# buying a caravan on villamar



## shecker1979

Hi, hope every one had a good xmas. 
Me and my wife are thinking of buying one of the caravans on villamar, you know the touring caravans with the ownings fixed and tiled out with the nice kitchens in them etc, we have around £10,000 to spend and have looked at some rather nice well kitted out vans which we are interested in.
Anyway we are going to be using it as a holiday home for a year or so first but in the near future want to move into it full time, with our son who by then will be 5 years old ish. Hopefully by the time we are ready to move we might have established ourselves a little and have goten to know people who live there.

I run my own business in the uk which is doing well but the life style here is really starting to get us down and we want out. I run a mobile domestic appliance repair business, (I mend washing machines dishwashers etc) and would like to continue doing this on the costa blanca, mainly aiming my business at xpats living on these sort of sites in benidorm.
Please can you let me know your thoughts on living in one of these vans on a site like villamar with a 5 year old, and what you think of possibly providing my services to the residents.
Any infomation greatly appreciated.

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO YOU ALL.


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## jojo

My opinion would be that if you have work in the UK then dont leave! Spain is not in a good shape financially. There is no social security, if you dont have an income, you'lll be on your own. and I think you'll be up against an awful lot of competition. You wont be the only repair man in the area!

Before you do anything, make a few fact finding trips, come when the weather is cold, wet and windy (as it often is during the winter months), get a feel for work prospects and life before you make any sort of commitment. 

Jo xxx


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## mrypg9

Have you had experience of full-time living in a mobile home in one of those trailer parks?
I would think it's an acquired taste.
As Jo says, if you have a UK job, hold on to it. Many British immigrants are desperate to return to the UK.
There seems to be a surplus of people offering the kind of work you do in some areas.
Many people prefer to use local Spanish tradespeople as British workmen have a poor reputation in some quarters.
Spain is for holidays, really, unless you already have a reasonably paid job lined up or have a UK business you can run from here.


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## Alcalaina

I would suggest you use it as a holiday home and come over at all times of the year, before deciding whether it is a good idea to move permanently. It will probably keep its value, or you could even rent it out to friends maybe.

I suspect there may be laws about living in park homes all year round, as there are in England?


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## shecker1979

mrypg9 said:


> Have you had experience of full-time living in a mobile home in one of those trailer parks?
> I would think it's an acquired taste.
> As Jo says, if you have a UK job, hold on to it. Many British immigrants are desperate to return to the UK.
> There seems to be a surplus of people offering the kind of work you do in some areas.
> Many people prefer to use local Spanish tradespeople as British workmen have a poor reputation in some quarters.
> Spain is for holidays, really, unless you already have a reasonably paid job lined up or have a UK business you can run from here.


Thanks for your comments, I think there is a lot of odd job men out there at minute who might have a go, i am talking about having a van, probably my van that i own now equipped with all the spare parts i require and advertising by means of flyers and word of mouth, my van is all sighn written and looks very profesional, i think that over a period of time people will use me first and foremost.
I do have enough money to keep me and my family for a couple of years and we own our home outright in the uk, and it will rent out easily.
We are gunna give it a go, and we have stayed on villamar twice in the last few years for 3 weeks at a time and our son loved it, as well as both me and my partner, the life style is second to none, nothing can come close to coming home from work and lighting the bbq after a nice afternoon swim in the lovely large pool.

I may be dreaming but we are that fed up and bored all the time here that we would probably move to iraq at the minute just for a change!!!!

Cant wait, bring it on!!!


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## djfwells

IF you are fortunate enough to own your own home in the UK outright AND you are lucky enough to get a reliable tenant that will pay you a decent enough rate, then I would honestly suggest that you conside renting a house or apartment here instead.
For one, the renting option will allow you to change locations here in Spain if you find you prefer another area. It will also allow you to move back to the UK with more ease if you find you are not suited to life in Spain.
The community costs, fees and legalities surrounding living in such a dwelling are complex and shouldn't be taken lightly.


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## jojo

shecker1979 said:


> Thanks for your comments, I think there is a lot of odd job men out there at minute who might have a go, i am talking about having a van, probably my van that i own now equipped with all the spare parts i require and advertising by means of flyers and word of mouth, my van is all sighn written and looks very profesional, i think that over a period of time people will use me first and foremost.
> I do have enough money to keep me and my family for a couple of years and we own our home outright in the uk, and it will rent out easily.
> We are gunna give it a go, and we have stayed on villamar twice in the last few years for 3 weeks at a time and our son loved it, as well as both me and my partner, the life style is second to none, nothing can come close to coming home from work and lighting the bbq after a nice afternoon swim in the lovely large pool.
> 
> I may be dreaming but we are that fed up and bored all the time here that we would probably move to iraq at the minute just for a change!!!!
> 
> Cant wait, bring it on!!!


