Buying a Catering Trailer or Van: Gas, Towing and Checks

What should you check before buying a catering trailer or van?

Check six things before money changes hands: the gas installation and its safety paperwork, the weights (and whether you can legally tow it), hot and cold water and hand-washing, the electrics and power supply, the condition of the body, chassis and running gear, and proof that the seller owns it. A catering unit that looks ready to trade can need significant work to pass a gas check or an inspection, and that cost belongs in the price.

Gas: the big one

Most units cook on bottled LPG. Work on gas appliances and pipework must be done by a Gas Safe registered engineer qualified for LPG in mobile catering. Appliances should be suitable for commercial catering use and have flame failure devices. Ask for the current gas safety inspection record for the unit (often called a mobile catering gas safety certificate). Venues, event organisers, councils and insurers commonly ask for one dated within the last 12 months. If there is none, budget for an inspection and any repairs before trading, and have it checked before you buy if you can.

Towing: can you legally pull it?

Since 16 December 2021, drivers in Great Britain with a car licence (category B) can tow a trailer up to 3,500kg maximum authorised mass without taking a separate trailer test. The limits that still apply are the tow vehicle's own towing capacity and gross train weight, shown on its VIN plate and in the handbook. Trailers over 750kg must have working brakes. Catering trailers are heavy once fitted and stocked, so check the plated weight, not the brochure figure.

Water, hand washing and the kitchen

The unit must have hand-washing facilities with hot and cold (or suitably mixed) water, separate from any sink used for food or equipment. Look at the water tanks, pump, water heater, waste tank, work surfaces, fridge capacity and extraction. A council inspector will judge the unit as a food premises, so anything hard to keep hygienic will count against a rating.

Electrics, body and paperwork

Check whether the unit runs on a generator, a hook-up, or both, and whether the wiring looks professionally done. Portable electrical equipment should be tested. On a van, check the MOT history online and the V5C; on a trailer, check the chassis, tyres, brakes, lights and coupling. Trailers in Great Britain are not registered with the DVLA like a car, so ownership rests on receipts and the seller's paperwork; a chassis number that matches the documents helps.

After you buy

Register the unit as a food business with the council where it will be kept, at least 28 days before trading. Arrange insurance for the vehicle or trailer and the business. Get the gas checked if the paperwork is not current. And check the street trading rules where you plan to trade, because a unit can be ready and legal to cook in without being allowed to sell in a particular street.