Back in the early days of the 60’s and 70’s, owning a holiday caravan/lodge was considered excellent value for money. To own a holiday caravan and spend weekends and annual holidays with the family in the countryside or on the coast was an affordable retreat for most working families and was immensely popular throughout the UK. Holidays abroad were considered an expensive luxury for a working class family of four and therefore only for the more affluent, particularly if you were travelling further than Europe.
The Package Holiday was introduced in the late 50’s, early 60’s which offered lots of sand, sea and Sangria on the sunny beaches of Spain, Portugal, Italy etc., A big attraction for the young, free and single but for a family of four – still very expensive.
In the very early 60’s a family of four return flights to Spain would cost around £125.00.
The equivalent in todays money about £5,000.00.
An annual Pitch Fee for a static caravan back then was between £40.00 to £60.00
The equivalent in todays money an average of around £2,000.00
What about now – in 2023?
Today a Package Holiday for Four in one of the sunny European Resorts is far cheaper pound for pound than it was back then. A package holiday for a family of four for two weeks starts at around £3,000.00 to £4,000.00 all in.
But how do the costs compare to owning a holiday caravan/lodge ?
The costs of owning and running one today have changed dramatically !
The holiday caravan/lodge of today is, without question, far superior to those of the early days. Home from Home luxury and comfort, double glazed, centrally heated, fully serviced and in most cases – a nice balcony. But it comes at a cost. An average annual Pitch Fee including vat is around £7,000.00. Rates, Electricity, Water, Gas, Insurance etc., another £1,500.00 per year. Annual transport costs from home to park average £600.00 – around £9,000.00 per annum. A serious amount of money for an average working family. That is without the cost of buying the holiday caravan/lodge in the first place.
Speaking with a colleague he told me he had recently purchased a small two bedroom apartment in Spain for £65,000.00 The complex has a swimming pool, is about a fifteen minute walk from the beach and a five minute walk from restaurants, bars and shops. The complex was developed around twenty years ago and has been well maintained. His annual costs are considerably less than that of a holiday caravan/lodge. Community Fees of around £350.00 per year, plus electricity, gas, water etc., Flight costs today with minimum luggage can range between £100.00 to £200.00 per person return. On the face of it, it seems a far better investment than a holiday caravan/lodge in the UK particularly when you consider this property will increase in value rather than decrease like a holiday caravan/lodge.
It seems the message here is loud and clear. Pitch Fees in the UK are too expensive and the ten year rule must certainly now be considered a thing of the past. Food for thought! Make the most of your luxury holiday home.
