974, section 75 (legislation.gov.uk)
16. Regulated Activities Order 2001, article 61 (legislation.gov.uk)
17. Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024, Part 4 Chapter 1 (legislation.gov.uk)
18. Citizens Advice: misled or pressured into buying (citizensadvice.org.uk)
19. Financial Ombudsman Service (financial-ombudsman.org.uk)
20. Gas Safe Register: LPG safety (gassaferegister.co.uk)
21. Park Holidays UK: holiday homes for sale (parkholidays.com)
22. Park Holidays UK: finance (parkholidays.com)
23. Park Holidays UK: running costs (parkholidays.com)
24. Away Resorts: holiday homes (awayresorts.co.uk)
25. Lyons Holiday Parks: caravans for sale (lyonsholidayparks.co.uk)

Travel Trailers is an independent guide. It is not owned by, or connected to, any holiday park operator, caravan manufacturer, dealer or trade body. Spotted something out of date? Tell us.