Queensberry Bay Holiday Park, Powfoot, Annan, Dumfriesshire DG12 5PN, Scotland [MAP]

Holiday Home Sales - FAQs

Questions about static Caravans and Lodges for sale at Queensberry Bay

The team have listed here the questions we’re asked most frequently about static caravans and lodges for sale (and given our answers of course) ...

What is your open season?
Can I live in my van?
Can I bring on my own static?
Can I have deck?
Can I bring my pet?
Can I rent out my van?
Can my family and friends use the van?
What's a licence agreement?
What are the annual running costs of a static?
How long can my van stay on the park?

1. What is your open season?

Mick says: Caravan sales - at last – something I can answer a question on! I was beginning to feel like I wasn't a part of the team. All these meetings to discuss websites with cakes and tea and I wasn't even invited.

Pam says: Hi Mick!

Mick says: Hiya! Good to be back. Welcome home and all that!

Pam says: So – what's our open season, Mick?

Mick says: Open season. Hang on a minute – I know that one . . .

Lauren says: For owners it's 11 months, from 31 December to 30 November. We’re shut for the whole of December – and we don't start letting or touring until February. So it’s only the owners who can use the park in January.

Mick says: So we don't do letting in January then?

Joanne says: Have you read our rules yet Mick?

Mick says: Ah well – you see I've misplaced my reading specs. Is there any cake left?

back to questions about holiday home sales ^

2. Can I live in my van?

Cathy says: Sadly no. There are 2 types of park – a holiday park and another one . . . do you know, since I did that massage course and learned about relaxation I feel like I’m on a different plane half the time.

Mick says: I often feel like that, Cathy.

Pam says: ... the other one's a residential park Cathy.

Cathy says: That’s right! A holiday park and a residential park. We're a holiday park.

Joanne says: And the difference is . . .??

Lauren says: A residential park’s another name for a housing scheme, although the houses are normally mobile homes. We‘re a holiday park – and we’re not allowed to operate as anything else.

Nicola says: Don't we have to be sure that our owners are only using the park for holidays, not for work or for living here - and that they pay council tax somewhere?

Mick says: That's right. It’s on the checklist Joanne gave me. I have checklists for everything you know – Joanne’s a stickler for her checklists. I even have one for logging out of the computer at night. I’m just waiting for one to go to the loo ...

Joanne says: That's in the 2012 checklist pack, Mick.

Mick says: Ah – I rather thought it might be . . . Tea, anyone? Do I have a checklist for that?

Joanne says: Not yet, Mick

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3. Can i bring on my own static?

Nicola says: I'm never too sure on this one. We used to say yes and then for some reason we stopped taking statics from other parks.

Joanne says: We stopped taking them because we got "bitten on the bum" as our Cathy calls it. We used to take people at face value. They wanted to move parks for this reason or that reason. And we accepted that. Then we had one unit that turned out to be an HP repossession that the owners were trying to hide. And another only wanted to come here because they’d been put off another park for anti-social behaviour – and before we knew it we were in danger of becoming the dumping ground of problem statics! So we stopped taking them.

Mick says: But then I came up with the perfect solution. Me. All alone. That's without a checklist, Joanne ... So we do now accept statics from other parks – but there's a charge involved. The charge depends on the static size and the pitch in question. So if you want to bring on your own static give me a ring and I'll go through the options with you. Over a nice cup of tea.

Pam says: Crikey Mick – who shook your cage?

Mick says: That's the difference a nice cup of tea can make. Tea, anyone?

Cathy says: You'd better make mine a large one!

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4. can I have deck?

Mick says: I think you'll find this one's for me too. Before I joined the team John and Joanne had rules about the size and appearance of decks to comply with planning requirements. I say "John and Joanne" – you know it's Joanne who writes all those rules. Pages of the things. In small print too. And then expects everyone to read them.

Joanne says: I am here you know, Mick.

Mick says: I know. I can feel the chill in the air. Anyway, even though they had rules on it, they still got no end of grief from owners wanting to build their deck at weekends, or at night – or in a different colour or out of pallets – etc. etc. So I told them to do what other parks do. Restrict who can build decks. That's without a checklist, Joanne by the way. So now you can have a deck but it has to be built and provided by Queensberry Bay. End of.

Joanne says: Thanks for that Mick – things weren't quite that bad – but in essence you were right.

Mick says: I'm sorry – I didn't hear that.

Joanne says: I said, in essence you were right but ...

Mick says: Aah – come and have a group hug!

