Selling a Cosalt Static Caravan: What It Is Worth and Your Options

Thinking of selling a Cosalt static caravan? Cosalt stopped building holiday homes more than 15 years ago, so every Cosalt still on a park is an older caravan. That does not make it worthless. It does mean the questions that matter are practical ones: can it stay on the pitch, will the park take a cut, and what is it worth to a buyer who will collect it?

As Static Caravan Buyer, we buy statics and lodges across the UK, older caravans included. This guide answers those questions first, then covers what buyers inspect on a used Cosalt, how to read your plate (Victory reused several Cosalt names), and the story behind the brand. It is general guidance, not a quote for any one caravan, and your own licence agreement is what applies to you.

Selling a Cosalt: quick answers

• Can I sell my Cosalt? Yes. Even though Cosalt no longer exists, there is still a market for sound older Cosalt caravans, on parks, off-site and abroad.
• What is it worth? It depends on model, year, size, condition and whether it can stay on its pitch. A dry Cosalt with a sound chassis is worth far more than a damp one with soft floors. For a real figure, get a free valuation; our guide to what your static caravan is worth explains the basics.
• Can it stay on the park? That is down to your park, not the caravan. Many parks have age policies, and a caravan of 16 years or more may be expected to leave when sold. Check your licence agreement and see our guide to park age limits.
• Will the park charge commission? If the caravan is sold to stay on the pitch, many parks charge commission set in your licence agreement. Whether any fee applies to a caravan that leaves the park depends on your agreement, so ask in writing.
• Can a trader or cash buyer collect it? Usually, yes, subject to your park's rules on hauliers and disconnection. Our comparison of cash buyer, private sale and park sale sets out the trade-offs.
• What if it is very old? Older Cosalts that no longer suit UK parks can still have value off-site or through export to Europe.
• What fees and removal costs apply? Typically outstanding pitch fees, any park disconnection charge, and transport. When you sell to us, we arrange collection and allow for transport in our offer.

Is an old Cosalt still worth something?

A cash buyer looks at what your Cosalt is worth once it leaves the pitch. That starts with realistic demand for its size, age and condition, then allows for collection, transport and any repairs.

Older caravans do not always suit UK parks, but some have a market elsewhere. We also export to Europe, where sound older units can still find new homes. Our European export guide explains how that works. We help with the park paperwork, and payment is made on collection day before the caravan is loaded.

What decides the figure: age, condition, park rules and haulage

Age and park limits

Age is the biggest single factor for any Cosalt. Many parks have policies on older caravans, and some will expect a caravan of this age to leave the park when it is sold. That narrows the market on the pitch, but it does not mean the caravan has no value. Our guide to park age limits explains how these rules work.

Condition

On an older caravan, condition outweighs almost everything else. A dry, well-kept Cosalt with a sound chassis can still attract interest. A damp one with soft floors will be priced as a project. Our articles on selling a caravan with damp and how condition changes your offer price go into more detail.

Park rules and fees

Check your licence agreement for selling rules, commission and removal conditions. If next season's pitch fees are coming up, the timing of a sale can make a real difference. If you have fallen behind, see selling when you still owe pitch fees. Our guide on how site fees affect selling explains why.

Haulage

Moving an older caravan needs care. A haulier will want a sound chassis and reasonable access to the pitch. Tight corners, overgrown hedges or fixed decking all add time and cost, and that cost comes off what a buyer can pay. Our piece on the secret life of a caravan haulier shows what collection involves.

Five things a buyer will inspect on your Cosalt

Chassis and steadies

On any older static, the chassis is a priority. Buyers and hauliers will look for rust, especially on coastal parks, and check that the steadies, wheels and drawbar are sound enough for a move.

Floors

Soft spots near doors, in the kitchen and around the shower or toilet are common on older caravans. A firm floor throughout is a real selling point.

Roof, seals and damp

After many winters, roof seals, window seals and door frames can let water in. Look for staining, tide marks, musty smells and black mould. Damp is usually the deciding factor on older units.

Glazing and heating

Used listings show Cosalts with single glazing and electric heating as well as others with double glazing and central heating. Know which yours has, and whether anything has been upgraded since.

Appliances and certificates

Buyers will ask whether the gas and electrics have been checked recently. Recent safety certificates help reassure people about an older caravan.

Cosalt or Victory? Reading your plate

These names come from trade reviews, news reports and used sale listings. Years show when examples appeared in those sources, not full production runs.

