Storage and Contract terms (cleaning my caravan during winter being refused)

[meCara]

Hi all, I purchased a caravan in 2023 and obtaind storage and on a farm site. The storage covers standing my van on a grass field which I can use for camping during the April to October season. It's a basic site that has showers toilets and a small play area. We pay a yearly amount for storage and pay extra each night we stay in the caraven over the summer period.

I recently did a check on my caravan and noticed some grime and algie on the outside so notified the site owner that I would return in a few days to clean it off. The reply from the site owner was a clear no can do until the start of the season. Seriously I replied I just want to clean my caravan. The reply was due to public liability I could not go on site to clean my van.

I said I've just been on site and you do allow me to check my van and so you would have to be covered my public liability for that, yes was the reply, correct you can come on site but not to carry out work to the caravan just to check it.

I have pleaded with the site owner to let me just wash my caravan on this one occasion, the reply was: take the caravan off site wash it then return it to site.

The site is often boggy this time of year and several caravaners have even had to be pulled out by the site owners when the site opens in April so I pleaded again stating this to the site owner but they are now ignoring me.

The storage contract does not contain any clauses that prohibit cleaning of caravans during winter months and the site owner has acknowledged that they have siad I can visit the site to check on my caravan all the contract does is outlines the pricing and general rules. It seems a bit rediculous to me but wonder what advice if any can be offered?

 

[otherclive]

Since there is nothing in the contract the site owner can enforce whatever rules he likes, however unreasonable they may seem. My last site had a hard standing area where you could move the caravan to and give its wash down. Is that an option for your site.? If not, then April isn't far away and you can then give its good wash and spring clean.

 

[meCara]

Since there is nothing in the contract the site owner can enforce whatever rules he likes, however unreasonable they may seem. My last site had a hard standing area where you could move the caravan to and give its wash down. Is that an option for your site.? If not, then April isn't far away and you can then give its good wash and spring clean.

That is interesting are you sure the site owner can impose an open ended, one sided, contract the can be expanded at will? I was under the impression you can not add legal clauses to a contract unless they form part of the contract agreement. I was under the impression that site rules are normally in written form and to have any legally binding effect need to be incoperated into the contract. If you rent a property you have to give clear description of each sides obligations, you can not add clauses after signing a contract for rent I am assuming a contract for storage and would be along similar lines.

There is nothing in the contract that prohibits cleaning a caravan on site in fact I have done that during the summer, the contract is comprehensive in most respects otherwise. There are no written site rules as such just a contract.

There is plenty of had standing leading up to the field entrance to the site which is not in use during the winter by any vehicles etc. The owner has made it very obvious they would not allow me to use the hard standing as that would be allowing me to clean my caravan on site.

My caravan is located on a grass field, it is not near any other caravans.

The owner said I would be allowed to wash my caravan etc and do general maintenance when we first arrived (no restrictions added at that point) but has just decided a few days ago to change their mind.

 

[otherclive]

That is interesting are you sure the site owner can impose an open ended, one sided, contract the can be expanded at will? I was under the impression you can not add legal clauses to a contract unless they form part of the contract agreement. I was under the impression that site rules are normally in written form and to have any legally binding effect need to be incoperated into the contract. If you rent a property you have to give clear description of each sides obligations, you can not add clauses after signing a contract for rent I am assuming a contract for storage and would be along similar lines.

There is nothing in the contract that prohibits cleaning a caravan on site in fact I have done that during the summer, the contract is comprehensive in most respects otherwise. There are no written sight rules as such just a contract.

There is plenty of had standing leading up to the field entrance to the site which is not in use during the winter by any vehicles etc. The owner has made it very obvious they would not allow me to use the hard standing as that would be allowing me to clean my caravan on site.

My caravan is located on a grass field, it is not near any other caravans.

The owner said I would be allowed to wash my caravan etc and do general maintenance when we first arrived (no restrictions added at that point) but has just decided a few days ago to change their mind.

Since you are so sure best to dig out your wallet and engage a solicitor, or use your insurance legal helpline? You say the contract is comprehensive yet in post 1 you say it just has some general rules. Which is it?

Sensibly you seem to be in an impasse with the site owner and if it were me I’d try and recover my relationship with them, as you don’t want to be asked to leave at the end of the contract term.

 

[IanB1485]

I sympathise as it seems like a simple request from your point of view, but I agree with the site owner.Looking at it from the site owners perspective if he allowed owners to clean or work on their their vans whist on his property and they damaged adjoining vans ( ladders , brushes and even persons falling against them) , the adjoining caravan owner(s) would sue the site owner not you . I get this a lot when my clients ask me to service/repair their caravans/motorhomes/campers whilst in storage . I ask them to confirm with the site owner that this is OK and often the site owner will ask that the caravan is moved out of line to an area with lots of space around it, and some simply say no. its their land so there rules. Also they have no control on what chemicals you will use and whether they will get into water courses e.t.c.

 

[meCara]

I sympathise as it seems like a simple request from your point of view, but I agree with the site owner.Looking at it from the site owners perspective if he allowed owners to clean or work on their their vans whist on his property and they damaged adjoining vans ( ladders , brushes and even persons falling against them) , the adjoining caravan owner(s) would sue the site owner not you . I get this a lot when my clients ask me to service/repair their caravans/motorhomes/campers whilst in storage . I ask them to confirm with the site owner that this is OK and often the site owner will ask that the caravan is moved out of line to an area with lots of space around it, and some simply say no. its their land so there rules. Also they have no control on what chemicals you will use and whether they will get into water courses e.t.c.

I would like to say I am a caravan owner just wanting to wash off some grime before it gets engraned in my caravan. I am not acting in a commercial way as you do, nor is my caravan in any way close to any other caravans as you come across when caravans are stored 1m apart on a dedicated storage facility.

The site I currently store on is a combined sorage and camping site and all caravans including mine have at least 6m between them ( 6m being a legal requirement for camping in the UK). It's a site where your are pitched 6m apart from other vans (minimum) and use the pitch during the summer for camping and store it on the same 6m pitch for winter.

I have washed my caravan a few times on the site during the summer with the owner knowing (no problems then) so it's not a case of damaging other caravans as that would be almost impossible at 6m apart.

My caravan is actually 24m away from any other caravans on this site as it's in a corner away from the toilets where no one wants to locate.

Your point would be fair if my caravan was stored 1m apart from the next van as is often the case with some storage facilities.

I see what you have said but I think it would be very hard to justify on the grounds you have given bearing in mind my location on the site. I absolutly agree with what you have said for caravans on a cramped storage facility though.

 

[RogerL]

I can understand your frustration but I think it's better just to wait until the season starts - my health prevents me cleaning my caravan so I employ a valeter once a year to clean and polish it - it doesn't matter when in the year it's done as it would still have a year's dirt/grime on it.

 

[meCara]

I can understand your frustration but I think it's better just to wait until the season starts - my health prevents me cleaning my caravan so I employ a valeter once a year to clean and polish it - it doesn't matter when in the year it's done as it would still have a year's dirt/grime on it.

Frustrated is only part of how I feel. The current owner has not managed the site for long, has no personal experience of camping or caravaning and in less then 5 years has managed to loose half of the original caravan owners.

We do sometimes feel on edge when the site owner comes around to inspect when we use the pitch in summer and it has now got to a very uncomfortable stage.

After all how is washing my own caravan in the corner of a field tucked away from anyother caravan going to hurt anybody or anything, How?