Owning a lodge at Chivenor, in plain English
- Pitch fee
- £400 a monthincluding VAT, £4,800 a year
- Licence
- 99 yearsA 99-year licence agreement
- Season
- 11 months1 March to 31 January; closed in February
- Deposit
- £2,000To reserve; non-refundable after 14 days
Costs
Every cost
- Pitch fee
- £400 a month
- What you pay the park to keep your lodge on its plot (the park calls the plot a pitch), including VAT, so £4,800 a year. It goes up each year in line with CPI inflation. It covers the park's standard services; rates, bottled gas, water and electricity are extra.
- Deposit to reserve
- £2,000
- Becomes non-refundable after 14 days. Ask Alex for the written reservation terms before you pay.
- Licence
- 99 years
- No age rule for lodges. Ask for the licence agreement and park rules before you reserve. They set out what happens at the end of the term.
- Season
- 1 March to 31 January
- Closed in February.
- Resale commission
- In your licence agreement
- Paid to the park when a sale completes. Ask Alex for the figure before you reserve.
- Other running costs
- From £229 a month
- Rates about £200 a month and Wi-Fi £29 a month. Electricity, water and bottled gas depend on use; insurance is through Leisuredays. Estimate them
The licence
What a 99-year licence means
You own the lodge, not the land. The licence agreement, with a 99-year term, gives you the right to keep your lodge on its pitch while you keep to the agreement and pay the pitch fee. There is no age rule for lodges on the park.
Read it before you reserve. Ask for the licence agreement and park rules before you reserve. They set out what happens at the end of the term.
Why it matters. Licence lengths vary a lot from park to park, so compare them when you look around, and ask each park what happens at the end of the term.
The rules
Holiday use, the season and selling
Bought to enjoy. A holiday lodge is something you buy to enjoy, not to make money. Like a car, it usually loses value over time, most of all in the first few years. Please buy one because you will love using it.
- Can I live there?
No. Chivenor Park is for holidays, so your lodge cannot be your main home. You need a main home elsewhere, in the UK or abroad, and the park may ask to see proof of it.
Within the season, there is no limit on how often you come or how long you stay on holiday.
- Will my lodge make money or hold its value?
Please do not buy one to make money. A holiday lodge is something you buy to enjoy. Like a car, it usually loses value over time, most of all in the first few years. You may let it through Sykes, but any letting income depends on bookings and is never guaranteed.
- How long is the licence, and what happens at the end?
Every new lodge comes with a 99-year licence agreement. It lets you keep your lodge on its pitch while you keep to the agreement and pay the pitch fee.
There is no age rule for lodges on the park. Ask for the licence agreement and park rules before you reserve. They set out what happens at the end of the term.
- Can I sell my lodge, and what does the park charge?
Yes. Tell the park when you decide to sell. When the sale completes, the park charges a resale commission, as set out in your licence agreement.
Ask Alex for the figure before you reserve.
- Can I let my lodge when I'm not using it?
Yes. You let it through Sykes Holiday Cottages, who handle the bookings. Sykes charge 18% to 22% commission, depending on how much you use the lodge yourself, plus cleaning.
Any income depends on bookings and is never guaranteed, and the lodge stays a holiday home: you still need a main home elsewhere. Ask Alex about any park conditions.
- Is there finance or part-exchange?
- No. The park does not offer finance or part-exchange.
Come and stand on the plot
Photos only go so far. Walk the lane, step inside the lodges and ask Alex anything. Viewings are free.