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North Devon
Why choose to purchase a holiday home instead of a holiday property?
12/06/2024
From lazy days exploring the coast, to action-packed mornings of surfing and walking, owning a holiday home in North Devon is a dream come true. You might be wondering what type of holiday home to choose – a house? A cottage? A lodge? A caravan? When it comes to choosing a holiday home, we’re here to help. Here are four reasons why you should choose a caravan or lodge instead of a holiday property.
1. Care for the local community
Recent discussions around the ‘Airbnb effect’ suggest that an abundance of short-term rental properties are contributing to a shortage of housing, and an increase in rent prices (Arch Daily). This has caused worries around the possible gentrification of beloved areas in the UK, like Woolacombe, North Devon.
David Whitelock, Estate Agent from Sensible Move, shared his view:
“Here at Sensible Move, we are finding that the demand for second homes in North Devon has increased significantly, and this is affecting the local community.
A caravan-style holiday home or lodge can be a positive solution for the local community, as it provides an alternative to traditional second homes.”
With the increase of second homes in this area, it’s possible that tourism could be reduced to only certain times of the year, with the town becoming unusually quiet the rest of the time, ultimately resulting in a negative effect for the local economy.
Nevertheless, there are ways to own a holiday home that have minimal impact on the local community. Choosing to own a caravan or lodge at a holiday park such as Cleavewood allows you to enjoy flexible holidays throughout the 12-month season, without buying up potential residential homes in the local area.
As result, many local councils have already implemented a 100% council tax premium (double the standard rate). North Devon are set to implement this from April 2025.
2. Lower cost without compromise
Holiday caravans and lodges are often much more affordable than purchasing a traditional bricks-and-mortar holiday property – not just through the cost of the holiday home itself, but also saving on annual running costs:
- No stamp duty to pay
- No legal fees
- No solicitor involvement needed
- No council tax to pay
As an owner at Cleavewood Leisure Park, you will own the holiday home outright. There is then a licence agreement that accompanies the purchase, giving the owner the legal right to occupy their chosen plot.
All you pay each year is:
- Annual site fees of either £4,995 or £6,541 (depending on the size of the holiday home owned. Prices correct as of the 2024 season)
- Gas and Electric (all homes have individual meters)
- Holiday Home Insurance (we do insist all our owners have insurance)
Saving money doesn’t mean you have to compromise on quality or luxury, though. Our fantastic range of fully furnished holiday homes for sale at Cleavewood Leisure Park offer stylish and comfortable interiors, with plenty of storage and modern appliances.
Just take a look at this stunning lodge, part of our Grand range:
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2023 Swift Vendee | £94,995
- Country home style décor
- Two free standing sofas
- Log burner style fire
- Two spacious bedrooms
- Family shower room
- En-suite off the master
This is just one of the gorgeous holiday homes we have available, all with double glazing and central heating as standard. They also have spacious decking areas, meaning you don’t have to miss out on having an outdoor area to relax – plus, deckings are much easier to maintain than gardens!
The process of purchasing a holiday home is simple and relaxed. Our friendly and experienced team will help you every step of the way, with no solicitors or surveys slowing down the process. In fact, you could be moved into your holiday home within just 2 weeks of purchasing!* Plus, with flexible finance options^, you can spread the cost via an easy payment plan tailored to suit your needs.
3. Income tax and security
With the recent change in the FHL (furnished holiday letting) tax regime, hundreds of thousands of holiday property owners are now having to pay more tax on their rental income. Chancellor Jeremy Hunt’s decision to scrap the FHL regime was implemented with the intention of freeing up more properties for residential housing, by making the holiday home rental market less attractive to owners, many of which have been negatively impacted by these changes (The Guardian).
However, owning a caravan or lodge at a holiday park offers the option to earn through subletting your holiday home, without having to pay an extortionate amount of income tax. Plus, here at Cleavewood, we offer a fully managed and super flexible letting service
In essence, it’s a “key turn” service - as an owner, we would ask you to complete a date sheet at the beginning of each year to mark off the dates when you would like to make your holiday home available for hire, and then we do all the rest. This includes:
- Marketing
- Money handling
- Customer Service
- Pre-arrival calls
- Check ins
- Check outs
- Key handling
- House keeping
- Bed linen and towels hire and laundry
- A high level of maintenance whilst the home is signed over to our care
So, subletting a holiday home as opposed to renting out a private holiday property is not only more cost effective, but also comes with more security.
4. Enjoy the benefits of being an owner at a holiday park
Owning a caravan or lodge at a holiday park means you can be part of a lovely community of holiday home owners. Our friendly team often hosts exclusive owner events on a regular basis, such as charity open days with live music, delicious themed meals, and silent discos. Owners at a Verdant Leisure park have said ‘we’ve made a lot of good friends since we have been there - it is like a small close-knit community’.
Plus, as a holiday home owner, you can make the most of fantastic benefits such as 5% off food and drinks in our bars and restaurants, and discounts on local attractions:
- 25% off at The Big Sheep
- 10% off at Milky Way Adventure Park
- 10% off at Ilfracombe Sea Safari
- 10% off at Woolacombe Surf Centre
Holiday home ownership is all about freedom and flexibility, and the process should be as stress-free as possible. Choosing a caravan or lodge as opposed to a holiday house comes with many benefits that are important to consider before beginning your ownership journey.
Want to find out more? Click below to download a handy brochure full of helpful information. Alternatively, you can contact our friendly team by clicking here.
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*Move in date subject to stock and availability. ^Finance subject to status, terms and conditions apply. Over 18's only.
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Our friendly team are waiting to hear from you. Check out our office hours