There is no point in telling you that day to day life is nothing like you describe. All I can say is that you must come over and do some research, especially regarding service engineers, not odd job men and dont burn your UK bridges

jo xxx


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## shecker1979

djfwells said:


> IF you are fortunate enough to own your own home in the UK outright AND you are lucky enough to get a reliable tenant that will pay you a decent enough rate, then I would honestly suggest that you conside renting a house or apartment here instead.
> For one, the renting option will allow you to change locations here in Spain if you find you prefer another area. It will also allow you to move back to the UK with more ease if you find you are not suited to life in Spain.
> The community costs, fees and legalities surrounding living in such a dwelling are complex and shouldn't be taken lightly.


Thank you for this advise, although i think that renting a house rather than staying on a site would leave us a little isolated, we want to be within a comunity with everything we need. We are wanting a caravan for the long term anyway and we know we like the costa blanca as we have been many times.


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## gus-lopez

shecker1979 said:


> Thanks for your comments, I think there is a lot of odd job men out there at minute who might have a go, i am talking about having a van, probably my van that i own now equipped with all the spare parts i require and advertising by means of flyers and word of mouth, my van is all sighn written and looks very profesional, i think that over a period of time people will use me first and foremost.


 Just a note that it's illegal to use a sign written,foreign registered vehicle to run a business in Spain . especially if you are living here.


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## djfwells

shecker1979 said:


> Thank you for this advise, although i think that renting a house rather than staying on a site would leave us a little isolated, we want to be within a comunity with everything we need. We are wanting a caravan for the long term anyway and we know we like the costa blanca as we have been many times.


Also, just to be certain - I'm not sure what type of caravan you have in mind, but if you are looking to permenantly site a UK regeistered Touring caravan, that will come with it's own set of problems ( Just Google 'importing a UK registered Caravan into Spain').
Similarly, there have been a number of recent reports of such caravan park owners charging an ever-escalating fee for services such as water & electricity, which the owner/tenents are having to pay due to the small print on any contract.
Please go into any agreement using you head - and take appropriate legal advise before you commit to anything - don't just jump in because it is the cheapest option. In the long run it could work out to be the most expensive one.


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## mrypg9

No one wants to burst your bubble and I can understand your reasons for wanting to leave the UK...but I can't see how you can make a living here or live as you described. The problems you will encounter with your sign-painted van and your UK caravan have been pointed out, as have the difficulties you will find work-wise. You will be in competition with many other Brits in the same line as you. Some will be so desperate for any income that they will work for a pittance.
If you are self-employed, you must pay a substantial monthly sum to cover health and other benefits for you and your family. I 'm sure you are intending to work legally and not 'on the black'. Many Brits do that but apart from it being illegal it is looked down on by all 'respectable' people.
Unemployment in Spain is currently around 20 percent, double that in some areas. Most people would think that any work going should go to Spanish people first.
Life here is not that much different from the UK. The cost of living is roughly the same and in winter it can be very cold and wet. It even snows in some areas! Many people work longer hours for less money.
If you were single I 'd say give it a go, although not with your UK caravan and painted van!
But now is not the time to move a family.
Those of us who are happily settled here are either in secure employment, are employed in the UK or have partners who are or are retired with adequate incomes.
You really need to come out and see for yourself how things are.


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## mrypg9

shecker1979 said:


> Thanks for your comments, I think there is a lot of odd job men out there at minute who might have a go, i am talking about having a van, probably my van that i own now equipped with all the spare parts i require and advertising by means of flyers and word of mouth, my van is all sighn written and looks very profesional, i think that over a period of time people will use me first and foremost.
> 
> QUOTE]
> 
> Why would they, though? There are many vans all over the place like yours although they are Spanish registered vehicles.
> I'm posting this as I have just seen a van on Spanish plates driving past my study window, neatly signpainted in English but advertising gardening services and pool maintenance.
> There are loads of such vehicles but sadly they are being undercut by people putting fliers on trees and lampposts!


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## jojo

I'm pretty sure that its illegal to run a commercial RHD vehicle in Spain! 

