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13/2/2025 at 12:35pm
Location: Lancashire
Outfit: Leisuredrive VW T6 campervan
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Have a look in the free ads on this site for jobs available, and you can post your own ad too.
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13/2/2025 at 4:01pm
Location: London
Outfit: Lunar Cosmos 524
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Permanent siting is a query that comes up a few times each year, probably worth reading previous posts on the topic (use the search button at head of page).
It's no where as easy to permanently site and live in a touring caravan as you may think! In fact almost everything is geared to prevent it!
Normal holiday/touring caravan sites are prohibited by laws/local licensing authority from having residential living, it's usual to be limited to 21/28 days consecutive occupancy before vacating the site for at least 1 day before return possible! Some sites turn a blind eye, but at risk of being caught out, and putting their license to operate at jeopardy, and of course the 'resident' being forced to move on.
Static mobile home type sites that are more commonly used for residential stays, generally will not accept a touring van on site.
Sited vans on private land, are an option, BUT there are a host of laws and restrictions covering what is allowed, probably most are not strictly legal, but if not drawing attention to themselves, they can get away with it.
People do do it, so it's possible! Perhaps questionable how legit it all is, but it's done. Has to be said, most seem to only do it for a year or so whilst traditional housing is being sorted in some way or other.
Apart from the problems of actually siting the van, is the question of a registered address for umpteen different forms of officialdom! You'll need a bricks and mortar permanent address for all sorts of things, pensions, insurance, NHS, electoral register, etc. etc. People use friends or family addresses usually, but you'll need something! If that technically changes their single occupancy discount on council tax, then that's an extra expense!
Usual for someone who's actually done it to post and give some first hand insight.
One thing that always comes to my mind, if your tenure is 'suspect' and you risk being moved on, and probably at fairly short notice, you need to maintain your tourer in roadworthy condition, good tyres, working brakes etc., so that it remains truly mobile and road legal, otherwise it would seem you must be prepared for it to be disposed of as scrap if not fit for the road!
Good luck.
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13/2/2025 at 6:07pm
Location: None Entered
Outfit: residential park home
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I would look at as many other options as possible before considering using a touring or holiday van of any description as your permanent retirement home.
You will probably not get any suggestions for sites,simply because no touring sites can (legally) allow permanent residential use - so nobody knows about them.
You can probably find a site that will pretend they don't know you are living there, but you have to be prepared to move your van and yourself at possibly short notice (and that is assuming that you find a site that is open for 12 months - most close in the winter).
The residential restriction would probably not apply for site workers, but this type of work is usually seasonal and the assumption will be that you have a "proper" home to return to out of season - plus, most sites want/need live-in workers to have specific skills in things such as plumbing, electrical etc.
As already said, it IS possible - but you have to consider all sorts of contigency plans.
I suggest carrying out a Google (or other) search with the terms "living in a touring van" and also "living in a motorhome" to find others who have done/are doing this for suggestions, tips and advice (be warned, many of them will be in America, Canada or Australia, so you'll have to do some sifting).
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Don't forget to leave a review of the campsites you have visited this year or last!
13/2/2025 at 10:00pm
Location: Llanidloes Powys
Outfit: Skoda Yeti SEL4x4 +Bailey Ranger 460-4
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Quote: Originally posted by Manners54 on 13/2/2025
Also I have to say I'm too proud an Englishman to ask for help from the government when there are many worse off than I.
I'm going to be harsh, but forget your misplaced pride and claim what you are entitled to!
You've paid all your life so that is your entitlement.
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14/2/2025 at 7:19am
Location: Worcestershire
Outfit: Buccaneer Cruiser
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The issue here is addresses for insurance, driving licence, car registration, doctor surgeries etc. Secondly if you become ill for whatever reason and require to move back under brick & tile you go to the back of the queue for housing. I would not consider it at age 71.
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14/2/2025 at 8:31am
Location: None Entered
Outfit: residential park home
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I take it that you have researched other areas of the country (including places you have never been) to find out what is available to rent, as there may be affordable options elsewhere?
There are a few (not many) residential park home sites that rent residential park homes, which may be less than bricks&mortar.
This will save the problem of an address, as you would have a postal address, and pay council tax.
Park homes rented for residential (not holiday) use come under the standard Housing Act, not the Mobile Homes Act, so little difference to renting anything else.
If you have not already done so, then change everything possible to email/online communication rather than postal copies. Make sure to use a transferable email address (yahoo, gmail,hotmail etc) rather than the one given by your current internet provider.
If you do continue with the touring van idea, You will still need to consider an address - one to receive post, such as bank cards and driving licence, which can probably be a "care of" address, and one that you will use as your "home" address for questions such as "where is the vehicle normally kept overnight?" Some bodies expect an address that is yours, some simply need an address where you can be contacted.
Giving a false address for insurance or legal purposes would probably be regarded as fraud.
A few holiday/touring sites may allow post to be delivered to the office; the majority will not.
I suggested researching "full time motorhoming" because the advice they give is very frequently applicable to caravans.
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14/2/2025 at 1:30pm
Location: East Herts
Outfit: 1992 Elddis Wisp 450CT + X Trail
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Most has already been said, but one thing I will add is that if you opt for a touring caravan of any description you will need something capable of towing it too, as you may be required to move it at a moment's notice. An American style caravan will need a big powerful vehicle to shift it.
As for the financial side of it, a week on a cheap touring site costs at least as much as a week's rent on our 3 bedroom housing association house, and that's not at a site's peak season rates.
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Best Regards,
Colin
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Topic: Permanent Site
via mobile 13/2/2025 at 5:20pm
