Beach hut owners living out their dreams along the English coastline have revealed the hidden costs that come with purchasing the seaside structures.
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.
Although, this is just the start of some owners’ financial woes as they are increasingly paying more for their pitch as ground rents continue to soar year on year.
And as if that wasn’t enough, owners are also living in fear of vandals burning their huts down, while others have no access to running water, electricity or even 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, 67, who has lived in Whitstable for 12 years and walks his dog past the beach huts every day has noticed a frustrating trend.
‘No one is ever using them,’ he said. ‘I come past here every day walking my dog, even in the summer, and there’s never anyone using the huts.
‘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.’
Beach huts in Whitstable where owners of the seaside structures are facing eyewatering sums to buy and maintain them
A general view of the beach huts on the seafront in Tankerton, Whitstable, where some owners are forking out as much as £70,000 to enjoy a lavish ocean view
David Rose, 67, who has lived in Whitstable for 12 years and walks his dog past the beach huts every day has noticed the huts are increasingly being abandoned
Mr Rose continued: ‘Some are lovely and well cared for of course, but there are some here that have not been used in years.
‘The council owns the land they’re on, and they do have rules about upkeep, but they’re clearly not enforcing them. Some of them are complete eyesores.
‘There was a homeless gentleman living on the deck of one, because it’s enclosed, and the owner has padlocked it so he can’t get in.
‘He told me he’d been moved on because they were going to renovate it, but they’ve just left it.
‘I have never seen anyone using it and he wasn’t making a mess, he wasn’t your typical tramp he was a respectable middle aged man, and they kicked him out for no reason.’
Simon Gomm, 60, who helps to repair beach huts in the seaside resort, said: ‘I’m a carpenter by trade but I help repair beach huts too.
‘There’s no water, no electric, no toilets, but people are spending thousands. Some of the ones along here are £70,000 – it’s big money.
‘There are a few issues with vandalism, but it’s about luck really.
Simon Gomm, 60, who helps to repair beach huts in the seaside resort
A colourful array of beach huts nestled along the Kent coast. However locals say they are increasingly being deserted
The pristine condition of this hut along Tankerton beach would suggest its owners are yet to jump ship
This hut however has likely seen better days and is crying out for a fresh coat of paint
‘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.
Katrina Brown, 52, who runs Beacon House, which featured in TV show Whitstable Pearl
Katrina owns her own beach hut but admits they are ‘sort of like owning a second home’
Katrina is pictured in front of the Beacon House which featured as a holiday let in the touristy town of Whitstable
The owner of this beach hut has seemingly had enough of the eyewatering expenses and decided to put it up for sale
‘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.’
Martin Blackley, 65, who bought his beach hut in 2017, has never looked back, despite some of the challenges of ownership
A general view of the beach huts on the seafront in Tankerton, Whitstable
Opera singer Sue Bickley, 70 is seen giving her hut a fresh lick of paint for the first time in preparation for the summer
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.
Wendy Smith, 69, who recently purchased her beach hut, has no complaints about her seaside shack
Much like Mr Whippy, beach huts are a quintessential part of the British beachside but some owners have cashed in quite the investment as their popularity sky-rockets (pictured: Beach huts in Whitstable)
‘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.”
‘So we had to build a new one, it cost about £7,500. We already had a deck build so that was just the hut itself.
‘Depending on where on the beach you are you pay different amounts of ground rent – I won’t tell you how much mine is but it’s less than most.
‘The land it’s on is owned by a charity, and we have no protection, so if they wanted to build something on here one day we would get no compensation.
‘Over the years we’ve had a few hooligans spray painting things.
‘Last year the beach hut three doors down burned to the ground – it’s quite easy to do, they’re wooden structures.
Beach huts have become an icon of the British coast and are so beloved by Brits that some are willing to fork out hundreds of thousands of pounds just to own one
Millionaire’s Row: The prices of the timber cabins on the Mudeford Sandbank in Christchurch Harbour, Dorset, now stand at about £475,000
‘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.
‘It’s quieter down this end of the beach too, people don’t walk past as much because there’s nothing past this point.
‘We also have a toilet and tap, and I’ve got a gas fridge.
‘I probably spend about four or five days a year maintaining it, so that’s something people need to think about.
‘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 suppose the considerations you have to make is if the hut is in good condition.
‘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.’
