Park Home is the commonly used term for a mobile home (caravan) on a protected site within the meaning of the Mobile Homes Act 1983 (the 1983 Act). A protected site is one that is required to be licensed by a local authority under Part 1 of the Caravan Sites and Control of Development Act 1960 which covers most sites containing wholly residential park homes or a mixture of residential and holiday homes.
If someone has an agreement to live in a ‘park home’ as their only or main residence on a protected site then they will have the benefit of the rights and protections provided by the 1983 Act which implies a number of important terms into their agreement. These cover such matters as to how the agreement can be terminated, how the annual ‘pitch fee’ can be changed and the process that needs to be followed when buying or selling (or gifting) the home.
Changes to implied rights under the 1983 Act came into effect on 26 May 2013. These concern the buying, selling or gifting of a park home and the pitch fee review process. Further changes to the licensing of park homes came into effect on 1 April 2014, giving local authorities greater powers to enforce compliance with site licence conditions.
LEASE can advise on issues concerning park homes. If you want to get advice from one of our experienced advisers you can contact us through the enquiry form, or by telephone on 020 7832 2525.
