This article will answer the following question: Can you live in a caravan park all year round? We will discuss what the law has to say about this and how you can live in a caravan park all year round.
Can you live in a caravan park all year round?
No, you cannot live in a caravan park all year round. Even if you are paying for the place, all communities establish a maximum time that you can spend a year in a campsite. And they range from six to 11 months a year. Although the number of months varies, the idea is clear: You cannot live permanently and register your main address at a campsite either.
So why are there offers that ensure that you can live permanently in their facilities? Why do most tourist accommodation regulations allow the occupation of static caravans for up to 11 months?
It is only a marketing strategy. Most caravan parks campaigns are addressed to students or vacation homes, presuming that all of them will go home to their towns and cities of origin, so, in theory, they are residing in these facilities “permanently”. It is nothing more than business marketing.
Why can’t you live all year round in a caravan park?
The main reason why you can’t live all year round in a caravan is the following:
- Each autonomous community has its regulation on the maximum time to stay in a campsite, and none is allowed to stay permanently. That is why you cannot register at a camp.
- With the measure, the autonomous communities intend to avoid that on land for endowment use or equipment used for residential use. Thus, the maximum length of stay allowed in the campsites varies between 6 and 11 months.
And then, do we have any other options?
There are several alternatives to circumvent the legality and be able to live on the campsite.
How to live in a caravan park all year round
The simplest and most used method to live in a caravan park all year round is changing the name on the contracts.
Many people live the whole year in the same campsite changing the name of the rental contract of the plot every six months (or the maximum that the law allows), as long as they are registered in a house, which of course is only possible outside from the campsite.
The second option is to live on a private campsite.
Another option is offered by private campsites, where members can enjoy the facilities for the payment of an annual fee that includes taxes and general expenses. At the same time, electricity and gas are charged according to meter consumption by distributors.
The third option is to live in various campsites throughout the year.
Another option valued by those who have vehicles that allow them to move with all their possessions or who live permanently in a habitable recreational vehicle (home vehicle) or camper vehicle.
Fourth option: Buy your piece of land. On it, you could install a caravan, but I warn you that it is not so easy because, for example, each terrain has its specific use.
If your plot is not buildable, you cannot put a house whatever the modality is: conventional, wooden, prefabricated, mobile, with wheels, without wheels.
The building or using some type of house on non-buildable land permanently can lead to coercive fines with high amounts and, even, in the most extreme cases, jail sentences.
The Rustic Land Law determines that except in the areas expressly enabled to do so (prior license) by the general planning instrument, the management of rural land “will prohibit the provision on the lands thus classified of caravans or other mobile elements that may be habitable”.
If it is out of necessity, we have the last alternative. It proves that you live permanently in a motorhome, which can be any of the recreational vehicles; camper, RV, caravan or a van. However, for this to happen, this vehicle cannot be your primary means of transportation.
Thus, the sixth option is to live a nomadic life.
Living a nomadic life means living without settling in a particular place. In these cases, the chances of having a problem with the authorities are reduced. You can live moving around your province or the country.
The authorities will treat you like any other traveller, and you will not have coexistence problems. You can even order food “at home”.
Tips: change overnight areas every three or four days or be discreet and find a secluded place where you are not annoying to anyone. Remember that you must always have a “home address”, usually the home of your parents, relatives or friends.
Caravan park as a first residence … Can you live like this?
Campsites are places associated with vacations or, at most, with a second home for foreigners who spend long periods travelling, but… can we turn a campsite into our primary residence?
This type of space, which allows accommodation in motorhomes or bungalows, can be more attractive than it seems at first. Many people contemplate the possibility of spending long periods in those close to the urban areas of large cities.
A fixed-rate of about 450 dollars includes accommodation, television, WiFi, air conditioning, heating, full kitchen, bed with sheets, a gas cylinder per month, drinking water, 200 kW of electricity, shower linen, etc. cases, even a swimming pool. An ‘all-inclusive’ also has discounts for retirees or students, who pay close to 300 euros.
This has caused some campsites to become an excellent alternative to traditional housing, either with a mortgage or rent. We must also add a series of extra expenses that considerably raise the final budget. The crisis has promoted this type of accommodation among students or young couples, but there are some limitations.
Although this ‘lifestyle’ may have some advantages… it must be taken into account that it is forbidden by law to live permanently in a campsite (although this does not prevent people from doing so). In this way, to the question, we asked initially: is it possible to convert a campsite into our first home? The ‘legal’ answer is: “no”.
Regarding the terms, it is up to each autonomous community to legislate in this regard so that while some states allow living 11 months a year, most communities only give permits for six or seven months. In short, we can have a plot rented on the campsite all year round, but our stay is limited by law.
One of the main reasons that justify this prohibition is that no one can register at a campsite. It is necessary to have an ‘official’ address to do so.
Many people live the whole year in a campsite, changing the name of the rental contract of the plot every six months (between partners or couples) and registering with the parents’ home, for example. Would anyone dare to try?
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FAQ on Can you live in a caravan park all year round?
Can you live in a caravan for 12 months?
Legally you cannot live in a caravan for 12 months, as most caravan parks only allow between six and 11 months, intended for holiday use only.
Can I live in a caravan on my land?
You can live in a caravan on your land, but there are a few rules to follow. Caravans and motorhomes can remain on the grounds of a primary residence, but only between uses. They must in no case lose their mobile nature. Otherwise, they will be considered as a fixed installation by the municipality.
Can I put a caravan in my garden?
You can install your caravan in your garden without authorisation if you are not using it as a home or as an annexe to your home. The caravan must permanently retain its means of mobility (wheels, drawbar, etc.) to leave its location at any time.
