Common disputed repair issues

The site owner is responsible for repairing the concrete base your park home stands on.

Problems with the base can include:

• cracking
• sinking
• instability
• poor drainage around or under the home
• issues with the supports under the home

These problems can affect the stability of your park home. If the base is cracked, sinking, unstable or poorly drained, the home may move or settle unevenly.

This can cause problems such as cracks, uneven floors, doors or windows sticking, gaps around seals or panels, damp, or damage to pipework and supports under the home.

Get advice if you think a problem with the base has caused damage to your park home.

Repair work to bases

If the home needs to be moved so the site owner can replace or repair the base, you have legal rights about being moved. These include:

• not having to pay the cost
• being moved to a comparable pitch
• the right to ask to be moved back to your original pitch when the work is complete

Responsibility for drains and sewers depends on what the pipe serves and where the problem is.

Check the site licence. It usually includes conditions requiring the site owner to keep drainage systems maintained, free from blockages and in good working order for health and sanitation reasons.

If there is a blockage

If there is a blockage, the cause usually needs to be found before responsibility can be established.

Even where the blocked pipe, drain or sewer is normally the site owner’s responsibility, you may have to pay if the blockage was caused by something you or your visitors put into the system.

Boundaries between neighbouring pitches may be your responsibility, your neighbour’s responsibility, or shared.

The site owner usually maintains boundaries between pitches and communal areas, or around the edge of the site, but this can vary.

Repairing a boundary may be your responsibility if it:

• is part of your pitch
• was installed by you
• is something your agreement or site rules say you must maintain
• was damaged by you or your visitors

If you’re not sure, ask the site owner to confirm in writing whether the boundary is part of your pitch, shared with another pitch, or part of the wider site.

Boundaries are often poorly marked or responsibilities unclear, so keep evidence of what has been agreed.

Under the implied terms you can request the site owner provide written details of the size and location of the pitch and boundaries for a charge of no more than £30.

The site owner is not permitted to reduce the size of your pitch without your permission.

Trees on your pitch will usually be your responsibility.

However, the site owner may be responsible if the tree affects the safety of the site, another pitch, access routes or shared areas.

It’s often best to write and ask the site owner to confirm if you’re unclear. Try to do this before the tree becomes an issue.

Sometimes a site owner may have carried out repairs or maintenance even though the pitch agreement does not clearly say they must do so.

For example, the site owner may have regularly pruned trees on pitches, maintained fences or carried out small repairs around pitches.

This can cause problems if the site changes hands or the site owner later says the work is not their responsibility.

If you rely on an informal arrangement, keep evidence. Get advice if you think an informal arrangement has become part of the agreement through custom and practice.