FAQs

Yes, where we have availability, you have full use of the marina car parks when you have a berth with us. Please be considerate towards your neighbours and fellow berth holders by keeping the number of vehicles you have on site to a minimum. As part of a residential mooring, we allocate a parking space for one vehicle.

Yes. When you sign up for your mooring, the Waterside and Marina Crew issue you with a key, fob, swipe card or code for you to gain access to the relevant jetties and facilities. You will then be able to visit the marina as and when you like.

Our sites are monitored by CCTV and have electronic access control systems installed. We try our very best to ensure they are as safe and secure as possible and we are always open to suggestions and feedback as to how we can improve.

Yes. We know that our berth holders and visitors love to bring their four-legged companions along with them to enjoy our waterside locations. We simply ask that you always ensure they’re on a lead, that you pick up after them and you respect your neighbours.

The Gold Anchor Award is an accreditation scheme which measures the breadth of facilities and quality of marinas. The scheme is run by The Yacht Harbour Association who have been auditing marinas for over 25 years. It is an independent assessment that is used worldwide and offers you the peace of mind that an accredited marina meets strict criteria for the standard of services and facilities it provides. All our Aquavista marinas (except Pennington Waterside & Marina which is at application stage as a new marina) have Gold Anchor accreditation. Find out more about the scheme here.

You can make a mooring enquiry directly through your preferred Waterside & Marina, or complete our mooring enquiry form. 

However, before you apply, it’s well worth having a chat with the team at the marina you are considering so they can guide you through the process and let you know what’s available and advise on the best mooring options to meet your requirements. 

Feedback from our customers and visitors is incredibly important to us. We like to be able to praise our team when they do something well, and vital we can quickly put right something that may have gone wrong.

Our marina teams are friendly and approachable and should be able to resolve most issues quickly.

If you'd like to pass comments, or the marina cannot resolve your query, then please share your comments via our online form. Please do give us your feedback as it helps us keep on improving your waterside experience.

We will acknowledge your email, and in most instances, where a response is required, we will reply within 7 working days. 

Our annual contract holders can benefit from Explore 100 at other Aquavista marinas. You can read more about that here, in our Explore 100 Policy.

Before making a journey, you should make contact with your alternative chosen Aquavista marina to ensure they have space for your boat. Berths can be reserved for you to stay for up to 100 days and you can have unlimited visits to any of our 29 marina locations.

Yes - and we highly recommend that you visit your selected marina before signing an agreement with us so that you can meet the team, get a feel for the environment and ask as many questions as you like. Please contact the marina before you arrive so that we can make sure a member of the team is available to let you in and show you around, as a lot of our marinas are locked and gated communities.

16 out of 29 of our marinas have full planning approved residential moorings. Look at our map to see where these are, or find out more about residential moorings here. 

When you live at the marina for more of the time, there is an increased use of marina facilities such as waste services and maintenance costs. Planning permission for residential moorings also come with conditions that cost additional money to implement, including everything from creating car parks to conducting ecological surveys and contributions to local authority through S106 agreements. Additionally, the marina is used as an official postal address, allowing for post handling and the ability to be registered with local community services and is legally your main residency in the UK.

Don’t forget, VAT is also included in your mooring fee. HMRC do allow some exceptions, for example, if the craft is a 'qualifying ship' or a defined houseboat without an engine. We always follow their guidelines and advice.

With a residential mooring you get additional benefits free of charge:

• Postal address at the marina
• Free storage box in non city marinas where there is space for these
• Free monthly pump out tokens
• Free laundry wash and dry tokens
• Parking space and bike storage (where available)
• The option of composite council tax where this is an option in your marina

If you are new to residential mooring, you may find our guide helpful. However, generally securing a residential mooring is like moving properties - once you have your mooring contract, you will know your new postal address.

You can then:

• Talk to the marina about the composite council tax option if this is an option in your marina. If you are opting out of the composite assessment, let us know.

• If you choose the composite assessment, you will need to find a couple of other residents who you can swap berths with. The marina staff can help you with this and let you know the best time to swap.

