Dealing with harassment

These protections cover harassment by the site owner or site manager. If you’re having problems with another park home owner, find out how to resolve a neighbour dispute.

Citizens Advice has information about dealing with other types of harassment.

Park home owners on residential sites are protected against harassment from the site owner or site manager by law (Section 3 of the Caravan Sites Act 1968, as amended).

Harassment is defined as:

• any action that interferes, or is likely to interfere, with your peace or comfort or the peace or comfort of anyone who lives with you
• withdrawing or withholding services or facilities that are reasonably required for you to live in the park home

The site owner or site manager must be doing these actions knowing that they are likely to cause you to either:

• move out of your park home
• remove your park home from the site
• not use any of your legal rights or remedies as a park home owner

This type of harassment is a criminal offence.

Examples of harassment

• Entering your home without permission.
• Cutting off utilities such as electricity and water.
• Pressuring you to agree to an increased pitch fee.
• Forcing you to sign an agreement to give up your legal rights.
• Any behaviour that’s designed to make you leave the site so that they can take back your pitch.

Step 1: keep evidence

You’ll need to collect evidence to show that the site owner has been harassing you.

Keep records including:

• dates and times of all incidents
• steps you have taken to try to resolve the issue
• notes of any conversations with the site owner
• a copy of any communications such as letters from the site owner
• photos if appropriate

Step 2: report the harassment to your local council

Contact your local council and ask to speak to the team that deals with park home site licensing. You can find your local council on GOV.UK.

When you speak to them:

• explain what’s happened
• tell them you believe it counts as harassment by the site owner under Section 3 of the Caravan Sites Act 1968
• tell them about the evidence you have
• ask them to investigate and take action
• ask them when you can expect a response

Your local council has a duty to investigate behaviour by the site owner that could be harassment. They have the power to take legal action against the site owner. If convicted, they can be given a fine or a prison sentence.

If the site owner or manager has been harassing residents, this may also be relevant to the council’s fit and proper person checks.

Find out more about reporting a problem to the local council, including what to do if they do not take action.

As well as reporting the problem to your local council, you could:

• get support through the residents’ association if there is one – particularly if other residents are affected by the same problems
• get advice from a solicitor – they can explain your options and help you enforce your rights