Owners of beach huts situated along the English coast who are living out their dream have shared insights into the unexpected expenses associated with buying these coastal retreats.
Property owners in Whitstable are facing eyewatering sums to buy and maintain their beach huts, with forking out as much as £70,000 to enjoy a lavish ocean view.
Even though, this marks only the beginning of financial troubles for certain property owners, who find themselves continually coughing up higher amounts for their plots as ground rents climb steeply from one year to the next.
As though this weren’t sufficient, property owners are constantly worried about vandals setting fire to their shelters. Meanwhile, some individuals lack basic amenities such as running water, electricity, or even functioning toilets.
This has led to a mass exodus of people using the huts, which are now falling into disrepair, as they fall out of love with the English Dream.
David Rose, aged 67, who has resided in Whitstable for twelve years and daily passes by the beach huts with his dog, has observed an irritating pattern.
‘I’ve never seen anyone use them,’ he stated. ‘I walk my dog past this spot daily, including during summertime, but these huts seem completely abandoned.’
‘I’d love to own one but they’re so expensive, why would I spend £60,000 on one of those when I could help my son with a deposit for a house? And lots of people have let them fall into disrepair.’
Mr. Rose went on: “Certainly, some are delightful and meticulously maintained, but there are also others here that haven’t seen use in decades.”
The council possesses the property where they reside, and they indeed have regulations concerning maintenance, yet these guidelines appear to be unenforced. A few of these areas look absolutely neglected.
There was a homeless man residing on the deck of one boat since it’s enclosed, and the owner has locked it with a padlock to prevent him from entering.
‘I mentioned to him that he was relocated since they planned to refurbish the place, yet it seems to have been abandoned.’
I’ve never witnessed someone do this before; he didn’t create a mess at all. He wasn’t your average homeless person; instead, he appeared as a well-respected individual of middle age. Yet, without cause, they expelled him.
Simon Gomm, aged 60, who assists with repairing beach huts in the coastal town, mentioned, “My profession is carpentry, however, I also lend a hand in fixing up beach huts.”
There’s neither water supply, electricity, nor toilets, yet people are investing large sums. A few properties around here cost up to £70,000 – that’s significant money.
There are some problems related to vandalism; however, it essentially comes down to chance.
‘It’s a mixture of people locally and people from away owning them. Some are rented out as well.
‘I work with a young lady who bought five off the council down at Tankerton Beach and rents them out – that’s her living, but it is a mixture.’
Katrina Brown, 52, who runs Beacon House, which featured in TV show Whitstable Pearl, as a holiday let in the touristy town of Whitstable, has regular use of a beach hut.
She said: ‘The challenge of owning a beach hut is they are just so expensive.
‘They retail for around £50,000 – I know someone who sold hers on Tankerton Beach for £125,000.
‘They’re really good fun if you’re quite organised about it – but you do have to be very organised.
‘It’s sort of like owning a second home, they are a real responsibility. I have shared use of one, so I’m always worrying whether I’ve left it in good enough condition, that sort of thing.’
The theatre director added: ‘I used to be on the Harbour Board, so I was technically the owner of all the beach huts there – that was my role, I looked after them on behalf of the council and those are good because they’re just a year lease.
‘You don’t want to spend fifty, sixty, one hundred grand and realise they don’t work for your family.
‘Access is an issue here too – there is just nowhere to park, but that is also a good thing because it means there are no cars driving past, so your view is uninterrupted.
‘And, we were walking our dog here the other day and went to use the tap for some water and it isn’t even on yet – so its intermittent access to facilities like that.’
There are worse problems than lack of water and parking though, Katrina said: ‘Security is an issue, not that long ago some youths set fire to one of the huts here and it burned to the ground.
‘There is a sort of neighbourhood watch system in place to keep an eye out for that sort of thing. If you’re security conscious it may be quite stress inducing.’
She has also noticed people do not seem to use the huts to their full potential, she said: ‘The other thing is, where are they all? It’s a beautiful day today and not one person is there.
‘It will pick up now it’s April but there are some that never get used from what I’ve seen.’
Sue Bickley, 70, an opera singer, was at her hut giving it a fresh lick of paint for the summer, she said: ‘Maintenance is obviously a consideration, being right where the wind blows, it’s exposed to the elements.
‘This is the first time I’ve painted it in some years, but there’s some professionals doing one up down there and I bet they think ‘what’s she doing?’
‘The other thing is the ground rent – some places can have eye wateringly high yearly costs, and that’s on top of the purchase price. We’ve had ours for eight years and it goes up every single year.
‘The people who own huts a bit further down the beach pay a quarter of what we pay because it’s a different owner.
‘Each year we ask if we should sell it but I am determined to use it to its full potential this year.
‘Coming down in the sun with this view, well, that’s good motivation to carry on affording it. It’s a blissful thing to come down on an evening and sit.
‘The other thing is the facilities, the owners provide no tap, no electricity and no toilet, but those further down the beach have all those things.
‘But, it’s a lovely place to be in the evenings. Bizarrely, even though we are on the east coast we can watch the sunset, so we get the most beautiful sunsets.
‘I cycled here today, but we live just a 15 minute walk away so it’s perfect.
‘You do have to be quite organised, but it’s worth it.’
Martin Blackley, 65, who bought his beach hut in 2017, has never looked back, despite some of the challenges of ownership.
The retired business travel expert said: ‘About two and a half years ago we noticed it was rotting a bit and when the guy came to repair it he said ‘”you can put your finger through it.”
Therefore, we needed to construct a new one, which came at an expense of around £7,500. Since we had already built a deck, this price covered only the hut structure itself.
The amount of ground rent you pay can vary based on your location along the beach — I won’t disclose my specific figure, but it’s lower than what most people pay.
The property is owned by a charitable organization, and since we lack any protections, should they decide to develop this area in the future, we wouldn’t receive any compensation.
‘Over the years, we’ve had a handful of vandals deface property with graffiti.’
‘Last year the beach hut three doors down burned to the ground – it’s quite easy to do, they’re wooden structures.
‘They’re also expensive to insure – you pay more in insurance for a beach hut than for a house.
‘I’m retired now, but when I was working I used to come down here after work and just sit.
‘My dog thinks it’s the garden – it just lays over there like it’s his own property.
‘This part of the beach is also more peaceful since fewer people stroll by here; once you’re at this spot, there’s nowhere else to go.’
We also have a bathroom with a toilet and sink, along with a gas refrigerator.
‘I likely dedicate around four to five days each year for upkeep, which is an aspect folks should consider.’
‘Even in the winter we use it, the wooden panel comes out of the door and there’s glass behind so you can sit inside when it’s cold and look out and heat up a hot water bottle.’
Wendy Smith, 69, who recently purchased her beach hut, has no complaints: ‘It’s bliss, there are no challenges.
‘We have a lot of different ages in the family now, from toddlers to youngsters in their twenties and thirties and older – so it’s great for the kids and the older ones can go for a drink.
‘There a good facilities here, there’s two loos, a water tap, and the amenities aren’t too far away.
‘We had a beach hut as children living in Seasalter so we have lots of happy memories.
I guess the decision you need to make is whether the hut is in good shape.
‘You are exposed to the elements, so you need to paint it every year and maintain things that are rotting, do the roof that sort of stuff.
‘Then there’s the cost, you’re spending quite a lot of money and then there’s the ground rent.
‘But it is just bliss – I have no complaints.’
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