• Let everyone know your new address and update your records on all your business and official accounts.

• Find your local NHS services and register with them.

With a residential mooring, you have all the rights and responsibilities that apply to any UK resident, and that includes paying council tax.

If you wish to have an exclusive berth and not move berth during the year you become responsible for council tax and you will receive your council tax bill directly from the local council. If you wish to chose this option you will need to let Aquavista know through your local Marina Team and we won’t include you in our composite council tax assessment.

If you do not wish to have exclusivity, then if you move your boat twice in 12 months to two different berths then you are classed as part of the composite council tax assessment and this is paid on your behalf by Aquavista. The responsibility to move will be down to you, however Aquavista coordinate boat move days and these moves are then recorded on our systems and supplied to the local council and VOA on request. You are at risk if you do not move twice in a 12 month period and have this clearly documented by Aquavista, of being deemed to be fully responsible for council tax payments.

There are some marinas where there is not a composite council tax agreement, so please talk to your Marina Manager when deciding about residential.

You need to have a residential mooring if you want to live on your boat at the marina. You cannot live on your boat with a leisure mooring contract. This is because we need planning permission from the local authority to allow people to live on their boat at the marina. Without it, we would be contravening planning law. With the planning permission in place, we can offer residential moorings safely and legitimately.

Start right here, with our ‘New to Boating’ guide.

If you have a question that isn't answered here, please contact us via our enquiry form.

Aquavista benchmark our mooring prices across the marina industry annually to ensure we are competitively priced. Your mooring fees also include costs towards the utilities and waste industries that service our marinas and help to invest in the future environment and infrastructure of your chosen location. 

At Aquavista we believe in flexibility. That's why offer not only a range of different mooring options but a number of contract options also.

You can take your residential or leisure mooring with an annual contract that you pay in one go, or across 12 monthly direct debit instalments (taken on the 1st of every month they are due).

Or, as a leisure customer you can take a three or six-month mooring contract which you pay in one single payment. 

If you are choosing to make your contract payment in one single transaction, this must be made at least seven days before the start date of the contract. There are a number of different payment options are available to you, including BACS, debit and credit card and an online payment portal. 

If you have any queries regarding payment or how we charge for our moorings, please get in touch.

We have a small selection of essential items available to buy at many of our Waterside & Marina offices, we also have two larger chandlery stores at Sawley and Glasson Waterside & Marina.

Click here to find out more about our Aquavista chandleries. 

Simply click here, complete the form and we will send your card(s) to you as soon as possible. 

You can either sell your boat with Aquavista or selling your boat with an Aquavista authorised broker.

There is also a useful guide to buying and selling boats within our Guides, tips and FAQ pages.

There are no upfront costs. We operate on a no sale, no fee basis. When we successfully sell your boat all costs with be deducted from the sale price of the boat.

If you’re selling your boat with Aquavista we do everything for you. Should you require potential buyers to be accompanied that’s not a problem we’ll handle it. If you would rather do it yourself you can it’s not a problem.

If you use an authorised broker this might be not the same as we all operate differently.

The bill of sales acts as the legally binding document to transfer ownership of watercraft from the seller to the buyer.

You can use this document for transactions involving both new and old water vessels. Besides filling in the required details, the document must contain signatures of the seller, buyer, and witnesses to confirm the transaction took place.

The short answer is yes. But if the new owner wishes to keep the boat at the Waterside & Marina it is moored at, a commission is applied. This is called a sale on berth fee which is a percentage + VAT of the overall sale price of the vessel. 

This fee is applicable as a mooring location adds value to a boat and the ability to transfer this mooring can see purchasers bypass waiting lists for moorings. 

A lot of people prefer to sell their boats through Aquavista, should your location allow, as it is hassle-free.

Also, remember you still have to terminate your mooring contract and give the relevant amount of notice. Log in to your Aquavista account to check your termination period.

Yes. You would still have to pay for your residential mooring. Also bear in mind when we have successfully sold your boat you are still required to terminate your mooring with Aquavista and give the correct amount of notice, which in this case is three months.

