Short answer: a motorhome habitation check is an annual inspection of the living parts of your motorhome — gas, electrics, water, body, damp and safety systems. It is a check, not a service. Things get inspected and tested, not serviced. In the UK it typically costs between £80 and £500 depending on who does it. If your motorhome is under warranty, your maker will usually require one each year to keep that warranty valid. If it's out of warranty and you're reasonably handy, you can do most of it yourself with a damp meter and a methodical eye.
That's the answer. The rest of this article is the detail.
"Habitation service" is the wrong name
The first thing to say is that this isn't a service. It is a check. Nothing is serviced. Your fridge isn't serviced. Your water heater isn't serviced. They're inspected, tested, and a box is ticked on a sheet.
Some companies still insist on calling it a Habitation Service, but that tends to be because they want to charge you more for it. Through the rest of this article we'll call it what it is: a habitation check.
What actually gets checked
A habitation check is an inspection of the living, or "habitation", part of the motorhome — the bit that turns a van into a home. The official AWS check sheet is long, but the meaningful parts fall into six areas.
Underneath. The waste tank, any underslung gas tank, and the visible chassis area are inspected for security, condition and any obvious damage.
Electrics. Both the 12-volt leisure system and the 230-volt mains system are tested. Sockets, lights, the charger, the trip protection, the leisure battery and anything that's supposed to operate electrically — fan, fridge on EHU, water pump, alarm — all get checked.
Gas. This is one of the two parts of the check that genuinely matters. The system is leak-tested, hoses are inspected for age and damage, flame-failure devices are confirmed working, and every appliance that runs on gas is checked for a clean burn and adequate ventilation.
Fresh and waste water. Tanks, taps, pump, the boiler and the shower are tested for leaks and proper operation.
Fire and safety. Smoke alarm, carbon monoxide alarm and fire extinguisher are checked, plus the fire blanket if you've got one.
Bodywork and damp. Door and window seals, roof seals, vents, fly screens, locker catches and — most importantly — a damp meter survey of the walls, floor and ceiling. This is the part that catches expensive problems before they become catastrophic ones.
The two parts that genuinely matter for your safety are gas and electrics. The part that matters for your wallet is damp.
What it costs
Costs vary enormously, more than they should. As a rough guide for the UK in 2026:
- £80–£150 — independent Approved Workshop, no frills, full check
- £150–£250 — typical mainstream Approved Workshop or smaller dealer
- £250–£500 — main dealer, particularly during warranty period
Properly done, a habitation check takes at least a couple of hours, so you'll always pay for at least two hours of labour. Dealer hourly rates are usually higher than independent rates. That alone explains a lot of the spread.
The big number — £500 — is sometimes a fair reflection of dealer overheads and sometimes a deadpan stare while they wait to see if you'll pay it. Shop around.
How long does it take
Two to three hours for a thorough check, including the damp survey. Anything much under that is probably a tick-box exercise. Some workshops will let you wait while it's done; others want the vehicle for half a day so they can do it without interruption.
How often you need one
The standard answer is annually. If you're inside the manufacturer's warranty period, that "annually" is usually a hard requirement — miss it and you can invalidate the warranty. The Approved Workshop sticker most workshops put on the inside of a habitation door is dated, which makes the timing easy to track.
Out of warranty, the case for an annual check is less black-and-white, but the case for an annual damp survey is rock solid. More on that below.
The Approved Workshop Scheme (AWS)
The Approved Workshop Scheme is the joint kitemark run by the National Caravan Council, the Caravan and Motorhome Club, and the Camping and Caravanning Club. Workshops in the scheme are independently audited and use a standardised checklist, so you know what you're getting.
Most reputable workshops, dealer or independent, are part of the scheme. That's important for two reasons. First, it tells you the standard of the work has been independently verified. Second, it means a dealer can hardly complain if you have your habitation check done by a similarly qualified independent Approved Workshop down the road. The work is the same; the price often isn't.
A list of approved workshops is at approvedworkshops.co.uk.
The free-checks-when-buying tip
When you're buying a motorhome from a dealer with their own workshop, the cost of providing a habitation check is — to them — almost nothing. A few hours of a workshop technician's time. Yet they'll happily charge you £200–£400 for it, year after year.
Use that. At the point of negotiating the deal, when the salesperson is keen to close, ask for the next two or three years of habitation checks to be included. To them, it's a small cost wrapped into a much bigger sale. To you, it's £600–£1,200 saved over the warranty period. Almost everyone will agree to it if you ask. Almost nobody asks.
