Can I hire out my static caravan?

It’s essential to do some research to understand the holiday let market before you hire your caravan out. The static caravan rental market is, generally, a later booking market than other types of private holiday lets, and peak periods such as school holidays and bank holidays tend to be the most popular time for rentals. Think about who your caravan would most appeal to and when they are likely to want to travel. Static caravans on holiday parks are popular with families who enjoy extra amenities such as a swimming pool and play areas, while older travellers or those on an outdoor adventure holiday may prefer to book a caravan on private land for a quieter retreat.

Think about how to make your caravan stand out compared to others on the market. If it’s near a stand-out local attraction, talk about this in any marketing material. Similarly, if it has anything over and above what other similar caravans have – such as a hot tub or high-spec interiors, talk about these. And, to attract repeat customers, consider adding personal touches such as a thoughtful welcome pack or extras such as beach equipment to make your guests’ holidays feel special.

Pricing is a key factor with private caravan lets. If your caravan is on a holiday park, customers are likely to be looking for competitive pricing compared with booking with the park directly. If you are renting a caravan out on private land, research prices for similar lets in the same area, considering anything extra you or they add, such as a convenient location for amenities or a particularly beautiful view.

To ensure that your guests have an enjoyable experience while hiring your caravan and hopefully become regular customers, there are several things that you’ll need to do to prepare your caravan for rental. Your static caravan needs to be clean and tidy, ready for every arrival, and you’ll need all of the basics that guests will expect in a holiday rental, including good quality towels and linen, a well-equipped kitchen and cleaning products. A welcome pack with information about local amenities, attractions and places to eat, plus a treat or two, such as a cake or a bottle of wine, will make an excellent first impression and make guests feel special.

Make sure that your pre-arrival, check-in, and check-out procedures are hassle-free. If you’d like to impress guests and make them feel at home, you could add some thoughtful extras such as bodyboards if you’re near a beach, board games for rainy days, and binoculars if you’re in a good spot for birdwatching.

Booking regular safety checks and maintenance sessions is also essential to keeping guests safe, ensuring everything is working before each visit, and maintaining the standard and value of your static caravan.

If you’re hiring out a caravan on a holiday park, your first step should be to find out whether it allows you to hire your caravan out – and, if so, whether you can do this privately or it needs to be done through the park itself. Consider the logistics of renting your caravan out, who will clean it between rentals, how you will manage handovers, and how much your running costs will be compared to how much you can charge. You’ll have to make changes to your caravan to hire it out, such as any cosmetic upgrades needed, gas and electricity safety checks, smoke alarms, carbon monoxide alarms, etc.

If the thought of some initial hard work and regular maintenance doesn’t put you off, and this is outweighed by the potential to make some extra money and help other people enjoy the relaxing location of your caravan, rental could be a good option.

How and where you market your static caravan will dictate the number of guests you attract. Looking at some dedicated caravan-letting sites is an excellent place to start when considering advertising your caravan for hire. If you use UKcaravans4hire as an example, your caravan will be on a site with more than three million visitors a year and a customer database of more than 200,000 subscribers. To compare sites, look at how they make their money, plus any fees. There are no subscription fees to use UKcaravans4hire – we only get paid when you do on a commission basis.

With any listing, photographs will be a crucial part of attracting customers, so use attractive exterior shots showing off any decking or fantastic views of the caravan. Customers will want to see the living and bedroom areas for internal shots, but make sure the shots of these show a minimalist, tidy and inviting space. In your descriptions, highlight your caravan’s unique selling points, whether this is its proximity to a beautiful beach, excellent holiday park facilities or the fact that it’s a walk away from an award-winning pub.

Whether you’re about to buy your first static caravan or have owned one for years, it’s essential to do your research and allow time to prepare your caravan before you start to hire it out. An excellent place to begin your research, ask questions and list your caravan for rental is UKcaravans4hire.

Buying a static caravan is not an investment in the same way as buying a house or a piece of art, as it will depreciate in value over time rather than increase. But it will provide you with your own holiday home that you can visit as often as you like, saving you money on regular getaways. Renting it out privately will also help you cover your costs. 

Whether letting out your caravan will cover your running costs will depend on several factors, including how often you let it out, how much your site and maintenance fees are, and your running costs, including utility bills, insurance, and any business rates. To work out whether your running costs will be covered, do your calculations based on what you could earn through letting your caravan out compared to your outgoings.