Park home

joshly

I always assumed that if I purchased a timber clad park home that it could only be lived in for a certain amount of weeks per year.

But I have been exchanging emails with a park employee and was told that

"The lodges are built to residential spec so they can be used all year round."

[FONT=Times New Roman,serif][FONT=Calibri,sans-serif]"The park is open 12 months of the year for holiday occupancy . There is no restriction on how long you can stay on the park for, however you do have to be registered on the electoral role at an address elsewhere."[/FONT][/FONT]



[FONT=Times New Roman,serif][FONT=Calibri,sans-serif]So it would seem to me that I could not live there 365 days of the year legally if it was my only property.[/FONT][/FONT]

Ground rent is £1800 a year, tax band A.

[FONT=Times New Roman,serif][FONT=Calibri,sans-serif]I would be grateful if anyone that knows more about this could clarify.[/FONT][/FONT]

moneyistooshorttomention

I imagine it would be as well to check all costs (not just the "ground rent") and restrictions (eg which people are allowed to live or not live on the site, the arrangements for fuel for the homes, any restrictions as to who one can sell them to when moving out, etc).

I've just heard various horror stories about mobile home sites - none about who the other occupants would be (so there must be vetting to ensure troublemakers cant move in in the first place) - but I have read various horror stories about the way the owner of some of these sites can treat tenants. As I understand it - you will have to think of yourself as a tenant and not a home-owner (as these homes don't seem to own the land they are sat on from what I can see).

Hopefully some people who live on mobile home sites will come along and tell you what restrictions and costs there are and what their experience of them is.

Fire_Fox

Speak to the Planning department at the local council about what is permitted.

lincroft1710

The park clearly only has a licence as a holiday park and not a residential park.

smileytiger

The fact that you cannot be on the electoral roll on the park means you cannot use it as you only permanent residence, and it is therefore a holiday home to all intents and purposes. A lot of holiday sites bend the rules, charge you ground rent & council tax ( not paid by you direct but through them), and let you live there all year round.
Don't touch any sites like this with a barge pole - proper residential parks, where yes you pay ground rent for the 'pitch' as you don't own the land, but in all other aspects you are the home owner and are responsible for all bills & have an entry on the electoral roll should you wish to.
If you do decide to give it a go - do plenty of homework, legwork & speak to neighbours etc - lots of parks have age or other restrictions & there's usually tons of small print in the contract!

Not trying to be negative as i'm a happy park home resident - but def do your research to avoid the scams - good luck.

SailorSam

I've read horror stories where residents have received large bills for electric 'cos they can only buy from the site owner. And if they want to sell the caravan/lodge they have to sell back to the site at whatever price they're offered .

ABN

A read of this thread may help

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/4300959

RosaofEdge

If you are buying a Park Home as your main home the main thing you want to ensure is that you have security of tenure. Lettings which are regulated by the Mobile Homes Act give important rights controlling the site owner's right to obtain possession, controlling rent increases etc. The government is also legislating to clamp down on the extortionate fees which site owners can charge if you later want to sell. But the measures they are bringing in to curb this abuse will only be of any use to people whose homes come within the Mobile Homes Act. This usually applies only to caravans/park homes on residential sites not holiday sites.

There are three things to check

The terms of the planning permission for the site

The terms of the site licence

The terms of the agreement(s) you are entering into for buying the park home and renting a plot.

You want to make sure that the site is a protected site - one where neither the site licence nor the planning consent in force imposes any restrictions on the parts of the year when it can be used and does not designate it for holiday use only.

You can get this information from your council’s planning department and the section which deals with licensing caravan/park home sites. If different parts of the site have different licences/permissions make sure yours is on part of the site free from restrictions.

Secondly you want to make sure that the agreement you sign with the Site Owner does not restrict the times of the year that you can stay there or restrict you to holiday use.

You need to see the terms of the licence or plot rental agreement as well as the agreement to buy the park home before you part with any money or enter any obligation - AND PAY A SOLICITOR TO GIVE ADVICE ABOUT IT.

Security of tenure is really important if this is to be your only home. Especially if you are retiring you would not choose to rent a flat from a private landlord on a short term agreement who could double the rent or end your tenancy at a drop of a hat. You would want a tenancy which offers proper security so you are not facing housing insecurity in your declining years.

Check out the IPHAS web site for further information

<Oops it will not let me post the link as I am a new user. So google Independent Park Homes Advisory Service instead.>

There are useful faqs there, information about the Mobile Homes Bill going through parliament, a phone advice line, links to residents organisations and to the small number of solicitors expert in this field. Also very inexpensive publications you can buy about the rights of people living in mobile homes.

joshly

Thank-you all for the informative replies. Thanks for the links which I will go and read after I have posted this.

Like many of you I had heard many horror stories about site fees increasing at an extortionate rate, site owners blocking a sale and having to renew the home when they decide it is old enough.

These are new timber clad park homes with a concrete foundation. The properties are really well spread out with plenty of room between neighbours.

There is electricity gas and water which are all paid directly to the utilities companies.

Moving to a park home is probably not the right thing to do, it's just I find myself in a flat which is driving me crazy for numerous reasons (I am trying to sell it) and am looking at my options.

I have another 20 years before I can think about retirement.

GDB2222

"These are new timber clad park homes with a concrete foundation. The properties are really well spread out with plenty of room between neighbours."

Anything to stop the owners selling these ones, then filling in the gaps in between?

Compared to real houses, these appear cheap, but their long term investment value is practically nil.

You are absolutely in the hands of the park owners, and they have already made it clear they are prepared to bend the rules. Just walk away, or better still run.

Hillbilly1

Really good thread. Every so often I am tempted by some of these on the coast near where I grew up.

These are all the reasons (and some more) why I always feel uneasy and never do it!

Thanks everyone!