If you still want to actively use your boat while we sell it, you will need to continue to pay for your moorings.

But if you want to place your boat on our sales jetty there would be no charge, but remember you won't have the flexibility to use it. Moorings will still need to be terminated appropriately, with the correct notice given as per your contract.

Yes, your boat must remain insured and hold a valid BSC. The boat still belongs to you, meaning you are still responsible for it so it would be within your best interest to have the boat fully insured.

Having a valid BSC makes the boat more appealing to prospective buyers, as they know that it has been inspected and meets the relevant safety guidelines. It is also peace of mind for us knowing we are selling a boat that is safe and up to standard.

Why not start here at Aquavista?

We have a variety of boats for sale, covering a variety of different prices, ages and style.

Apart from the agreed sale price, no, there is nothing else to pay. You might choose to have a marine surveyor perform a survey on your behalf, this would come at an additional cost to yourself.

It would usually go in the following order:

• Make an appointment to view the boat you are interested in
• After your first viewing, you might want to view it again, but if not you can then put an offer in for that boat
• There may be some negotiation on price between yourself and the seller so you might have to wait a little whilst this goes on
• Once an offer has been agreed we would advise you to have a pre-purchase survey. You usually have to diarise this, and securing a time can sometimes take a couple of weeks. Don’t worry though, we can help with this.
• Once the surveyors' report comes back to you, you might decide that you no longer wish to purchase the boat. If this is the case you would walk away from the purchase. Your penalty for doing so is the cost of the surveyor. 
• Dependent on the report you might wish to negotiate further on the price or you might be happy with the agreed price and continue with the purchase.
• Should you continue, we then contact the seller and get the wheels in motion for the final paperwork to be agreed and signed
• The boat is then yours.

This might seem a lot but our experienced team are on hand to help every step of the way!

For further details take a look at our helpful Process to purchasing guide. 

We would advise that you get your insurance in place, check your BSC is up to date and ensure you have a copy. If it is not up to date this must be a priority as soon as you take ownership. Make sure you have your Canal & River Trust license in place. Also, make sure you have a mooring in place to take your boat to. We can help you with all of these things, so don’t worry.

I might be worth looking at our Leisure ownership page. This might answer your questions around insurance and boat safety certificate.  

Well, you’ve come to the right place! Here at Aquavista we have 29 waterside & marina locations nationwide. Click here and see which of our locations is best suits your needs and requirements.

We have a variety of guides that might answer this question for you depending on the level of detail you require:

Leisure ownership

Residential living

Boat maintenance  

Our floating homes may be purchased as a residential option or as a holiday home for the personal use of the owner. They are not for renting out.

Yes, your floating home has full planning permission for residential use, so you can live here all year round.

Yes, but please respect the marina’s local rules relating to pets and having them with you when living aboard your floating home.

No, the planning permission excludes sub-letting.

Usually, a floating home falls into the lowest bracket (Band A) but you should check locally to make sure.

Because of the legal tenure and the fact that you will have no interest in the land on which the home is situated, most high street lenders will not provide finance. Other finance options are available.

No, they are excluded from these.

The selling price includes all fixtures and fittings, siting and connection to services. Full details are included in the sales agreement documentation.

There is an annual service charge which may vary between waterside locations. It will form part of your agreement and covers the cost of your services, including such items as sewage, water, upkeep of communal grounds and road maintenance. For details on current service charges, please contact us. 

As you don’t own the land where your floating home is located, you don’t have to pay any stamp duty.

You will need planning permission to do so. If you have this in place, we can supply a floating home by special negotiation.

You will receive a written agreement at least 28 days before completion. You will also receive a sale and purchase agreement that includes your floating home specification, a floating home mooring licence agreement, a copy of the marina rules and details of guarantees and warranties that are applicable.

Your floating home is a valuable asset. Although you do not own the land upon which it is situated, you still have the right to bequeath it. The law treats a floating home as a chattel—rather like a car or a boat— so it is important that the wording of your will embraces this fact.