Caravan Site Fees during Covid 19

JoNoPo

WE have a static caravan sited in Northumberland on a privately owned site.   We have paid our site fees (£3,000) for 2020.  The site is obviously closed due to Covid 19 and its unlikely to be opened any time soon.  What is the legal position regarding our site fees - are we entitled to a refund or a reduction as we have paid for a facility which is now unavailable. We have had no information from the site as yet and the government are only dealing at present with holidays, weddings et. Any one else in the same position who has information would be appreciated. Thanks

Life__Goes__On

What method of payment do you use?

Aylesbury_Duck

Depends on your contract.  What does it say about what you're paying for?  If it's simply to store your caravan on site, then they are doing that.  If it guarantees a minimum number of days' access in a year (or something similar) then you have an argument for a reduction.

JoNoPo

Hi The method of payment that we used for paying pitch fees is BACS transfer. I dont think we can pay by credit card if that was your thinking.
Thanks

Life__Goes__On

JoNoPo said:

Hi The method of payment that we used for paying pitch fees is BACS transfer. I dont think we can pay by credit card if that was your thinking.
Thanks

Unless I'm corrected the only way I see apart from asking for a refund or  payment to be transfer to next year, is to take legal action though the courts.
But as AD says  it will depend on your contract.

JoNoPo

The question regarding what we are paying for according to our contract - We can keep the caravan on the pitch to use for holiday and recreational purposes during the period (which is for 11months per year). This is a STATIC caravan so its not just storage we are paying for.

Aylesbury_Duck

So what are you paying for, beyond storage?

Undervalued

JoNoPo said:

WE have a static caravan sited in Northumberland on a privately owned site.   We have paid our site fees (£3,000) for 2020.  The site is obviously closed due to Covid 19 and its unlikely to be opened any time soon.  What is the legal position regarding our site fees - are we entitled to a refund or a reduction as we have paid for a facility which is now unavailable. We have had no information from the site as yet and the government are only dealing at present with holidays, weddings et. Any one else in the same position who has information would be appreciated. Thanks

Just at the moment it is irrelevant whether the site is open or closed as you would be breaking the law travelling there!

If what you are paying includes unmetered electricity, gas, water etc then I think it would be reasonable to expect a reduction to allow for the fact you are not using those. However, that said, even in normal times you would be paying for the utilities whether you chose to go or not. Otherwise the site is doing its job in hosting your caravan and it is not their fault you can't go to it.

Life__Goes__On

JoNoPo said:

The question regarding what we are paying for according to our contract - We can keep the caravan on the pitch to use for holiday and recreational purposes during the period (which is for 11months per year). This is a STATIC caravan so its not just storage we are paying for.

I would suggest you would need expert legal advice on this issue if that's the path you want to go down,
Sorry I can't help further.

Undervalued

JoNoPo said:

The question regarding what we are paying for according to our contract - We can keep the caravan on the pitch to use for holiday and recreational purposes during the period (which is for 11months per year). This is a STATIC caravan so its not just storage we are paying for.

So if some other life event, equally out of the site owner's control, such as an illness or bereavement in your family would you still expect a reduction? 

JoNoPo

Hi we have now had a reply from our caravan site.
Once the government lift the essential travel only ban and stay at home request then we would expect holiday home owners to be able to use their homes. All the parks were instructed to ask their customers to go back to their UK primary residence so that the NHS would not be overloaded in rural areas. Parks are allowed to let anyone who does not have UK home to stay.
Regarding site fees,this is a very grey area. You are essentially paying pitch fees for the caravan to sit on its pitch and the park to ensure all the services are provided in terms of water, sewerage elec etc. In real terms we have not stopped you from coming to the caravan, it is the government who have said stay at home and stipulated that essential travel did not include going to your holiday home. And the parks were asked to ensure people were complying with this request. If your car was in a car park you would have to pay the fee regardless of if you were able to get to it or not. We are still having to maintain the park,cut the grass and watch over everyones holiday home. One idea is that we ask the local authority if we can remain open Jan to Feb to compensate.
This is not the response we had hoped for. We thought we were on a friendly family site but looks like the usual situation where they have our money and are keeping it. They have our money and our caravan and we have nothing. Lets hope the government step in - which they need to do on many aspects of the caravan industry.