CHOP & CHANGE
Tiny home built inside a Royal Navy helicopter with kitchen & luxury furnishings – & you can stay for £130 a night
See the drastic scale of the transformation in the pics below
EVER wondered what it’s like to be in the Royal Navy?
Now you can experience something similar by staying in one of their former helicopters – with a gorgeous lake right outside your door.
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The unusual property was created by Will Roughton, a 45-year-old farmer.
The copter is located on an ex-base in Friskney, Skegness, on the Lincolnshire coast, at RAF Wainfleet.
In the 1890s, the site was an army artillery range – it became a WWII bombing practice range in 1938.
“I was offered to buy the RAF Wainfleet site when it went out of service,” Will said.
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“I then decided to convert its original buildings into holiday lets.
“After I had completed those I decided to look at the possibility of a military aircrafts into stays.”
The base not only houses the Royal Navy helicopter but also a military plane, combine harvester, army ambulance, fire truck and tank.
He said: “It appears that the helicopter was used by the ‘fleet air arm’ of the Royal Navy.
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“Its first flight was on 18 September 1990.
“It was part of the 848 squadron based at RNAS Yeovilton.
Inside the secluded Scottish country hotel with stunning lodges - perfect for pets and their humans
“I'm afraid I have not found any record of where it served as of yet, but we normally put this kind of detail in the individual stays for our guests to read.”
Will found the helicopter at a museum in Wales, before putting in an offer of £35,000 and taking it home.
He said: “It took about six months to convert but this was running alongside usual maintenance and office work.
“It sleeps four adults and there is room for a sofa to be converted into a small single for an extra child.”
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The helicopter comes with four single beds, one bathroom, a kitchen and outside decking with rattan furniture and a wooden bench.
The beds are topped with cosy duvets and inside the walls are painted completely yellow.
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As well as the incredible helicopter, the owners have also renovated some of the former tanks, army ambulances and a tower.
Additionally, there are two planes available for overnight stays, the Spitfire and the Aeroplane, which can both fit four to six people, plus an army ambulance, trailer, converted fire engine and more.
Will – who purchased the base in 2014 – scoured the Internet to find the special vehicles, which have been purchased from across the UK, with the latest helicopter coming from Wales.
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A stay in the Royal Navy helicopter starts at £130 per night.
The various army spaces can be booked through the RAF Wainfleet’s website.
Holiday Let Rules And Regulations For Landlords
Thinking of letting a holiday home or turning your long-term let into a short-term let? Follow these three key rules to make sure you don't get into trouble when renting out a holiday home.
- Does your mortgage lender allow it?
- The level of risk attached to short-term letting is considered too high for most mortgage lenders. The more people using a property, the greater the risk of damage. There's also a high chance of the property being left empty for extended periods of time. So, if you currently have a mortgage on the property you're planning to let, you may need to apply for a new one. There are three options:
- Buy-to-let mortgages. The vast majority of BTL mortgages stipulate that the property must be let on an Assured Shorthold Tenancy agreement (AST), so short-term lets will not be permitted. We have plenty of information to help you create the right kind of tenancy agreement.
- Residential mortgages. Most of the biggest lenders - including Barclays, HSBC and RBS - tend to rule out short-term letting, although some, such as Santander and Nationwide, may permit it, but there will be strings attached.
- Specialist short-term let mortgages. Also known as 'holiday let' mortgages, these are still a niche market. Partly because of the lack of competition and partly because of the increased risks associated with short-term lets, the interest rate is likely to be higher than for a buy-to-let mortgage. You may also need a higher deposit than you would for a buy-to-let or residential mortgage on the same property.
- In short, you must speak to either your lender or an independent mortgage adviser to find out what financing options are available to you.
- The level of risk attached to short-term letting is considered too high for most mortgage lenders. The more people using a property, the greater the risk of damage. There's also a high chance of the property being left empty for extended periods of time. So, if you currently have a mortgage on the property you're planning to let, you may need to apply for a new one. There are three options:
- Does the lease permit it?
- If the property is leasehold, the terms and conditions might prevent short-term letting, so check your lease and speak to the freeholder.
- Do you need planning permission?
- Each Local Authority in England has the power to set their own policies for planning permission for 'change of use' of a property, as well as impose their own licensing schemes. In London, for example, homeowners can legally let a property on which they pay the council tax themselves, for up to 90 nights a year without planning permission. If they want to exceed 90 nights, they must seek permission.
- In Scotland, from Spring 2021, Local Authorities can implement licensing schemes and designate control areas, within which landlords will have to secure planning permission if they want to let a whole property on a short-term basis.
- So, if you're thinking of offering short-term lets, you must speak to your local council housing department to find out whether that's possible and what steps you need to take, to make sure you comply with the law.
Holiday let key rules & regulations:
- For a property to count as a holiday let, it must be furnished and available for letting for at least 210 days a year. That means you can use it yourself for up to 22 weeks.
- To benefit from the favourable 'furnished holiday lettings' tax status, the property must be commercially let for at least 105 days in the year. (So, if your property is in London, you will need to secure planning permission.)
- Any single let must not be for longer than 31 continuous days. If it is, you must have a formal tenancy agreement, which will give your guest the same rights and responsibilities as a buy-to-let tenant. It may also affect your tax status and you may be violating the terms of your mortgage. You can learn more about tenancy agreements here.
- Guests staying in a holiday house have no right to remain and they must leave the house at the end of their holiday.
- If you provide a television, you'll need a specific Hotel and Mobile Televisions Licence.