• Around 2000 to 2004: Capri County (2000), Retreat and Torbay (2001), Torino (2001), Devon (2002), Carlton and Baysdale (2004).
• Around 2005 to 2008: Baysdale Super Comfort (2005), Torino Super (2006), Torbay Super and Elite (2007), Monaco and a later Torino (2008), and the Vienna, which was part of Cosalt's top-end Connoisseur Collection in 2008.
• Other names on used listings: Capri, Resort, Madeira and the 36ft x 20ft Matisse lodge.
• Rimini: a Cosalt name that Victory relaunched in 2019.

Because Victory reused the Rimini, Capri and Torino names, check your plate carefully. A Victory Rimini and a Cosalt Rimini can be well over a decade apart in age. The plate should show the maker, model, year and size.

Where Cosalt caravans came from

From Grimsby trawlers to holiday homes

Cosalt began in 1873 as The Great Grimsby Coal, Salt and Tanning Company, supplying fishing fleets with coal, salt, tanning for sails and ropes, and clothing. The company shortened its name to Cosalt before it floated on the London Stock Exchange in 1971, and grew into a diversified group with marine safety, workwear and leisure businesses.

Its holiday homes business, Cosalt Holiday Homes Limited, was incorporated in November 1969 and built static caravans and lodges in Hull. Caravan historian Andrew Jenkinson notes that Cosalt took over the former Astral caravan works in the Stoneferry area of Hull, and built holiday homes and lodges there until the 2000s. Cosalt also had a second Hull site on Stockholm Road.

The end of Cosalt caravans

The financial crisis hit Cosalt Holiday Homes hard. In October 2008, Leeds-based turnaround fund Endless bought the holiday homes division from Cosalt plc for a nominal sum. At the same time, plans were announced to close the caravan factory on Stoneferry Road, with the loss of around 290 jobs. Endless said the caravan business had been losing around £750,000 a month as demand for holiday homes fell sharply.

In 2009 a management team led by former sales director James Garland bought the remaining business, including its intellectual property, and restarted production at Stockholm Road. Trading as Cosalt Leisure Homes, that business went into administration in November 2010, with 43 jobs lost. The original Cosalt Holiday Homes Limited was renamed in 2009 and is now in liquidation, and the parent company, Cosalt plc, was dissolved in 2023.

The Victory link

Cosalt's story did not quite end there. In early 2009, the owners of the former Cosalt factory at Stoneferry asked ex-Cosalt managing director Peter Nevitt whether the half-built holiday homes left on site could be finished. That project grew into Victory Leisure Homes, which went on to become a major holiday home builder in its own right. In 2019 Victory even brought back the Rimini name, saying it came from a popular Cosalt model built in Hull.

How Cosalt is seen today

In its day, Cosalt was a mainstream, well-known name. A 2008 Leisuredays review said Cosalt could be relied upon to produce a holiday home for all tastes, and its ranges ran from budget models to the luxury Connoisseur Collection.

Today, the reputation that matters is the reputation of your individual caravan. With the newest Cosalt statics now around 16 years old or more, buyers focus on how well the caravan has been looked after, what upgrades it has had, and whether it can stay on its pitch or will need to move.

Getting your Cosalt ready to sell

1. Find the plate and note the model, year and size.
2. Check for damp after rain, especially around windows, doors and the roof line.
3. Test the floors for soft spots.
4. Deep clean inside and out.
5. List any upgrades, such as double glazing, central heating or new appliances.
6. Gather paperwork, including your licence agreement and safety certificates.
7. Talk to your park about age rules and removal.

Cosalt FAQs

Is Cosalt still making caravans? No. The main Cosalt caravan factory closed in 2008, the management buyout business went into administration in 2010, and Cosalt plc was dissolved in 2023.

Is my Rimini a Cosalt or a Victory? Check the plate. Cosalt built the Rimini before 2009, and Victory relaunched the name in 2019.

Is an old Cosalt worth anything? Often, yes, depending on condition. Sound older caravans can still have value off-site or abroad. A free valuation will tell you where yours stands.

Can you collect from my park? We buy across the UK and arrange collection when we agree a purchase, working within your park's rules on hauliers and disconnection. Payment is made on collection day before the caravan is loaded.

Get a free valuation for your Cosalt

If you are ready to find out what your Cosalt is worth, ask us for a free, no-obligation valuation. Tell us the model, year, size, park and condition and we will give you an honest figure. We help with the park paperwork, and payment is made on collection day before the caravan is loaded. If your caravan is too old to stay on its park, it may still have value off-site or through export markets in Europe. We aim to contact you within 24 hours and aim to make an offer within 48 hours after contact, but we do not guarantee either.

Call 0800 644 5000 or request your free valuation online.