More damage than described? Here's what actually changes your caravan quote

Get a quote once you've read this. It takes two minutes and clears up most of what's below.

You've sent your photos and had a price back. Now you're standing by the caravan, noticing things you didn't mention. A soft patch by the door. A wheel arch that's worse than it looked on your phone screen. Damp staining you genuinely hadn't spotted. So does more damage than described mean the quote changes? Or does the whole booking fall apart? It's a fair thing to worry about. Too many people have been burned by a price that moved on the doorstep, and this question deserves a straight answer.

Does more damage than described change your caravan quote?

Mostly no. Once we've confirmed a price from your photographs, that's the price we collect for. Cosmetic knocks, mess, an untidy interior, or damp you photographed but didn't flag separately — none of that moves the price. There's one exception. If a caravan was quoted as towable and it turns out it isn't, the job changes, because towing an unsound caravan isn't safe for anyone on the road.

The one thing that genuinely does change your quote

Towability is the whole hinge. A caravan quoted as a straightforward tow has sound wheels, a solid chassis, and can survive a motorway journey. That's a different job from one that can't be moved that way. If the crew arrives and finds the chassis has gone, the axle's seized, or the floor won't take the weight of the tow hitch pulling against it, that caravan has moved from a collection job to a breaking job. That's not us changing our minds. It's the caravan being a different job to the one that was quoted, priced differently because it really is different work.

What doesn't change your quote

It's worth being specific about what doesn't move the price, because most of what people worry about falls into this list:

• Cosmetic damage — dents, cracked panels, faded paintwork
• Mess or clutter left inside
• An untidy or lived-in interior
• Damp you photographed, even if you didn't call it out separately in your message

If it's visible in the photographs you sent, we've already priced it in. The only thing that reopens the conversation is a caravan that turns out not to be towable when it was quoted as towable.

What happens on the day if your caravan isn't what you described

If the crew finds a genuine mismatch, not towable when it was booked as towable, nobody starts an argument on your drive. The crew explains what they've found and shows you why the job has changed. Then they talk you through the options: breaking it up there on site, or moving it away on a tow bed if access allows. You're not charged for a wasted visit just because the job turned out to be different. You're only ever charged for the work that actually gets done, and nobody drives off leaving you worse off than when they arrived.

Why we'd always rather see it in a photograph than find it on your drive

A photograph costs nobody anything. A crew and a low-loader turning up to find a caravan that can't be towed costs a wasted morning, a re-arranged day, and a customer who's understandably annoyed. Working from clear photos before anyone books a slot means the price you agree on the phone is almost always the price you pay on the day. It's not caution for its own sake. It's the only way either of us avoids a bad morning.

What it costs if your caravan turns out to be the breaking job

If a touring caravan is confirmed towable, collection is priced from £350–£450. If it turns out not to be towable, which is the scenario this whole page is about, it moves to the breaking service instead. That's priced from £500–£850, because the crew is now breaking the caravan up on site or moving it on a tow bed, not simply towing it away.

Either way with a non-towable tourer, the skip for the waste isn't included in that price. You'll need to arrange your own, typically 6–8 yards. If it's a job where the wood can be burned on site, that usually brings the figure down.

The same honesty rule applies to static caravans

It's not just tourers. A static caravan described as sound sometimes turns out, once the crew is on site, to have a rotten floor section or delamination that wasn't visible in a couple of outside photographs. The same rule holds. Static caravan pricing of £1,800–£3,980 is based on what we can see. The honest thing to do is send photos from inside as well as out, especially of any floor, wall or roof damage you're aware of. A static job that's been photographed properly rarely has surprises on the day.

Send clear photos and book quickly

The single best way to make sure your quote holds is to send clear photographs before you book. Cover inside and out, including anything you think might be a problem. We'd always rather see a bad photo than no photo. We're also heavily booked most of the time, so once your quote is confirmed, book within 24 hours of receiving it. Leave it longer and you could be waiting several weeks for the next available collection date.

Quick answers

Will I be charged if the crew turns up and can't do the job?

No. You're never charged for a wasted visit. If a caravan turns out not to be towable, the job simply moves to the breaking service and you're quoted for that instead.

What if I forgot to mention some damage?

Send a fresh photo before the collection date and we'll confirm whether it changes anything. In almost every case, cosmetic damage and mess don't move the price at all.

Can the price go down as well as up?

Yes. If a caravan turns out to be in better condition than the photos suggested, or actually was towable when we'd assumed otherwise, the price reflects that too. It works both ways.

Read more on why it's important to be clear when asking for a caravan scrapping quote, or head to caravan disposal to see the full range of services.