Holiday home ground rent ?

bazasalty

I have a holiday home (static caravan) on a registered Holiday Park.

I paid my ground rent, rates and utility bill back in Jan 2020 to cover year 20/21.

Will I be entitled to a refund on the ground rent for the duration the park is closed due to covid19 as per the government order to close holiday parks. 

And also the rates (which a portion of the park’s Business Rates) as the business rates are not paid by the park owners this year. 

Lastly, utilities ie; water, waste etc - again not using these as site is closed. Will I be entitled to a refund.

Aylesbury_Duck

bazasalty said:

I have a holiday home (static caravan) on a registered Holiday Park.

I paid my ground rent, rates and utility bill back in Jan 2020 to cover year 20/21.

Will I be entitled to a refund on the ground rent for the duration the park is closed due to covid19 as per the government order to close holiday parks. 

And also the rates (which a portion of the park’s Business Rates) as the business rates are not paid by the park owners this year. 

Lastly, utilities ie; water, waste etc - again not using these as site is closed. Will I be entitled to a refund.

Depends on your contract.  If it's simply for them to store your caravan, then they are doing so and you wouldn't be entitled to a refund on your ground rent.  The fact it's called "ground rent" suggests that's the case.  You are after all, using the ground!

As for rates and utilities, you need to ask the park what their stance is.  And read your contract to see if there's anything in it relating to those costs.

Barnby

bazasalty said:

I have a holiday home (static caravan) on a registered Holiday Park.

I paid my ground rent, rates and utility bill back in Jan 2020 to cover year 20/21.

Will I be entitled to a refund on the ground rent for the duration the park is closed due to covid19 as per the government order to close holiday parks. 

And also the rates (which a portion of the park’s Business Rates) as the business rates are not paid by the park owners this year. 

Lastly, utilities ie; water, waste etc - again not using these as site is closed. Will I be entitled to a refund.

I'm in the same position. Paid annual site fees on 1st April. Site owner is member of BH&HPA and is quoting their non committal letter dated 7th April as the "industry guidance". The council tax element of fees will be waived as site is entitled to Council tax "deferment".
Owner stating they are maintaining the park so that when we return it will be "the happy relaxing holiday retreat you remember". 
Owner has just pocketed around £300k in site fees. Has furloughed all employees. He lives on site and has son also on on site. Owner 70+ son 45ish. Site has about 60 caravans and lodges with fishing lakes. 
The site is strictly holiday site but there are about 6 lodges used as permanent residences. These people were allowed to stay on site as they had no permanent home to go to. 
Absolutely disgusted with this. They pay no council tax but expect full benefits of the NHS, police, roads etc. 
Site owner just flouting the rules until local council catch up with him. 
There needs to be question asked about site fees for the thousands of holiday home owners unable (rightly) to use their caravans. 
Site owners aren't going to refund fees unless there is legislation. 

Barnby

Aylesbury_Duck said:

bazasalty said:

I have a holiday home (static caravan) on a registered Holiday Park.

I paid my ground rent, rates and utility bill back in Jan 2020 to cover year 20/21.

Will I be entitled to a refund on the ground rent for the duration the park is closed due to covid19 as per the government order to close holiday parks. 

And also the rates (which a portion of the park’s Business Rates) as the business rates are not paid by the park owners this year. 

Lastly, utilities ie; water, waste etc - again not using these as site is closed. Will I be entitled to a refund.

Depends on your contract.  If it's simply for them to store your caravan, then they are doing so and you wouldn't be entitled to a refund on your ground rent.  The fact it's called "ground rent" suggests that's the case.  You are after all, using the ground!

As for rates and utilities, you need to ask the park what their stance is.  And read your contract to see if there's anything in it relating to those costs.

I suspect that @bazasalty is using the term "ground rent" as a general description.
Site fees is possibly a more accurate description. 

sharpe106

I'm in the same position. Paid annual site fees on 1st April. Site owner is member of BH&HPA and is quoting their non committal letter dated 7th April as the "industry guidance". The council tax element of fees will be waived as site is entitled to Council tax "deferment".

They have a reduction so passing it to you, that seems fair enough

Owner stating they are maintaining the park so that when we return it will be "the happy relaxing holiday retreat you remember". 

It will still cost them the same pretty much to run the park if it was full or empty.

Owner has just pocketed around £300k in site fees. Has furloughed all employees. He lives on site and has son also on site. Owner 70+ son 45ish. Site has about 60 caravans and lodges with fishing lakes. 

Pretty much every company that has furloughed employees are still making some money. Not sure why the age of the owner and that he lives on the site has to with anything.

The site is strictly holiday site but there are about 6 lodges used as permanent residences. These people were allowed to stay on site as they had no permanent home to go to. 