All I'll keep repeating is for the OP or anyone who is planning to come over here to work and live is to do their homework and research beforehand. Its not easy, there is mass unemployment, the cost of living is rising and it all needs careful planning. I personally wouldnt recommend anyone coming out and assuming that they will be able to simply pick up enough work to live on without looking at the amount of potential customers, the amount of competition, the availability of parts etc and the amount they would be able to charge. Having a sign written van, some flyers and assuming the only competition is odd job men, is not conducive to a successful start, with respect!

To get an idea of what it may be like, I would treat this enterprise as if it were Cornwall that you were planning to move to and work out how easy that would be - then factor in the different language, different work regulations and the different (non existent), social security safety net.

Jo xxx


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## shecker1979

gus-lopez said:


> Just a note that it's illegal to use a sign written,foreign registered vehicle to run a business in Spain . especially if you are living here.


Thanks for this advise, i did not know this, can i buy a spanish vehicle and have it sign written?


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## shecker1979

The caravans which we have been looking at are already sited and set up on the site by the owners, all we would have to pay is the fee for the caravan to the owner and a change over fee to the site owner, it is a bit of a rip off but what can you do?, then its a yearly rent of around £3500 plus water gas electricity etc, which is all on meters and payed to the relevant board. It is worth it for the life style.


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## jojo

shecker1979 said:


> The caravans which we have been looking at are already sited and set up on the site by the owners, all we would have to pay is the fee for the caravan to the owner and a change over fee to the site owner, it is a bit of a rip off but what can you do?, then its a yearly rent of around £3500 plus water gas electricity etc, which is all on meters and payed to the relevant board. It is worth it for the life style.


Apart from the sun and heat in the summer, the lifestyle will be the same as where you are now! You will have to work and work very hard in order to live and pay for any kind of lifestyle. As things are at the moment, you'll be working harder simply trying to find work!

For 3500€ a year you could rent an apartment with communal gardens and a pool without having to live in a caravan. I dont understand the selling and buying of caravans etc, but if it sounds like a rip off then it probably is. You certainly shouldnt do anything without a solicitor/abogado. There are a lot of desperate people over here who will do anything to release themselves from Spain.

I'm not trying to burst your bubble, but Spain is in a crisis, there is little work around for anyone. Before you start to do anything you really need to come over and have a proper look. See how much commercial vans are, cos I'm pretty sure they're more expensive than in the UK, how much to paintspray them (altho I think they go more for vinyl wrap here). You'd need to get your NIE number, you'd need to be an autonomo (self employed) which will mean you pay around 260€ a month tax regardless of whether you earn anything or not. Those are just a few things you would HAVE to do before you could really set up here. Then, as I pointed out before you need to assess the amount of work that you could realistically pick up, how much you could charge (probably less than half that you would charge in the UK), you'd need to source a supply of parts etc.. And then of course take into account the existing competition.

Its all doable, but it needs some proper planning and should be done before you commit to moving. A holiday caravan maybe fine for a holiday, but dont burn your UK bridges!!!!!!!!

Jo xxx


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## mrypg9

shecker1979 said:


> The caravans which we have been looking at are already sited and set up on the site by the owners, all we would have to pay is the fee for the caravan to the owner and a change over fee to the site owner, it is a bit of a rip off but what can you do?, then its a yearly rent of around £3500 plus water gas electricity etc, which is all on meters and payed to the relevant board. It is worth it for the life style.





The lifestyle?????
Living on a trailer park with loads of people around,mainly other Brits, little privacy,shared overcrowded swimming pool, noisy kids, much coming and going.....
I bet you have a better lifestyle in the UK.. Unless you are a real devotee of trailer life, surely a rented flat or house would be more suitable for long-term living for a family..
The only extra you'll get is a few months of sunshine but you will be working all hours -if you are lucky enough to get work -- so you won't have the time to enjoy it.
Have you spent extended periods of time in Spain? As other posters have told you, you need to see the reality.
Too many tv shows that make it seem so easy...
Not to mention shows like that gruesome 'Benidorm' which portray British immigrants to Spain as a bunch of idiotic chavs...


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## mrypg9

shecker1979 said:


> it is a bit of a rip off but what can you do.


Simple answer: don't do it.  Nothing is worth being ripped off for. There are a lot of dodgy people associated with these trailer parks, as you will see if you look through the posts on this site.
You can do Spain on the cheap, but don't be fooled into believing that your 'lifestyle' will be anything to write home about.
Jo is right, you can get a piso for a reasonable rent, although the amount will obviously vary according to the area.
I believe that as a general principle, rentals are cheaper the further north and further inland you go.
Nothing round vhere for 300 euros a month, sad to say.


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