The
lack of legal remedy of a purchase that goes sour makes
it even more important that you thoroughly check the
caravan for defects prior to purchase and that you check
the history of the caravan.
A good way of doing this is to insist that the seller
has the caravan serviced by an NCC approved dealer.
The service will include a damp check and will
alert you to any major defects.
This may cost around £100 but is far cheaper
than repairing a caravan with damp or a delaminated
floor for example.
There are also companies that can tell you if the caravan
is stolen or have outstanding finance.
Buying a stolen caravan can be a very expensive
mistake. When
you buy anything from a caravan down to a pack of sweets
you need to make sure that the seller has the right
to sell it to you – this is known as having title
to the goods.
The old phrase ' possession is 9/10ths of
the law is complete rubbish.
If you buy a caravan from someone who does not
have the legal right to sell it, they can not by definition
pass ownership, or title, to you .
This means that the original owner still owns
it and will be able to repossess it from you.
In the case of a stolen caravan this is likely
to be an insurance company if the rightful owner has
filed a claim for the theft
If the caravan has outstanding finance this can also
prevents the ‘keeper’ of the caravan from
selling it until the last payment is made.
The key advice here is check it out.