Joanne says: Gerroff! We thought we were being fairer for owners by letting them have the choice - but the end result was just more grief for our owners and for us. And Mick’s idea means we know the work will be done to our spec and plan, and we know the product will be right. We know the site will be cleared afterwards and – crucially – we know that there won’t be any hammering or drilling or sawing at weekends or at night!

Lauren says: Should we also mention that not every pitch can have the same size deck?

Joanne says: That's true Lauren – we've got into trouble before with planners on this one so now it’s done by the book. Statics in rows 3 and 5 can have side or front decks. Rows 1, 2 and 4 can only have side decks. It’s to do with the road layout.

Pauline says: I remember one couple who really did build their deck out of pallets – it were a right mess! They reckoned it was "environmentally sound". It fell apart that first winter. Weren't sound at all.

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5. can i bring my pet?

Cathy says: Oh – I'm not repeating myself again. Follow this link to see our policy on pets in general.

Joanne says: It is different though for owners and for visitors.

Cathy says: I know - why is that?

Joanne says: Because our owners formally sign up to our rules in their licence agreements and know what standard of behaviour is required – from them and their pets.

Lauren says: But visitors sign our terms and conditions too don't they?

Joanne says: They do – but it’s a shortened version ...

Mick says: You can say that again.

Joanne says: It's a shortened version and human nature being what it is, a visitor who doesn't "get" or like what we are won’t bother about our rules. Our owners on the other hand have bought into what we are. Literally.

Nicola says: So the limit of 2 pets on visitors doesn't apply to owners?

Joanne says: No – but the rules about behaviour, noise, clearing up and so on do apply in full. So if you’re a static or lodge owner with three well behaved Labradors and comply with the rules, the number of pets is not an issue.

back to questions about holiday home sales ^

6. can i rent out my van?

Nicola says: No. We don't allow subletting. Not sure why though ...

Joanne says:There are very few parks that do offer subletting – our nearest is Southerness (see their web site) - and where parks do offer it, the owner’s van is normally one of a few hundred that are available on the fleet to let. It’s normally the huge national parks that offer this.

Cathy says: How does that work then?

Joanne says: The van owner generally can only let the unit via the park. The van's run as if it were owned by the park – the park cleans it, reports any damage, (although the owner’s responsible for repair and replacement), takes the bookings etc. - and at the end of the day the owner receives a percentage of the income after running costs and management charges.

Cathy says: Is it worth doing?

Joanne says: It is for the park – they end up with a fleet of hundreds of vans that they haven't had to buy. Admittedly they have to pay out commission to the van owner – but that’s a small price to pay when you don’t also have to pay for repairs, insurance, heat and light etc. etc.

Lauren says: So why would someone want to sublet?

Cathy says: I wouldn't if it were my van – strangers in the beds all the time. And what happens if you want to use the van yourself?

Joanne says: Typically you would book off the weeks you wanted at the start of the year.

Cathy says: That's awful!

Joanne says: Not if, say, you live a long way away and know you won’t be using the unit every weekend. Or if you buy the unit because it’s a great deal but know you won’t be able to use it for a couple of years until you retire – so this would at least cover your site fees until then.

Cathy says: Would you do it?

Joanne says: Perhaps the best person to ask would be Pam ...

Pam says: No I would not do it. I've seen the damage that letting guests can cause. I know accidents happen – but honestly! If I could afford a static van I certainly wouldn't want strangers in it.

Joanne says: It's a very personal thing of course. The other point to note is that our letting is to a very high standard. We wouldn't consider taking a pre-owned unit onto the fleet. So ... subletting is something we do look at from time to time because it would keep our ownership costs low for letting – but it would be very strictly controlled for the sake of our other owners and would only apply to new vans and only then for a maximum of 2 years – so you would have to upgrade every couple of years.

Mick says: So can I tell people we allow subletting?

Joanne says: No – you can tell them, if they're looking at buying a new van – that we would be happy to talk it through with them. We wouldn't look at subletting in any form for pre-owned vans.

Cathy says: Why is that?

Joanne says: Because we have to keep our standards high. At the end of the day the letting guest has no idea they're in an owner’s van – they think they're in one of ours – and that's a pretty high standard to meet.

back to questions about holiday home sales ^

7. can my family and friends use the van?

Nicola says: I know this one – yes they can, so long as they check in and out at reception like normal guests.

Lauren says: It's a bit more complicated than that though – our licence agreements say "occasional" use of the unit. You can't just have a different person there every week. That will really annoy your neighbours!