Damp-only checks
Some manufacturers don't insist on a full habitation check to maintain their warranty — they only require an annual damp check. These cost much less, often £40–£80, and address the single most expensive thing that can quietly go wrong with a motorhome.
If your maker is one of these, take advantage. Don't pay for a full habitation check just because someone told you that's how it's done.
Out of warranty: do you still need one?
This is where the answer changes.
Of the things on the official check sheet, plenty are things you'd notice on your own. If the fridge isn't working, you don't need an inspector to tell you. If the tap drips, you can see it. The list looks impressive but a fair bit of it is padding.
Three things on the sheet, however, genuinely deserve professional attention:
Gas. Gas can hurt or kill you. If you're at all uncertain about gas systems, this part alone justifies a check.
Electrics. If you don't know your way around a multimeter, having someone who does look at the leisure and mains systems is sensible peace of mind. Faults rarely turn fatal, but they can become expensive quickly.
Damp. This is the killer — of bank balances, mostly. Damp can quietly destroy the structure of a motorhome over a couple of years before you notice. Once you've seen a van with a rotten rear panel because of a tiny crack in a brake-light seal, you become slightly paranoid about it. I know I am.
If you're competent with tools and confident around electrics and gas, an annual self-inspection plus an annual damp survey is enough. If you're not, the few hundred quid for a professional check is cheap insurance.
Doing your own habitation check
For owners who want to do most of it themselves, the structure is straightforward.
Buy a damp meter. Even the basic ones do the job for under £40. The Brennenstuhl moisture detector is the cheap-and-cheerful one a lot of Funsters use; this is an affiliate link to it. There are fancier meters, but for the once-a-year survey on a motorhome, the simple ones are perfectly adequate.
Once a year, ideally in early autumn before the first wet spell:
- Walk every external seal — windows, roof lights, solar panel mounts, brake lights, marker lights, body joins, awning rail. Look for cracks, hardening, peeling or shrinking sealant
- Clean each seal as you go so you can actually see what you're looking at
- Inside the van, take a damp meter to every wall, floor edge, ceiling corner, and the back wall behind the bed. Note any reading higher than a baseline you've established on a clearly dry area
- Check inside lockers and cupboards for water staining or that musty earthy smell that tells you something is leaking somewhere
- Test every gas appliance ignites cleanly and burns blue
- Run every tap, the shower, the toilet flush, the boiler. Check for leaks under the sink, behind the cooker, and where the water pipes pass through any wall
- Test every electrical socket and light. Confirm the leisure battery is holding voltage. Confirm the mains hookup trips correctly when it should
- Check the fire extinguisher, fire blanket, smoke alarm and CO alarm
Keep a written record. If you ever sell the van, that record is worth real money to a buyer.
Habitation check vs MOT vs service
These three are different things and often get confused.
The MOT is a roadworthiness test of the vehicle — chassis, brakes, tyres, lights, emissions. Annual once the vehicle is three years old.
The chassis service is a routine service of the vehicle as a vehicle — oil, filters, brake fluid, the things any van or car needs. Usually annual or based on mileage.
The habitation check is everything in the back — the living part. It is independent of, and unrelated to, the MOT and the chassis service.
You need all three. Two are mandatory; the third is strongly advisable.
What you should get afterward
When the check is finished you should be handed:
- A completed check sheet, signed and dated
- An AWS sticker for inside your habitation door, if the workshop is in the scheme
- An itemised list of any faults found
- A quote for any work that needs doing as a result
Keep all of this with the motorhome's documents. It's evidence the check happened and increases the resale value.
What to do if the check finds something bad
Don't panic. Most habitation checks turn up at least one issue. Common ones include slightly elevated damp readings around a window seal, a tired gas hose, a leisure battery on the way out, or an EHU socket that's seen better days.
Get the fault explained, get a written quote to fix it, and decide based on severity. Damp readings that are high and rising need acting on quickly. A 12-year-old gas hose can wait a couple of months but not a year. A flat-feeling leisure battery isn't urgent.
The four-point summary
- If you're competent and confident, you can do most of the check yourself
- If you're not, pay someone to do it — but shop around. The price spread is enormous
- If you're under warranty, get it done. The peace of mind alone is worth it, and the warranty depends on it
- Either way, buy a damp meter and check your seals every year. Any van can leak. Yes, even the German one.
