Caravan ownership and NACO’s commitment to progress fair terms and confidence in ownership.
‘Holiday Pods’ and ‘Shepherd Huts’ have grown significantly in popularity over the past decade, providing an excellent short-break option across the UK.
I can recall back in the late 1970s and early 1980s when there was a small but steadily increasing demand for short-break accommodation.
Traditionally, caravan parks catered for the seven to fourteen-day holiday market. A week or a fortnight away with the family was very much the norm. Our own park on the Essex coastline at sunny St Osyth operated a large hire fleet, offering a variety of caravan and chalet accommodation on weekly and fortnightly bookings.
Gradually, enquiries began to emerge for weekend stays and short midweek breaks – particularly from couples and young families with small children. With this in mind, we designed a little gem called “The Kabina”, produced by ABI Caravans in Beverley, to their usual excellent standard. Measuring 6 metres by 3.5 metres, it offered:
🟩 A modern kitchen with fridge and gas cooking
🟩 A lounge diner with freestanding pine table and chairs
🟩 A divan settee converting into a double bed
🟩 A separate drop-down double bed
🟩 A full bathroom with sit-in bath and shower
🟩 French doors leading onto a spacious veranda
Below: The Kabina – ABI Caravans
It proved a great success, perfectly suited to short breaks – Friday to Monday or Tuesday to Friday.
Buying a static caravan or lodge remains a wonderful way to spend quality leisure time with the family from early spring through to the end of autumn each year. But it is important that you select the right park.
Investing in your leisure time by purchasing a second home in a seaside, riverside or countryside setting has brought enjoyment to countless families over the past seventy years. However, much has changed since those early days. It feels, in many ways, as though we have reached a crossroads.
Today’s holiday caravans and lodges offer all the comforts of home, and modern parks provide an impressive range of facilities – but this comes at a cost. Pound for pound, ownership is considerably more expensive than it was seventy years ago, or even thirty years ago.
If the cost of ownership is to be justified, the public rightly deserve to have their investment protected.
As an industry, we must collectively ensure a strong element of security for new customers, including:
🟩 A comprehensive Pitch Licence Agreement providing a meaningful period of tenure (typically 12 to 18 years)
🟩 Pitch fee reviews linked fairly to inflation
🟩 Full support when selling a caravan or lodge on the park under a clear Transfer Fee Agreement And much more.
Much work is now taking place behind the scenes.
Constructive conversations are ongoing across the sector, with a shared recognition that greater clarity, fairness and consistency are in everyone’s long-term interest. The focus is simple: to encourage a framework that is transparent, consumer-centric and commercially workable – balancing the legitimate interests of park operators with the reasonable expectations of holiday homeowners.
Progress of this nature takes time and careful consideration. But the direction of travel is clear.
NACO remains fully committed to supporting initiatives that promote fair terms, strengthen confidence and help secure a sustainable and trusted futurefor holiday home ownership.
