After the warmest summer on record and UK holiday homes saw an increase in occupancy, 2011 was a great year for Static Caravan owners.

However, we can all remember the recent harsh winter with dire conditions that brought most of the country to a halt. This not only affected travel and homes, but also had a massive impact on neglected caravans.

For those who bought static caravans recently, it has affected them a lot. With water leaks and burst pipes, as well as boiler failures, the cost to unprepared caravan owners was immense.

Many should have learned a lesson, that winterizing your Static Caravan is critical to ensuring costs are reduced. However, it seems that many will still forget what happened last year and will not exhaust their static caravans.

For many RV owners, the start of the 2012 season has been difficult. They started their season with costs stemming from pipe breakage which in some cases could run as high as £ 1000. Preparing for winter is something homeowners may forget, but they need to learn lessons from the past and make sure to empty their caravan before the winter.

Some RV parks offer a year-round maintenance plan to help owners ensure that their RVs are in tip-top condition. This allows them to help owners spend quality time when visiting their vacation home and for those who cannot get to their caravan in time for winter or are unsure what to do.

It is paramount that before the extreme weather conditions begin and after you have purchased a static caravan for sale, it should be checked to make sure that the large investment is protected as the owners cannot afford it or it will be damaged.

With many preoccupied with their investments, it seems their vacation home investment is something they sometimes forget. As with any harsh winter, preparation seems to be the key to ensuring that there is as little impact as possible on the vacation homes.

If your RV park doesn’t offer this service, there are a few things you can do.

1) drain all pipes

2) Disconnect it from the main water supply

3) unplug any electrical equipment

4) turn off the electricity at the fuse box

5) turn off and disconnect your gas supply

We would appreciate your feedback on this, as it appears that awareness is the key to ensuring that the vacation home industry starts 2012 on a positive note rather than pain and concern over burst pipes and freezing conditions.