What real Funsters say
The hab-check question comes up regularly on MotorhomeFun, and the discussions are more candid than any article can be. Three threads worth reading:
- Hab Check — Yes or No? — the perennial debate, with members on both sides making honest cases
- Habitation Check Pricing — How Much? — actual prices being paid right now around the country
- Do-It-Yourself Habitation Checks — for the practical owners who'd rather do their own
If you're on the fence about whether to pay for one this year, those threads will help more than this article will.
Further reading on MotorhomeFun
- Motorhome Condensation: Causes, Damage, and Prevention
- Motorhome Tyres
- The Motorhome Checklist
- Motorhome Dealer Defects Survey
If you've never had a hab check explained properly, or you're not sure your van really needs one, the most useful next step isn't another article. It's spending ten minutes joining MotorhomeFun and reading what owners actually paid, what the workshop actually found, and what they'd do differently next year.
Disclaimer
This article is for general information and educational purposes only. Working on gas, electrical or other safety-critical systems in a motorhome can be dangerous if not done correctly. Some tasks may only legally be undertaken by qualified or certified professionals — gas work, in particular, must be carried out by a Gas Safe registered engineer. MotorhomeFun makes no warranty as to the accuracy, completeness or suitability of the information provided, and accepts no liability for any loss, damage, injury or cost arising directly or indirectly from reliance on this guide. Always follow the manufacturer's service recommendations and current UK laws and regulations. If in doubt, seek professional advice.
What is a motorhome habitation check?
It’s an annual inspection of the living parts of your motorhome — gas, electrics, fresh and waste water, body seals, damp, and safety equipment such as smoke and carbon monoxide alarms. It’s a check, not a service: items are tested and inspected, but not actually serviced. Most reputable workshops use a standardised checklist set by the Approved Workshop Scheme.
How much does a motorhome habitation check cost in the UK?
Prices vary widely. A no-frills full check at an independent Approved Workshop typically runs £80–£150. Mainstream Approved Workshops and smaller dealers usually charge £150–£250. Main dealers, particularly during the warranty period, can charge £250–£500. Expect to pay for at least two hours of labour at the workshop’s hourly rate, which is what most of the spread comes down to.
How long does a motorhome habitation check take?
Two to three hours for a thorough check, including the damp survey. Anything significantly under that is probably a tick-box exercise rather than a proper inspection.
How often should I have a habitation check?
Annually. If your motorhome is under warranty, an annual habitation check is usually a hard requirement to keep that warranty valid. Out of warranty, the case for a full annual check is less clear-cut, but the case for an annual damp survey — done either professionally or with a damp meter yourself — is rock solid.
Is a habitation check the same as an MOT?
No. The MOT tests the vehicle as a vehicle — chassis, brakes, tyres, lights and emissions. The habitation check inspects the living part of the motorhome — gas, electrics, water, damp and safety. They are independent of each other, and you need both. The chassis service (oil, filters, brake fluid) is a third, separate thing.
Can I do my own motorhome habitation check?
Most of it, yes, if you’re reasonably handy and confident around 12V electrics. Buy a damp meter, walk every external seal once a year, take damp readings inside, test every gas appliance and every tap, and check the leisure battery, sockets and lights. The two parts where many owners still prefer a professional are the gas system and any 230V mains issues — both for safety and for documented peace of mind.
Do I need a habitation check if my motorhome is out of warranty?
Not legally, no. Practically, yes for damp at a minimum. Damp is the single most expensive thing that can quietly go wrong with a motorhome, and an annual damp survey — either professional or DIY with a meter — is what catches it before it becomes catastrophic. A full habitation check is sensible peace of mind if you’re uncertain about gas or electrics, and unnecessary if you’re competent and methodical.
What’s the difference between a habitation check and a damp check?
A full habitation check covers gas, electrics, water, body, damp and safety. A damp check is just the damp survey — meter readings around walls, floor, roof and seals to identify any water ingress. Damp checks cost less, often £40–£80, and some manufacturers will accept a damp-only check to maintain warranty. Always check what your maker actually requires before paying for a full check unnecessarily.
Where can I find an Approved Workshop?
The Approved Workshop Scheme is run jointly by the National Caravan Council, the Caravan and Motorhome Club, and the Camping and Caravanning Club. The full directory is at approvedworkshops.co.uk. Workshops in the scheme are independently audited and use the same standardised checklist, so you can have confidence in the work whether you go to a dealer or an independent.