Do you know for a fact that it is strictly a holiday site or that they are just advertising it as a holiday site?

Site owner just flouting the rules until local council catch up with him. 

If that is the case I am sure they will one day, and if you really think strongly enough about it you can be the one to tell them, otherwise how else will the find out.

There needs to be question asked about site fees for the thousands of holiday home owners unable (rightly) to use their caravans. Site owners aren't going to refund fees unless there is legislation. 

If it was your business and your livelihood would you issue refunds unless you had too? Yes it is not your fault you can’t access it but it is not theirs either. By the same logic all second homes owners should get a refund as they can’t go to it.

Barnby

Thanks for your advice @sharpe106. 

A section of  site information are shown below. It is definitely a Holiday Home site and does not have a residential licence. I have asked previously and been told that I could not have a lodge on the site unless I had a main residence where I was paying council tax  and could prove it with a council tax bill. 
What annoys me is that these people are contributing NOTHING to the local economy in the way of council tax but would expect treatment by the NHS if the fall ill for any reason. 
As regards running costs, they are not paying employees and have no maintenance costs. The people living on site are getting the value from their site fees. 

Detail from the site Q&A.... Site name removed. 

+ I am retired and want to use the Holiday Home all the time, is this possible?

Many of the Holiday Home owners at ************** are retired and spend extended periods of their time at the park. However, if you wish to do this you will need to retain a main residence elsewhere from the park.

DoaM

Barnby said:

What annoys me is that these people are contributing NOTHING to the local economy in the way of council tax but would expect treatment by the NHS if the fall ill for any reason.

Council tax doesn't pay for the NHS.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Health_Service_(England)
The NHS is largely funded from general taxation, with a small amount being contributed by National Insurance payments[5] and from fees levied in accordance with recent changes in the Immigration Act 2014.[6] The UK government department responsible for the NHS is the Department of Health and Social Care, headed by the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care. On 9 January 2018, the Department of Health was renamed the Department of Health and Social Care. The Department of Health had a £110 billion budget in 2013–14, most of this being spent on the NHS

davidmcn

Barnby said:

What annoys me is that these people are contributing NOTHING to the local economy in the way of council tax but would expect treatment by the NHS if the fall ill for any reason. 

What's the connection between these? Lots of people don't pay council tax, it's got absolutely nothing to do with entitlement to health care.

Hasbeen

Barnby said:

I have asked previously and been told that I could not have a lodge on the site unless I had a main residence where I was paying council tax  and could prove it with a council tax bill. 

What annoys me is that these people are contributing NOTHING to the local economy in the way of council tax but would expect treatment by the NHS if the fall ill for any reason. 

Detail from the site Q&A.... Site name removed. 

+ I am retired and want to use the Holiday Home all the time, is this possible?

Many of the Holiday Home owners at ************** are retired and spend extended periods of their time at the park. However, if you wish to do this you will need to retain a main residence elsewhere from the park.

Well it appears from your post that in order to get a lodge on site, all you have to do is provide proof that you are paying your council tax?

Is that the same requirement as the other people who have lodges?

And the NHS is paid mainly by people who have worked " tax" People who have retired have probably paid more than most?

Barnby

Hasbeen said:

Barnby said:

I have asked previously and been told that I could not have a lodge on the site unless I had a main residence where I was paying council tax  and could prove it with a council tax bill. 

What annoys me is that these people are contributing NOTHING to the local economy in the way of council tax but would expect treatment by the NHS if the fall ill for any reason. 

Detail from the site Q&A.... Site name removed. 

+ I am retired and want to use the Holiday Home all the time, is this possible?

Many of the Holiday Home owners at ************** are retired and spend extended periods of their time at the park. However, if you wish to do this you will need to retain a main residence elsewhere from the park.

Well it appears from your post that in order to get a lodge on site, all you have to do is provide proof that you are paying your council tax?

Is that the same requirement as the other people who have lodges?

And the NHS is paid mainly by people who have worked " tax" People who have retired have probably paid more than most?

The rules of the site quite clearly state that a lodge/caravan cannot be used as your main residence. In order to prove you have a main residence is to provide a council tax bill and utility bill in your name. This is fairly standard requirement of many organisations to prove who you are and that any address provided is your legitimate main residence. 
The owner hasn't been following this criteria in the last few years in order to sell lodges to people who probably would not be able to afford the £180k cost. The people sell their main residence and buy a lodge with plenty of spare cash in the bank. They would pay council tax if they did have a main residence. As they don't, they aren't.

Barnby

davidmcn said:

Barnby said:

What annoys me is that these people are contributing NOTHING to the local economy in the way of council tax but would expect treatment by the NHS if the fall ill for any reason. 

What's the connection between these? Lots of people don't pay council tax, it's got absolutely nothing to do with entitlement to health care.

I stand corrected