Buying it
We examine the asking price, package and available market evidence. We negotiate hard on price and inclusions, and check that a headline discount is not hiding costs elsewhere.
Ownership calculator
True Cost of
Lodge Ownership
The price is only the start. Explore what buying, owning and eventually leaving a lodge could cost, then see where a stronger deal could make a difference.
Park & Lodge works for you, not the park. We investigate the terms, negotiate hard and tell you when to walk away.
Clearer numbers.
Better decisions.
Your figures stay in your browser and aren't submitted to us. Refreshing clears them.
A lodge is a lifestyle purchase as well as a financial decision. This calculator shows the financial side so you can decide whether the lifestyle is worth the cost to you.
Step 1 · Your purchase
Actual payable amounts, including applicable taxes. Use the price you would pay for this lodge, new or pre-owned.
Not sure what the advertised price includes? Read our guide to holiday lodge purchase prices.
Enter the number of whole years you want to model.
Step 2 · Site fees
Use the normal first-year fee. Add a one-off discount under Running costs & fee offers.
Step 3 · Resale & depreciation
Refine your estimate (optional)
Add the costs and agreement details you know for a more complete picture. You can calculate now and refine the estimate later. Unknown costs are left out, not treated as zero.
Running costs & fee offers
Only add costs outside the purchase price. Choose Included elsewhere if they are already in the package.
Add first-year insurance, utilities, rates, servicing and maintenance that are not included in your site fees. Count each cost once.
Included elsewhere means counted in the other annual allowance.
Applies to running costs and any separate travel costs. Enter zero to keep them unchanged.
Enter the cash value of the offer. For a free first year, use that year's full site fee. Later increases still use the normal fee, not the discounted amount.
Costs if you sell or leave
Changing how you sell can change the price and charges. Review your resale estimate and exit costs when choosing a different route.
Use the percentage charged on the full selling price, if your agreement specifies one. Enter any fixed charges under Other exit costs.
Removal, disconnection, transport or other charges, including any tax. Do not repeat costs already covered by the selling deduction.
How long can the lodge stay on the park?
Leave blank if unknown. Check the agreement for this lodge, not the park's site licence.
Only complete this if the park sets a maximum lodge age. Subtract its current age from the limit. Use zero if it has already reached the limit.
This check compares your planned ownership period with any limits you enter. It does not assume the park will extend the agreement or let you keep the lodge there indefinitely.
Read our guide to holiday lodge licence terms and expiry before relying on an extension.
What this calculator will show you
- Purchase and depreciation
How the price you pay and the value you assume at the end affect the total.
- Site fees over time
The total of annual site fees, including the increases you assume.
- Other ownership costs you include
Your allowances for insurance, utilities, maintenance and travel.
- Selling and exit costs
The deductions, applicable VAT and exit charges you enter.
- Estimated proceeds if you sell
What could remain after the selling deductions and costs you include.
Together, these produce an estimated cost of ownership under the assumptions shown.
Start with the purchase price, site fee and ownership period. Add optional details when you know them. The result shows which costs have been left out.
This is an illustration, not a lodge valuation. Resale depends on the lodge, park, agreement, condition, market and how you sell. Costs not entered are excluded.
What's not included?
This estimate assumes a cash purchase. It does not include finance costs, letting income or related tax, investment returns, or what your money could earn elsewhere. The main total does not include a Park & Lodge service fee; the deal comparison includes the service you select. Costs you have not entered are excluded, not assumed to be zero.
These are exactly the areas we investigate before you commit.
Park & Lodge cannot stop a lodge depreciating. But what you pay, how site fees rise, what the park deducts when you sell and whether the deal is worth taking are all things we can investigate and challenge.
View a worked example
Worked example · Separate from your inputs
About £11,900 lower modelled cost after the service fee
Illustrative, not expected, typical or achieved client savings. These numbers do not replace your scenario.
Same lodge, ten years; £100,000 purchase; £6,500 first-year site fee rising by an assumed 5% each year; £2,500 other first-year costs rising by an assumed 3%. The rough 15% annual reducing-balance depreciation assumption gives estimated gross resale of £19,687. Commission is 15% plus an assumed 20% VAT on that charge. Assume on-pitch sale is possible at exit; the agreement is not assessed.
No separate upfront, removal, finance, rental, travel or extraordinary repair costs. Hypothetical purchase reduction £7,500 and permanent initial fee reduction £500; escalation and gross resale stay unchanged.
- Starting net ownership cost
- About £194,300
- Difference before service fee
- £13,789
- Full Buying Service fee
- £1,895
- Changed net cost including service
- About £182,400
A £500 first-year credit saves £500, not the approximately £6,289 from permanently reducing the fee base. A £1,895 same-lodge purchase reduction would cover the Full Buying fee in this model; that is not evidence the reduction is achievable.
Separate custom-resale example: commission sensitivity
On £40,000 assumed gross resale, a total VAT-inclusive deduction of 18% is £7,200; 12% is £4,800. The difference is £2,400 before a service fee: £505 after Full Buying (£1,895), or £1,105 after Purchase & Negotiation (£1,295).
The 18% example equals 15% plus an assumed 20% VAT on the commission; VAT is not added again. These are selected illustration inputs, not universal charges or a claim reductions are available. This is not stacked into the main worked example.
Real value
A lower price is not a better deal if the terms cost you more.
We do not just check the asking price. We investigate the fees, restrictions and exit terms you could be living with for years, then negotiate the deal on your behalf. When the terms remain wrong, the answer is not a bigger discount. It is walking away.
Owning it
We request the fee history, examine the review terms and challenge the charges. We seek concessions where available and assess their lasting value, rather than treating a cheap first year as a cheap ownership deal.
Selling or leaving
We examine resale deductions, selling restrictions, the remaining agreement term and exit charges. We challenge costly or restrictive terms and tell you when the deal is one to avoid.
Do more than the numbers
Do not just calculate the risk.
Get the deal checked.
We're not here to talk you out of lodge ownership. We're here to help make sure the lifestyle you want isn't undermined by a poor deal.
Full Buying Service £1,895
For buyers still looking. We research suitable parks, investigate the options and negotiate the deal against your agreed brief.
Explore Full Buying ServicePurchase & Negotiation Service £1,295
For buyers who have found a lodge. We investigate and negotiate one identified lodge and park purchase.
Explore Purchase & NegotiationPrefer to start with the questions? Use our free holiday lodge buying checklist.
We work for you, not the park. No park commissions. No park incentives.