Mis-sold a park home?

A residential park home is where somebody lives. That makes it a very different thing from a holiday caravan, and residents have protections that holiday owners do not.

Those protections only help if you knew about them. Many people buying a park home, often later in life and often paying with the proceeds of a house sale, are given a picture of fees, resale and running costs that does not survive contact with reality.

If you were told one thing when you bought and have lived with another since, it is worth having your position looked at.

Check where you stand

What to look for

What counts as mis-selling with a park home

None of these decides anything by itself. They are the situations residents describe most often when the sale did not match the life afterwards.

You were not given the written statement properly

Residential park home buyers are entitled to written information about the agreement before the sale is completed. Where that arrived late, arrived with the rest of the paperwork on completion day, or was handed over as a formality with no explanation, you were not given a fair opportunity to understand what you were agreeing to.

Pitch fee increases were described as small

Pitch fee reviews follow a set process and a resident can question a proposed increase. Buyers are often told instead that fees rise a little each year and that is that. Where the rises have been far larger than indicated, and nobody explained that a review can be challenged, the sale gave you a rosier view than the arrangement justified.

The commission on a sale was not mentioned

When a park home is sold, a percentage of the sale price can go to the site owner. That is a significant sum on a home worth a substantial amount, and it affects what you walk away with. Buyers who were not told about it before committing often discover it only when they decide to move.

Obstacles appeared when you wanted to sell

Residents have the right to sell their home, and the process is set out in law. Being told the site owner must handle the sale, that a buyer needs approving in ways that go beyond the rules, or that a sale can simply be refused, does not reflect the position residents were given.

Charges appeared that were never mentioned

Fees for services, maintenance of communal areas, utility arrangements and charges connected to the pitch all have a bearing on what the home costs to live in. Where these surfaced after you moved in, the affordability you were shown before buying was not a real figure.

You were told the home would hold its value

Park homes are often bought by people releasing equity from a house and relying on the money lasting. Being assured that the home will keep its worth, or that it will sell readily when the time comes, is a serious reassurance to give someone making that decision, and it is often not borne out.

What to do next

Find your written statement and your pitch agreement first. They set out what the site owner may charge, how the pitch fee is reviewed and what applies when you sell. If you were never given a written statement, say so when you enquire, because that is itself important.

Gather your pitch fee history. Every review notice and every invoice you can lay hands on. Laid out side by side, they show exactly how the fees have moved against whatever you were told to expect.

Write down what the salesperson said about fees, about selling and about the home holding its value, while the words are still clear in your mind. Note who was present. Many park home sales involve family who came along to help, and their recollection is useful.

Then use the free check below. Five short questions, and no obligation of any kind. If there may be something worth pursuing, someone will talk it through with you in plain terms and explain the rights residential park home residents have.

Not every park home matter is about compensation. Sometimes the useful outcome is understanding your rights and using them. If that is your situation, you will be told plainly rather than pushed into anything.

Check where you stand — takes 30 seconds

Three short questions. There are no right or wrong answers, and nothing you enter commits you to anything.

What did you buy?

Question 1 of 3

Questions people ask

Is a park home the same as a holiday caravan?

No. A residential park home is a permanent home and residents have statutory protections covering pitch fees, selling and the agreement itself. Holiday caravans sit under a different arrangement entirely.

I never received a written statement. Does that matter?

It can matter a great deal. The written statement is how a buyer is meant to learn the terms before committing, so its absence goes to the heart of whether you were properly informed.

Can I question a pitch fee increase?

There is a set process for pitch fee reviews and residents are able to question a proposed increase through it. Many residents are never told that, which is why increases often go unchallenged for years.

Do I have to go to court?

Residential park home disputes are frequently dealt with by tribunal or by agreement rather than a court hearing. If a hearing were ever needed, it would be explained to you well in advance and the decision would be yours.

I have already sold my park home. Is it too late?

You may still be able to raise a matter after selling, including where you sold at a loss or sold to the site owner. Keep the sale paperwork, particularly anything showing commission deducted.

Will the site owner be contacted?

Not by us. If something were formally pursued, the site owner would eventually be notified, and you would be told before anything was sent.

Park home owners' rights explained
A plain-English summary of what residents are entitled to, in one place.
Mis-sold a caravan: where you stand
If your unit is a holiday caravan rather than a residential home, start here.

Not sure where you stand as a resident?

The check takes a couple of minutes and costs nothing. If you would rather talk it through with a person, that is often easier.