Park home owners' rights explained

Residents of residential park homes in England and Wales have protections that come from the law, not from the goodwill of the site owner. They apply whether or not anybody has ever mentioned them to you.

This page sets those protections out in ordinary language. It is information, not advice about your own situation, and it does not replace speaking to someone about the specifics of your agreement.

If something here does not match how your park has treated you, that is worth looking into.

Check where you stand

What to look for

The rights residents have

These apply to residential park homes occupied as a main home on a protected site. Holiday caravans sit under different arrangements entirely.

A written statement before you commit

Before a sale is completed, a buyer should receive a written statement setting out the terms of the pitch agreement: what is charged, what the site owner is responsible for, and what the resident is responsible for. It exists so you can understand the arrangement before you are in it, not afterwards.

Security of tenure

An agreement for a residential park home is not a short let that simply runs out. It continues so long as the home remains occupied as a main residence and the terms are kept, and it can only be brought to an end in limited circumstances through a proper process. Residents are frequently unaware how much security they actually have.

A set process for pitch fee reviews

Pitch fees are reviewed on a fixed cycle using a prescribed form and a defined notice period. There are set factors a review can take into account, and a resident who considers a proposed increase unreasonable is able to question it rather than simply pay it. An increase does not take effect merely because it has been announced.

The right to sell your home

You can sell your park home and assign the agreement to the buyer. The process is governed by rules that include the notices involved and the limited grounds on which a site owner may object. A site owner is not entitled to take the sale over, to insist on handling it, or to block it because they would rather sell a new home instead.

The right to give it to a family member

A park home can be passed to a family member, following the process set out for a gift rather than a sale. As with a sale, the site owner's role is defined and limited. Residents are sometimes told this is not possible, and that does not reflect the position.

Quiet enjoyment of your pitch

You are entitled to occupy your pitch without unreasonable interference. Site rules can govern how a site is run, but they are made through a defined process and cannot be invented as it suits. Harassment of a resident is a serious matter and is treated as such.

Using these rights in practice

Start with your own documents. The written statement and the pitch agreement tell you what was actually agreed for your pitch, and much of what residents argue about is already answered in them. If you cannot find yours, ask the site owner for a copy and keep the request in writing.

Put things in writing generally. A conversation at the gate is easily disputed later. A short letter or email confirming what was said, sent the same day, costs nothing and is worth a great deal if a disagreement develops.

Keep every pitch fee review notice. Reviews follow a set form and timetable, and whether the process was followed is often the first question anyone asks. A file of notices going back several years is genuinely valuable.

Talk to other residents. Many parks have a residents' association, and a problem that feels personal often turns out to be site-wide. There are also free national advice services for park home residents, and using them costs nothing.

If what has happened to you does not match what is set out on this page, the free check below will tell you whether it may be worth taking further. It asks five short questions and commits you to nothing.

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

Do these rights apply to my holiday caravan?

No. The protections described here apply to residential park homes occupied as a main home on a protected site. A holiday caravan sits under a licence arrangement with the park and works quite differently.

Can the site owner change the site rules whenever they like?

Site rules are made and varied through a defined process that involves consulting residents. Rules that simply appear, without that process, are not on the same footing as rules properly made.

Is the site owner allowed to refuse my buyer?

A site owner's ability to object is limited and has to be exercised through the proper route. It is not a general veto, and it is not a way to steer you into selling to the park instead.

What can a pitch fee review take into account?

There are defined factors, and a review is not simply whatever figure the site owner would like. If you consider a proposed increase unreasonable, there is a route to question it.

Is this page legal advice?

No. It is general information about the rights residents have, written in plain terms. Your own agreement and circumstances matter, which is why it is worth having your specific position looked at.

Mis-sold a park home
What mis-selling looks like when a residential park home was sold badly.
Mis-sold a caravan: where you stand
The equivalent guide for holiday caravans and lodges.

Has your park treated you differently from this?

It may be worth checking. The check is free, takes a couple of minutes, and puts you under no obligation at all.