Cathy says: Too right – and the first thing they say is "We think Fred's subletting" and the next thing is you get a letter from us asking you to cut back on visitor numbers if you want to stay on the park. I've seen that letter – you really don't want one of them.

Mick says: Is it a long letter by any chance? Lots of words?

Joanne says: So what’s the answer?

Mick says: Cut down on some of the words – abbreviate the thing.

Joanne says: No – I meant – what's the answer to the family and friends use?

Lauren says: Yes – they can, so long as they check in and out at reception and so long as their use is "occasional", so long as they’re abiding by our rules and not annoying your neighbours and so long as you've not been paid for the stay.

Cathy says: Checking in and out is really important – we need to know who's on our park. Especially at night when I’m on duty. If I see a car I don't recognise at a van I turn off the key fob. That normally brings them into reception quick enough!

back to questions about holiday home sales ^

8. What's a licence agreement?

Mick says: My turn! It’s the agreement that a new owner signs with the park. It's a form of contract – it is in fact a legal document – I was a policeman you know so I know a legal document when I see one - and it sets out the rights and obligations of both parties.

Joanne says: Everything we do is in accordance with British Home and Holiday Parks Association (BH&HPA) and our licence agreements are comprehensive.

Mick says: Now why doesn't that surprise me ...

Joanne says: I would far rather have too many words, Mick, than have someone commit to buy a static unit and not fully understand what that involves.

Mick says: I do agree – it's just that sometimes "less is more" – isn't that what John said?

Joanne says: I think John was referring to my cooking at the time ...

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9. What are the annual running costs of a static?

Cathy says: This is a favourite – "how much will my static cost me?" That’s like asking how much it costs to run "a car". You need to know all sorts of things – fuel type, miles per gallon, traffic use, insurance band.

Joanne says: That's true Cathy – except that static caravans tend to be – well – static, and don’t have a rated mpg.

Cathy says: You know what I mean – it depends.

Joanne says: It does – on things like the winterisation pack you have, the level and type of use, what sort of heating you have, whether the unit’s double glazed, your own opinion of "how hot is hot" and so on and so on. We do try to answer this though – and in our schedule of annual charges we try to quantify the sort of ongoing costs you'll face.

But at the end of the day many of these costs can be avoided – you don’t need to pay us to wash your van for example if you do it yourself by Easter of the year. You don’t need to pay reminder charges if you answer our letters promptly and provide the information we've requested. Believe you me, we wouldn't be asking for information if we didn't need it!

Pauline says: My Jim and I are always falling out about heating. I turn it on, he turns it off. But we've come to a compromise.

Cathy says: What's that?

Pauline says: I've super glued the control.

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10. how long can my van stay on the park?

Mick says: You'll find this in your licence agreement. It's one of the most important things in there. Amongst all the words.

Joanne says: Every park has an age limit of some sort. This is because – like a car – a caravan has fixed life. You don’t buy a new car and expect it last for 20 years. Not normally anyway - and not if you use it often.

Cathy says: Is it right that "they don't make vans like they used to"?

Joanne says:Absolutely – John's always moaning about that. It’s an issue even when they're siting – the poorer the build quality the harder it is to site properly because everything flexes.

Lauren says: What is the expected life of a caravan these days?

Joanne says: In our Cathy’s words – "it depends"!

Mick says: Generally though the manufacturers are looking at 10 – 15 years for a static caravan. Longer for a purpose built lodge.

Joanne says: That's right – and our standard licence agreements are 15 years to reflect that. But on our front pitches it's 10 years.

Nicola says: Why is it less on the front?

Joanne says: Because our front row is our grand entrance or showcase if you like – it's the bit that everyone sees as they come onto the park. A grocer always puts his best fruit and veg at the front of the shop window!

Mick says: So are we selling fruit and veg now?

Cathy says: Keep up Mick – it was an ana. An ani. It was a comparison.

Lauren says: So when does the licence period begin – 15 years from when?

Joanne says: From the date of manufacture. In practice we run our licences from the build year to 31 December of the relevant year after that. So - on our front row a 2003 built unit would have until 31 December 2013. On our main park a 2003 unit would have until 31 December 2018.

Nicola says: Is it the same on all parks?

Joanne says: No – and anyone looking at buying a static should check this first of all. I can’t stress this enough – do not buy until you have all the facts you need!

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If you have any more queries about our Holiday Home sales, please call Mick on 01461 700368 or book an appointment (via BookFresh)