This much we know!
I bought a beach hut in Felixstowe, Suffolk, two years ago This much we know...
Many people view a beach hut as a temporary refuge from a life controlled by work and an antidote to day to day drudgery. For this reason the purchase price of beach huts has been rapidly raising across the country. There are a few key places around the country where beach hut prices are greater than the cost of family homes elsewhere, but as long as you avoid places like Southwold in Suffolk and Poole in Hampshire beach huts can still be bought for less than £10,000 - and sometimes considerably less!
As with any property purchase the location is the most important aspect of any decision to buy. For beach huts, however, this is what will really make a difference to the price. The cost of the beach hut itself is relatively insignificant: even the snazziest beach hut is unlikely to cost more than £2000 on its own. What you are paying for is the right to have a beach hut in the designated location.
Most beach hut pitches are leased from the District councils, only a very few actually have a freehold. As a purchaser you are buying the right to rent the beach hut pitch from the council. It is, therefore, essential that you check that the council have no plans to withdraw the pitches before you complete a purchase. If you are lucky enough to find a beach hut with a freehold pitch then you don't have this worry.
The location is very much dependent upon your personal circumstances. If mobility is a problem then it is best to find somewhere easily accessible, perhaps close to a car park. If you have a young family then you may want to ensure that you are in a sandy location near and ice cream shop. Whatever your circumstances you will find the two essentials are close proximity to a water source and to toilets!
The closer to the beach the hut is, the higher the price. In some locations you find rows of huts leading back from the beach and you will find the further back from the sea the hut is the less it is used. If you only want to store articles in the hut then possibly a row distant from the sea will suit you, however if you want to make the beach hut a regular part of your life - and your escape from the rat race - then it is important that you choose a hut with a seaview and access to the beach and to the sea.
Usually you will be purchasing the right to rent the beach hut and so you will still have rent to pay to the council. The rent charges vary considerably from town to town. You will also have to pay council tax on your hut, although this will be at a hugely reduced rate. It is sensible to also insure your hut - but remember you are insuring the replacement value of the hut and contents which will usually be substantially lower than the purchase cost. Finally some beach huts have to be moved during the winter months and you will either be charged by the council for this service or you may be able to find a private contractor who can undertake this work for you.
If you haven't already considered this question and reached your own conclusions then your purchase of a beach hut will probably be a waste of money!
Sometimes beach huts are marketted through estate agents, more often they are advertised in the local newspaper, at the Tourist Information or have a for sale sign pinned onto them.
We bought ours by putting a note under the doors of all the beach huts in the location we wanted to buy in! We stated how much we were prepared to pay and gave our phone number. We were really lucky and the owners of one of the thirty beach huts we had leafletted phoned us. The beach hut was ours within a fortnight.
I think you should! I think it was the best money we ever spent. From Easter til September we spend every weekend sitting in our deckchairs watching our children playing on the beach and in the sea. We also eat our tea on the beach after school! When we're down at our beach hut it feels like we're on holiday!
Enjoy your purchase!