Can a mobile home pay its way?

[AussieGuy]

Hi, just wondering if it would be unreasonable to expect a mobile home in a park to cover its own fees etc through rental?

[Pickles]

A word of warning: be VERY careful about buying mobile homes: there have been (and I believe that there still are) problems where people have bought mobile homes on sites in France (the cases I came across were in the South) and have been very badly treated by the site owner, with the result that costs were higher than they should be, the owners came under pressure to buy newer mobile homes after only 4 or 5 years, extra charges were introduced for lettings etc. A minefield.

[woolybanana]

I must echo what Pickles has written. There have been similar problems in this area leading to action in court against site owners.

[EuroTrash]

I think it's normal to have to keep upgrading and it is often written into the contract. Some site owners don't want older mobilhomes on their site, it 'lowers the tone'.

Other sites don't bother but then they tend to look more run down so you couldn't charge the same kind of rental.

[Pickles]

[quote user="EuroTrash"]I think it's normal to have to keep upgrading and it is often written into the contract. Some site owners don't want older mobilhomes on their site, it 'lowers the tone'.

Other sites don't bother but then they tend to look more run down so you couldn't charge the same kind of rental.[/quote]

True, but many buyers don't realise this. If you have to keep upgrading, you need to be careful about restrictions as to who you can buy from, who can move it, etc - and of course the price to upgrade may be inflated. The cases that I read about, however, go FAR beyond this, way beyond anything that could be called "normal". If you are seriously considering this, do an internet search for French websites, using French terms, including the name of the operator/owner and words like "probleme", "plaint", "arnaque" etc.

[Sprogster]

In the local paper back in the C.I. you get a lot of private for sale adverts for French mobile homes at knock down prices, that have been bought as second homes in France, that the owners are now desperate to sell. I get the impression that they are a depreciable asset like a boat or caravan, so you are very unlikely to get your money back when you come to sell.

If you are looking a buy a holiday home and the finances only add up if the costs can be covered by renting, it is probably not a sensible thing to do, as there are too many variables you cannot control or influence.

[nomoss]

We have french friends who bought a mobile home on a site, and found out some time later that the site was illegal.

 

 

[PaulT]

If you are going to buy a mobile home only do it if you own a piece of land on which you can put it legally.

 

[AussieGuy]

I was thinking of   a registered holiday park such as Siblu etc where they offer to manage the rentals for you in your absence. If I thought that it would cover the annual fees it might be a goer.

[AussieGuy]

OK...sounds better to use that money toward a holiday home instead....albeit a cheap one!

[Frederick]

Initial cost ....site fees.. service costs  on gas / electricity  and repairs ....huge depreciation on   initial cost over  say  5 years ... 

Then there is income only  during the summer months when the site owners will want it and pay you a percentage that might cover the site fees.

Expect it to get knocked about by families who rent it .

 How many weeks do you intend to spend in it say over 5 years  ?  Divide that with the  expected outgoing of purchase depreciation fees etc . Would it be cheaper to hire a Gite for your holidays ?

[SC]

Here in Brittany, a "south of France" company bought a very nice locally owned site on the coast and shortly afterwards asked for the next ten years' rent from all tenants. Those that couldn't or didn't pay up or make new arrangements before the deadline had their mobile homes towed out and left on the local car park.

Personally, I wouldn't bother, unless as previously said, you own some land where you can legally install it, and then there may be a problem of connection of services.

Steve

[Salty Sam]

Friend of mine is selling one and has just discovered a hidden clause.

He has to pay 15% of whatever he sell it for, to the site owner![:@]

[nomoss]

Sounds like the practices of many/most marinas in UK, and elsewhere.

Berth holders have to agree to having all maintenance on their boats done by approved companies, and the marina takes at least 10% cut on the sale price of any boat sold.

 

 

 

[dave21478]

Mobile homes are a farce. They are shockingly expensive for what they are, and those that are advertised cheaply are very cheap for a reason - they have reached the age where they are no longer welcome on most sites and the owner needs rid sharp-ish. However, transporting these things is not simple - they require an HGV with low loader trailer, and all but the narrowest overhang the trailer by enough to warrant "Convoi Exceptionnel" status and require escort vehicles - all of which costs significantly more than the home sells for.

Even when happily settled on a site, most sites are legalised pirates - you HAVE to use their own maintenance people for repairs, you HAVE to conform to their rules regarding decking, fencing, garden etc, which again HAS to be built buy their own people, and they can charge you pretty much whatever they think they can get out of you.

I wouldn't even consider getting involved with one.

[Pickles]

[quote user="AussieGuy"]I was thinking of   a registered holiday park such as Siblu etc where they offer to manage the rentals for you in your absence. If I thought that it would cover the annual fees it might be a goer.

[/quote]

Errr ... I do not wish to rain on your parade but Siblu is one of the ones that I would SERIOUSLY do research on. Type "siblu" and "arnaque" into the search engine of your choice. I would not touch them with a barge pole on the basis of what I have read.

[Ollie]

A Mobile Home if you rent it out by yourself then you can cover your pitch fee's for the year and more. I know many people that make it work.

If you choose to rent it out by the company i.e "siblu" then you will cover most of your fees, but you have the serenity of their services included.

It all depends if you want to use it yourself also.

If you need any more information please don't hesitate to contact me.

[Pickles]

[quote user="Ollie"]A Mobile Home if you rent it out by yourself then you can cover your pitch fee's for the year and more.[/quote]

Yes, but not the long-term costs - eg the difference between what you pay at the beginning and what you get when you sell it. And bear in mind that in many (most?) cases YOU don't get to choose how long it is before you have to replace. And don't forget the long-term maintenance costs, not just the first-year "nothing needs fixing" costs.

[quote user="Ollie"]I know many people that make it work.[/quote]

I'm sure that you do. And obviously these aren't the people who have complained in droves on various internet sites about their treatment, and real long-term costs.

[quote user="Ollie"]If you choose to rent it out by the company i.e "siblu" then you will cover most of your fees, but you have the serenity of their services included.[/quote]

"Serenity" and "Siblu" don't seem to appear often in the same sentence: try putting the words "Siblu" and "arnaque" into the French version of your preferred web search engine ... or indeed "the operator of your choice" and "arnaque" for that matter, not to pick on Siblu.

[Pommier]

Just look at how many people are trying to sell mobile homes on sites such as Preloved. If it was possible to cover costs, let alone make a profit, then I don't there would be so many and they wouldn't be so cheap.