Our £66,000 caravan dream has been ruined by anti social yobs

Spiralling maintenance costs, dodgy letting agents, antisocial yobs causing havoc on site and suffocating holiday park bureaucracy: what has happened to the English dream of owning a caravan? 

For many, the idea of purchasing a static home at a holiday site is both a retirement dream and a canny investment.  

However, some retirees and families who took the plunge have shared horror stories on how their idyllic hobby soon turned into a financial and social nightmare. 

Grandmother Kim Graham previously revealed how she lost a huge chunk of her life savings after spending £57,000 on a caravan, only to have to sell it for a £42,000 loss after being diagnosed with breast cancer. 

Meanwhile, James and Emma Richardson told of being left £50,000 out of pocket after buying a caravan to rent out, only to be hit by £1,200-a-month charges. 

And now, one family has told MailOnline how they bought a static home for a peaceful escape from city life - just for their dream to be shattered when they realised it was next to a rowdy pub.

Craig Edwards, 59, of London, bought his holiday home at Seal Bay Resort, in Selsey, for £66,000 in June 2021. 

He told the company he wanted a 'quiet and peaceful' location for his family to use as an 'escape' from their hectic life in London. 

While purchasing the caravan, Mr Edwards was delighted to discover a pub across the carpark - 'The Viking Pub' - which he was apparently told was a quiet village bar. 

However, months after making the £66,000 purchase, a late night bar on the other side of the park was moved to the Viking - bringing with it a flood of 'unbearable' noise and antisocial behaviour. 

After complaining to the park company about noise, Mr Edwards claimed he was offered just £46,000 back from the company - meaning just 14 months after his investment he had lost £20,000.  

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He explained: 'We made it abundantly clear that we were looking for a quiet and peaceful location as we have very stressful jobs in London and it would be our ''escape''.

'There was a bar across the car park ''The Viking Pub'' that they told us was a local village type pub.

'On the other side of the park about a mile away they had a late night bar. Due to the trouble they were having there they decided to move the late night bar to the Viking.

'It became unbearable with loud music up to 3am, anti social behaviour, fights, swearing, urinating and vomiting in the car park and even our garden.

'Upon complaining we were offered a move that would cost us £8k or to accept there offer of £46k just over a year after purchasing it for £66k. 

'In the end we very begrudgingly accepted as it became so unbearable we wasn't going to the camp at all.' 

He added: 'We just wanted somewhere we could escape for the weekend and have peace and quiet. 

'It was horrendous. Obviously we couldn't sit out on the decking. We couldn't even watch a film because of the noise, bang, bang, bang. You could hardly sleep.' 

The upfront cost of buying a static caravan is the first thing prospective buyers have to consider. 

Prices for a Haven caravan start at around £14,995 for a pre-owned model and £29,995 for a new one at various sites across the UK. 

According to the company's website, prospective buyers can secure their holiday home with an up-front deposit of 10 per cent of the caravan's finance. New holiday homes are available from £449.75 per month subject to terms and conditions.

However, once campers have their name on the deeds, other problems can arise. 

Michael Garbutt told MailOnline he had an 'awful' experience trying to renovate his £30,000 caravan.  

He said: 'We wanted a wooden veranda building around side n front of caravan , my friend who's a joiner quoted us £2500, but the owner of park said they have a company who must do it and it cost me £5000,

'Then we had to go through the owner to insure caravan and then buy gas bottles off him. 

'After many problems and aggression off him we decided to sell after two years so I put for sale signs up in windows and a lady came offered me £26,000 for the caravan. 

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'But the owner came told me to take the signs down saying we can't sell it to the lady as we have to go through him. 

'He even threatened me to take the caravan and put it on the road outside the park ,

'Eventually we were that stressed and intimidated by owner we sold it back to him for £8000.

'Once you buy you are totally in the site owners hands and are bullied and intimidated. I will never buy another static in my lifetime.' 

Many despairing buyers have told MailOnline of losing tens of thousands of pounds when selling their caravan back to the site owner, due to the property's depleting value. 

Some even claimed that after buying back the caravan for a significantly reduced price, the company then went on to sell it again for much more. 

Lisa Webb, Which? Consumer Law Expert, told MailOnline: 'We've previously found that dodgy sales tactics are rife in the caravan park industry, and we've heard of countless people who have said they were misled about the terms of their purchase, and have ended up thousands of pounds out of pocket as a result.

'Buying a holiday home or caravan should be an exciting time, but as with any large purchase, it's crucial you take the time to do your research. 

'If something sounds too good to be true it usually is, so interrogate any spurious claims like promises of guaranteed rental income from your property, or promises that a holiday home can be resided in full time. 

'You should also be aware that caravans will usually decline in value after purchase.

'Before signing on the dotted line, make sure you fully understand your contract, including any additional fees you may be expected to pay.'

When purchasing a static caravan through a caravan park company, buyers are commonly required to pay an initial fee - known as a 'pitch fee'. 

The fee is decided by the company and is for the keeping of your home on the their site. 

Caravan owners are not allowed to keep a caravan without it being fully insured, which can cost thousands. 

When owning a caravan on a holiday park site, you are commonly required to go through the company for utilities and are not allowed to buy your own, Mr Goodwill explained. 

The businessman claimed that this allows the company to buy gas and electricity themselves, before charging you more for a profit. 

Much like gas and electricity charges, site companies sometimes insist that cleaning services are organised through them, so they can charge you more and make a profit. 

One caravan owner, Fred, told MailOnline that buying a static caravan without considering the extra costs is a 'mistake' for buyers. 

'Our caravan cost £165k but this seemed ok over the 30-year period offered.

'The sale came with no site fees for Year 1 and the salesman confirmed that future site fees could be more than covered by renting the lodge out for the main school holiday weeks through them. 

'In fact although the site were renting the lodge out for over £1k per week our receipt after 'costs' was more like £200 per week. On top of this spiralling site fees plus Council Tax, insurance, utilities etc. are running at over £10k a year.

'We are struggling with the total yearly costs but the 'depreciation' over the first couple of years is supposedly about £100k!!

'Worst mistake ever!'

Have you experienced something similar? Email katherine.lawton@mailonline.co.uk