Some people thinking about holiday home ownership believe that pitch fees are expensive… but everything is expensive compared to £0! So we wanted to share our thoughts on pitch fees with you.
Firstly, having a holiday home is doubtless more expensive than not having one. You can spend less if you don’t go on holiday. But if you want a home away from home where you can escape to every weekend, or for the school holidays, or just after a bad day’s work… then you might be in the market for a holiday home, and you might find this is not an expensive way of doing things! Pitch fees cover far more than just the ground your holiday home sits on. It contributes to the essential running of the park such as maintenance of the grounds and communal areas, road upkeep, investment into the Park, year-round amenities and facilities, a consistent and high-quality team etc. etc. This not only ensures the park is clean, safe and welcoming all year, but it takes the worry away from the holiday home ownership.
Worry-free ownership
One of the biggest advantages of owning a holiday home with us is convenience. We can take care of almost everything for you, from maintenance and security to general upkeep, so you can relax when you’re here and when you’re away. Need any work doing? We have a roster of contractors and can organise work at the drop of a hat (and competitively priced). Fancy a spring clean or decking wash? Our fabulous Accommodation or Grounds team can do that for you. Burst pipe whilst you’re away? Our team (or one of your neighbours) will notice it and report it to Reception ASAP. Unlike a holiday cottage, which is often left empty and unattended, your holiday home at Burton Constable is in a secure park that is always being looked after, therefore there are no worries of break-ins, or overgrown gardens. Furthermore, if your local handyman retires, you don’t have to think about replacing them…
Cheaper running costs than the alternative
Moreover, when you compare this to owning a holiday cottage, the difference in value becomes clear. Rather than annual pitch fees, a cottage owner has to pay monthly council tax towards local infrastructure, waste management, and amenities. Second home council tax is often even more than pitch fees spread across the year – and unlike pitch fees this doesn’t include keeping the area around the cottage well-maintained, nor does it include water bills. And council tax is not necessarily reinvested in the area immediately around your cottage (unlike pitch fees which are spent on the park). Then there’s insurance and utilities which are higher for a house than a holiday home. Plus you have to find the right people for any work that you need help with. So even if you don’t count the admin element of having a holiday cottage (what is your time worth?), if you compare holiday home ownership to holiday cottage ownership, the operating costs are often much lower and represent higher value.
Never confuse price with value
Overall, our pitch fees are set to cover the park’s running costs, not to make a profit. Optional extras like fishing or tennis or using the gym are charged separately, so you only pay for what you use. In fact, after some calculations, we found that it would take 350 owners to fully cover the cost of the park; but even with fewer owners than this, we choose to keep the pitch fees at a fair rate as we believe it wouldn’t be right or sensible to pass the shortfall onto our loyal owners.
So, are the pitch fees here expensive? Owning a holiday home is expensive compared to not owning one… but compared to owning a holiday cottage, no they are not expensive. However, are they good value? Considering the quality, security and convenience they offer, we believe they represent excellent value for money.
What Are Burton Constable pitch fees?
Another question is how much are our pitch fees compared to a holiday cottage? When you consider they start at under £4,000 for a 12′ caravan (including VAT) if you divvy that up to around £330 per month… and think about where you could find second home council tax at that price, and whether you would want a holiday cottage there…
As for other parks, we think we’re quite fairly priced…