Caravan Ground Rent Fees

kathcymraeg

Hello

We have a tourer caravan sited locally near our home on a listed Caravan and Camping Leisure Park ,(not the seaside) owned by a private family firm not a huge company.

We have been there for over 20 years as it's convenient for us as we don't have a garden at home.

In the beginning there was only half a dozen caravans or more  in a field with  no security and very basic facilities, those days you could pay the yearly ground rent fees monthly (£680 then) but now over the years the owner has expanded and has 2 huge storage compounds and hundreds of tourers and static caravans sited by caravan owners with the ground rent fees now at £1400.00 for tourers and well over £2000.00 for  statics which all had to be paid up front full payment on 1st March.

We were told last week by their office staff that they were instructed by the Government that at 12pm that day to close and we had to  take whatever needed from the caravans and vacate the park as they were closing and no admittance after that.

So where do we stand with any kind of refund if this goes on as expected.

Are there any guidelines on this sort of matter for customers who have paid in advance  £1400.00 in our case gor a facility they cannot access.
Thank you in advance for any advice.

HRH_MUngo

You are paying to site your van on the land and whatever facilities such as plumbing, electricity etc. I don't think you will get a refund. 

Mr_Happy_5

Hi, We have a Static caravan on a Parkdean site in Cornwall, the site fees are expensive at over £4000 a year, We have been informed  (Quite rightly) that the park is closed, I have two concerns 1) will we be offered the chance to roll the site fees from 2020 to 2021, we are paying for a service not received? would this be a morale or legal position? 2) The license allows for 12 years before you have to upgrade or leave, are they duty bound to extend the license to cover this disaster? Having been an owner for a number of years I believe we will be the losers with no regard from Parkdean Resorts to the owners.

insert_random_name_here

If you get a (partial) refund from your park, will it put them in danger of collapse, especially if it is privately owned? A static caravan on a park that has gone out of business is a liability as you won't likely find another park that you can easily move it to.

Extending the licence another year is a good suggestion though. 

Lynda1301

Although not totally related, we have a motorhome and finding it difficult to get a refund on bookings we have made over the summer.  Anyone know the stance on this - can we demand it back or is it at their discretion,?

Aylesbury_Duck

Mr_Happy_5 said:

Hi, We have a Static caravan on a Parkdean site in Cornwall, the site fees are expensive at over £4000 a year, We have been informed  (Quite rightly) that the park is closed, I have two concerns 1) will we be offered the chance to roll the site fees from 2020 to 2021, we are paying for a service not received? would this be a morale or legal position? 2) The license allows for 12 years before you have to upgrade or leave, are they duty bound to extend the license to cover this disaster? Having been an owner for a number of years I believe we will be the losers with no regard from Parkdean Resorts to the owners.

I can't see that Parkdean will be obliged to offer anything because they are providing the service you paid for: accommodate your caravan.  Do your terms specifically guarantee a minimum number of weeks' occupancy in a year or similar?

Aylesbury_Duck

Lynda1301 said:

Although not totally related, we have a motorhome and finding it difficult to get a refund on bookings we have made over the summer.  Anyone know the stance on this - can we demand it back or is it at their discretion,?

If the site you've booked with is closed, you should be able to claim a refund, but summer is a while away in what is a fast-moving situation.  It's probably too early to demand a refund because they don't know if they'll be open or not.

Mr_Happy_5

The license states the park is open from March1st until January each year?

Aylesbury_Duck

And we are in exceptional times.  Your caravan is still there, being accommodated, so rent is due.

It's little different to my student nephew who's paying for accommodation all the way up until September 1st that he isn't using because he's back home and unable to travel to his student accommodation.  He isn't due a refund.