7 static caravan tips for beginners

Whether you go for brand new or used, buying a static caravan is a big financial decision for you and your family.

Static caravans are not cheap to buy, and setting up as a beginner can be challenging. There’s lots to consider, and navigating life as a static caravan owner with so many unknowns at first can feel like you’re going down blind alleys to begin with.

However, if you’ve just bought your first static caravan—congratulations.

You’ve made the first step on a hugely exciting journey. But, like with anything, you need to know what you’re doing. Here are 7 static caravan tips for beginners.

Ensure safety requirements are met

Making sure your caravan is safe should be your number one priority.

Once the caravan is officially yours, one of your first tasks should be to obtain all the relevant gas and electricity safety certificates and organise regular inspections. This is also crucially important if you’re planning to rent or lease out your static to members of the public.

All gas appliances need to have been installed in line with the most up-to-date regulations, and you also need a fixed electrical installation certificate to prove your caravan is wired correctly. As a side note, any electrical appliances older than one year must be P.A.T tested every year.

If you have gas appliances in your static caravan, you must also, by law, have a working carbon monoxide detector—as well as at least one regularly tested fire and smoke alarm, and a copy of your park’s general fire risk assessment.

Related: A guide to gas and electricity regulations for static caravans

Get a fire extinguisher

Fire extinguishers are another important piece of safety equipment for your static caravan.

As always, prevention is better than cure—but accidents happen, and fire spreads quickly, so you must have safety gear to hand should you need it.

You should have at least one fire extinguisher in your static caravan, and it should be kept somewhere that’s easily accessible in emergencies.

The most suitable type of fire extinguisher for static caravans (or, indeed, tourers) is a water mist extinguisher. These are safe to use in confined spaces, leave no residue, and can be used on electrical fires, too.

It’s also a good idea to keep some fire blankets in your caravan’s kitchen area, as these can calm minor fires caused by hot fats and oils during cooking. And, of course, as we mentioned earlier—you also must have a smoke alarm fitted.

Get to know your park and the people

Just like it’s good to know your neighbours at home, it’s good to befriend your fellow static caravanners, too.

Static caravan parks should be friendly, welcoming spaces with a good sense of community spirit, so make an effort to get to know the people around you when you first arrive. Not only is knowing your park neighbours beneficial from a social point of view, but it’s also good for caravan security.

Having friends on-site to check in with occasionally will also help bring you peace of mind that your caravan is safe and secure even when you aren’t there.

Check the park security

You probably already did this when you first scouted out the site as a prospective buyer. However, that could well be a while ago now, so you should get properly clued up on your park’s security now that things are official.

Write a list of any questions you have regarding site security, and make sure you ask the relevant people sooner rather than later. For example:

• Is there 24/7 security staff?
• What provisions are in place for when the park is closed outside of the season?
• Who has access to the site, and what ID is required for entry?

Knowing the answers to these kind of questions will again help keep you reassured that your static caravan is in safe hands and not at risk while you’re not there.

Familiarise yourself with site fees

Two words a caravan owner never likes to hear or be reminded of—site fees. We’re sorry, but they’re an unavoidable part of caravan life.

Your site fees are owed (usually annually) to the holiday park your static is based and are used to cover the cost of things like maintenance, facility use, and security throughout the year.

However, make sure you read ALL the small print and familiarise yourself with everything to begin with. This will make organising your finances a lot easier moving forward.

Related: Guide to static caravan pitch fees

Don't neglect the chassis

You may not realise it, but the chassis is one of the most important parts of a static caravan. The chassis supports the weight of the entire caravan structure, so it’s hardly surprising it needs to be well looked after.

If your static is brand new, you can probably get away with just giving it an annual clean for the first couple of years, but your chassis will need more TLC as the years go on.

There are various types of caravan chassis—painted, part-galvanised and fully-galvanised. Whichever category yours falls into will determine how susceptible it is to things like rust and corrosion and will therefore inform your maintenance routine and how often it’ll need to be looked at.

It’s worth double-checking what type of chassis your caravan sits on.

Related: Maintaining your static caravan frame

Prepare for winter well in advance

Most caravanners get the most use out of their caravan during the summer, but the winter is an equally as important time. Though you may not actually use your static in the winter months, you still need to prepare it for the prospect of standing empty for several months on end.

How you do this ultimately depends on the size of your caravan and what’s inside it, but winterising usually entails things like:

• giving the insides a thorough clean
• getting rid of food
• turning off the water supply
• draining down the pipes
• placing dehumidifiers in each room

Note—this is by no means a full list, but it should give you a basic idea of the kind of things you’ll need to be thinking about in advance of winter. It’ll come around before you know it.

Related: The complete guide to winterising your caravan

Specialist static caravan insurance with Ripe Caravans

Setting up your static caravan as a beginner can be challenging, but protecting yourself and your caravan should be non-negotiable. That’s why you might want to consider investing in insurance.

With Ripe, specialist static caravan insurance covers your caravan up to £175,000 to give you peace of mind should the worst happen.

Your caravan will be protected against damage caused by fire, lightning, storm, flooding, frost, and theft. Both accidental and malicious damage are covered too.

We also provide Public Liability cover and offer optional extras when you customise your quote online. Find out more and get an online quote in minutes today.