How can I sell my static caravan?

Statics, holiday homes, lodges, park homes – there are lots of different names, but for ease, we refer to them all as 'static caravans' – and the good news is; we buy static caravans!

Not only that - but we work a little differently to other static caravan buying services. We compare prices from a huge range of traders, dealers, recyclers, exporters, and more - and we return the best price to you. As such, if you want the very best price but you don't fancy spending days calling around and haggling for a good price, we'll do the hard work for you!

Although we're undoubtedly keen to buy your static caravan, we realise that people often just want an answer to a few questions before they decide how to sell:

• Can I sell my static caravan privately?
• Do static caravans hold their value?
• Where can I advertise my static caravan for sale?
• Where is the best place to sell my caravan?
• Can I sell a caravan with outstanding finance?

Here, we'll answer those questions in detail - so you can work out a way to sell your static that suits you.

Where is the best place to sell my caravan?

Let us run you through some of the options!

To the park: 

In some instances, the holiday park that you currently keep the caravan on might ask for 'first refusal' of the caravan - this usually means they'll want to know that you're planning on selling your caravan and will make you an offer on it. To be very clear – you don't have to accept this offer. The caravan is yours and you can't be held to ransom by a park who are offering you a very small amount for it. 99.9% of parks won't try to pull the wool over your eyes – but we have encountered this in the past. If you've under any uncertainty about your options – fill in some details in our form and we'll get in touch to explain everything you need to know.

If a park makes you an offer for the holiday home you'll tend to find it's what's referred to as 'bottom book' price – meaning the lowest possible price based on industry guides. Don't be offended by this – parks need to make a profit to keep their gates open – it just means you might walk away a little disappointed.

Private sale on your park:

Customers often ask if they can sell their caravan privately, so it's worth understanding how this works in a little more detail.

You are entitled to sell your caravan to someone who plans on keeping the caravan on the park and using it in the same way you've been doing. The park will need to be involved with this as it means this new person is going to be responsible for the upkeep and running costs – as well as abiding by the park rules.

In our experience, selling to a new owner is the most time-consuming of the options; you'll need to advertise (often spending a lot of money to do so), make meeting arrangements, be willing to spend a lot of time showing people around – and that's before going back and forward signing and agreeing the relevant paperwork with your park. 

If you've got the patience, this can sometimes make you a little more than any other option – but it depends on the time of year and the demand for you park. We encourage people to put a value on their time when they're selling privately; advertising, taking a couple of days off work and paying for petrol costs backwards and forward can soon add up and make a dent in the price you're asking.

Holiday parks also tend to take a commission for selling your van too. Sometimes they'll refer to this as an 'admin' fee – but it's worth checking with them what this cost is upfront and whether it comes out of your money or the buyer's.

Word of warning!

Be a little careful allowing the park to show people around under the guise of helping you sell your static caravan. Showing people a private sale is a tried-and-tested way of then moving your potential customers into a van the park has for sale (and will make a profit selling). Always aim to show people around yourself.

To a caravan trader: 

If you sell your static holiday home to a caravan trader, you'll first have to track a few down! Traders tend to deal almost exclusively with park operators and buy holiday homes in bulk – however; they will occasionally work with individuals. When you've found a few traders, you'll need to be at the caravan so they come and look at it. They'll usually make you an offer there and then – but it's worth getting a few offers to make sure their price is fair. 

When you get a valuation from We Buy Every Caravan, we'll invite prices from over 50 different traders - saving you a lot of hassle!

Selling to We Buy Every Caravan:

The most common feedback we receive from customers is quite how simple we make the processing of selling your caravan! Simplicity means 'stress-free' – and that's what we aim for!

We take the leg-work out of the selling process for you. We work with a huge number of caravan traders and industry bodies to ensure you're getting the absolute best price in a time that suits you. 

Our experience is the sole reason we can do this for you. Over the lengthy time we've worked in the industry we've made connections with an unbelievable number of static caravan buyers and have bought and sold literally thousands of caravans – so we know who'll offer the highest prices and give the most reliable service to our valued customers. We're certain there's no better way to sell your static.

Why we offer the best service and prices

Unlike many other caravan buying companies, we strive to give you the highest price possible for your caravan. We do so because we've got a great reputation to uphold! We've considered the quickest, most efficient and reputable buying service in the UK – and that's because we focus on service instead of profit.

Rather than try to maximise income for ourselves – we realise that offering the best prices will win us customers who tell everyone they know about what a great service they've had! Ultimately, it's better for us to buy every static caravan possible than it is to take advantage and make a lot of money from people who are desperate to sell. 

Always sell safely

People sometimes think it's strange for us to suggest that they sell their caravan 'safely' – but there are shortcuts that can leave you exposed to issues. The biggest one relates to selling your caravan to a new private individual without the park knowing.

When parks take a commission or charge large fees for helping you to sell to a new owner who'll keep it on the site, it can be tempting to make an agreement with a potential buyer not to tell the park and minimise costs for everyone involved – and while this might look financially smart, it's actually a financial minefield.

The person who's bought has no legal liability for the caravan, meaning any costs that are incurred are payable by you. We've seen instances where this has happened – at first with no problems, but later a buyer has changed their mind and walked away from the caravan – leaving you still paying running costs and charges for something you don't own. Worst still, if they've incurred debts or taken money for holiday bookings – you can find yourself in trouble with the police.

Do static caravans hold their value?

There are plenty of people who'll moan a little about how much caravans depreciate - and while it's true to an extent, there's often a slight misunderstanding about how much a caravan is actually worth when the time comes to sell your static.

When you buy a static caravan on a holiday park, you're actually buying a package. The static itself is included in that, but so are your siting costs, site rent (usually for a year), safety checks, TV aerial, steps, cleaning - and so on.

In actual fact, the amount you pay just for the static caravan is often much less than the overall price - so if you had your caravan valued the day after you bought it, you'd probably be in for a shock. It's also worth remembering that holiday parks must make a profit too - after all, it's how they pay their team and run their facilities.

Of course, we know you didn't buy your caravan to make a profit, so you've hopefully had countless holidays and breaks in it - and that puts a different kind of value on your static caravan.

All-in-all, a static caravan loses value in a way that's similar to a car - but hopefully you've had plenty of value from it before the time comes to sell it. The great news is; we'll always do our best to make sure you get the maximum possible price from our huge network of traders and resellers.

Sell your static caravan with outstanding finance

In some cases, it's necessary for someone to sell their caravan before they've paid off the finance that was used to buy it.

This makes the process a little more complicated compared to selling a static caravan you own outright - but it's still possible.

You should talk to your holiday home finance company about what's involved. Generally, they will arrange with us or the trader that's buying your static to pay the loan off directly - before forwarding any money above-and-beyond the loan settlement amount to you.

It's against the law to sell a caravan with an outstanding finance agreement still attached to it if you have no made arrangements to settle that finance. Don't worry though, when you get a valuation; we'll explain all your options in more detail.

Doing it the right way

Whatever your situation, financial or otherwise – WeBuyAnyCaravan will do everything possible to make sure you walk away from the sale of your caravan happy! So, whether you're keen to sell your static right away – or want some advice – you can get in touch with us to make sure you're on the right path!

"I'm glad I chose We Buy Every Caravan to buy my static caravan, we'd been messed around by so many people who told us they were interested only to let us down. We contacted you and 2 days later we had money in our hand!"