Used Car Pre-Purchase Inspection Sheet
Carry out the same inspection on every car you view, so a decision made in somebody's driveway is based on what you saw rather than what you remember.
VB-01 2 pages
Vehicle buying and selling · VB-09
Caravan and Motorhome Pre-Purchase Check
A free printable motorhome and caravan inspection checklist — body seals, chassis, damp, gas, water, electrics and paperwork, with your own damp readings.
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2 pages. Choose your paper size — both versions are laid out identically, so neither one gets shrunk to fit.
Print it and write on it
Fill it in type and save
The fillable versions have real form fields — open them in any PDF reader, type into them and save. Printing help.
What this sheet is for
Look at the habitation side of a caravan or motorhome in the same order every time, and leave with the damp readings written down rather than a feeling that it seemed dry.
Who it is for
Anyone viewing a used caravan, motorhome or campervan privately or on a dealer's forecourt, especially for the first time.
How to use it
- Fill in the top block from the advert before you go, and take your own damp meter.
- Work through the outside first, then the chassis, then go in and test every corner, window surround and locker floor.
- Write each meter reading in the table with where it was taken and what the seller said about it.
- Light the gas, run the water and plug in the mains — never take 'it all works' on trust.
- For a motorhome, do the engine and cab separately on the Used Car Pre-Purchase Inspection Sheet.
What is on the sheet
2 pages, in this order:
Page 1
Printed under the title: The habitation side of a caravan or motorhome viewing — damp, seals, gas, water, electrics and the chassis — with a table for your own damp meter readings, corner by corner.
Your meter, your figures. No damp percentages, tyre age limits or service intervals are printed here. What counts as a wet wall depends on your meter, the wall construction and who is reading it, so write the number your meter gave and compare it with the maker's guidance or a habitation engineer's opinion. A motorhome's engine and cab are a car: use the Used Car Pre-Purchase Inspection Sheet for that half.
Write-on lines: Make, model and layout · Year · Berths · Asking price · Chassis / VIN number · Registration / plate · Seller and where seen
Damp readings — your meter, one row per point tested
Table, 10 rows: Where tested · Reading · Feel / look · Seller's explanation · Concern?
Page 2
Outside — body and seals
- Panels sighted along for ripples or bulging
- Roof joints and awning rail sealant checked
- Every window and rooflight seal pressed
- Panels tapped low down and at the corners
- Locker and door seals and alignment checked
- Underside checked for hanging insulation
Chassis and running gear
- Hitch head, breakaway cable and handbrake tried
- Jockey wheel and corner steadies wound
- Tyre date codes read; sidewalls checked
- Chassis checked for rust or fresh underseal
- Road lights and indicators all tried
- Chassis number matched to the paperwork
Inside — damp and structure
- Every corner and window surround metered
- Locker floors and wardrobe floor metered
- Floor walked for soft spots and creaks
- Walls and ceiling checked for staining
- Smell noted on first opening the door
- Behind the shower and under seats checked
- Previous damp reports read, with readings
- Habitation service records read
Gas, water and heating
- Gas locker drop-out vent and regulator seen
- Hob, oven, grill and fridge lit on gas
- Pump run and every tap tried
- Underside watched for drips while running
- Toilet cassette and seals checked
- Heater and water heater run on each fuel
Electrics, safety and extras
- Mains hook-up connected and sockets tested
- Leisure battery date and terminals checked
- Fridge tried on each supply
- Solar, inverter or mover demonstrated
- CO and smoke alarms present and tested
- Fire extinguisher present and in date
- Handbook and appliance manuals present
- A key for every lock, and the spares
Ruled lines: Notes — what the seller said, and what a habitation engineer would need to look at
Questions
Why does the sheet not say what damp reading is acceptable?
Because the number depends on the meter, the wall construction, the weather that day and where you are measuring, and manufacturers and habitation engineers set their own guidance. The sheet records your readings; what they mean is a question for the maker's guidance or a professional damp report.
Does this cover the engine on a motorhome?
No. The base vehicle is a car or a van and gets the same checks as one, so use the Used Car Pre-Purchase Inspection Sheet or the Van and Commercial Pre-Purchase Inspection for that half, and this sheet for the living part.
Related sheets
Caravan Habitation Check Record
Record damp readings at the same points year after year, so a wet corner shows up as a trend long before it shows up as a repair bill.
TM-05 3 pages
Motorhome and Caravan Maintenance Checklist
Cover the habitation side properly, which is where the expensive problems — damp above all — actually start.
VE-04 2 pages
Vehicle History and Paperwork Check Record
Keep a dated account of which documents you actually saw and what each one said, rather than a memory of being shown a folder.
VB-07 2 pages
