Pitch agreement checklist

Use this checklist to help you find out more about what you’re agreeing to when:

• buying a new park home
• buying from a park home owner
• inheriting a park home
• taking over a park home – for example, if it’s been gifted to you

The pitch is the piece of land on the site where your park home is located.

Make sure you understand:

• where your pitch is located on the site
• the size and boundary of your pitch
• the size and position of the base the park home stands on
• (if applicable) how close any new homes can be placed next to yours
• who maintains the pitch and boundaries

Usually, you maintain the pitch and the site owner maintains the base.

Boundary disputes are common, so check who is responsible. Boundaries between neighbouring pitches may be your responsibility, your neighbour’s, or shared. The site owner usually maintains boundaries with shared areas or the edge of the site, but this can vary.

How to check

Do not rely on a written explanation or plan. Many people visit the site and check that the pitch and boundaries meet their expectations and understanding.

A pitch fee is a regular charge you must pay to the site owner if you own a park home. It covers your right to keep your park home on the site, maintenance of the site, and use of shared areas such as roads and paths.

Make sure you understand:

• how much the pitch fee is
• what is included in the pitch fee – for example, utilities are usually not included
• when it must be paid – for example, every month or 3 months
• when the pitch fee can increase (known as reviewed) – it cannot be more than once a year
• what other regular charges you must pay

If you inherit or buy from an existing park home owner

Do not rely only on the pitch fee shown in the original agreement. The pitch fee is likely to have changed and agreements are not updated to reflect this. To check the current pitch fee, ask to see the latest pitch fee review form.

Find out more: pitch fees

Utilities cover things like the costs of gas, electricity, water, sewerage or drainage.

You usually pay utilities separately to the pitch fee unless the agreement expressly says they are included. This means you probably have to pay for these in addition to the pitch fee.

Make sure you understand how utility bills are worked out and paid for. For example:

• if you pay suppliers directly or the site owner
• if bills are based on your own usage or shared site-wide use
• if there are any standing charges or admin fees for utilities – common when you pay a site owner for them
• how often bills are paid

Find out more: utility charges for park homes

You usually have the right to keep your home on the pitch indefinitely.

However, your right to stay can be time-limited if the:

• site owner’s right to the land (the site) has an end date
• planning permission for the site to be used as a residential park home site has an end date

How to check

Look for a section called “site owner’s interest”. If either of these time limits apply, the end date must be stated along with an explanation of how this affects your right to stay. For example, it might say if an end date gets extended, your right to stay is automatically extended.

Many people double check any end dates using the site licence or the planning permission from the local council.

Get advice if you’re concerned about an end date or unclear about how it affects you.

Site rules are park-wide rules that all residents must agree to follow. Not every site has them, but many do.

Examples include rules about:

• parking – where residents and visitors can park
• noise – quiet hours or limits on loud music
• refuse – where bins should be kept and when they should be put out
• communal areas – how shared roads, paths, gardens or facilities can be used

The site rules can change from time to time. Make sure you have the most recent set of site rules and ask if there are any planned changes.

Find out more: getting a copy of the site rules

Make sure you’re clear about what happens if:

• you can no longer afford to live in the park home
• you need to move out – for example because you need care
• you want to sublet your home – usually you cannot sublet

Often the pitch fees and other costs will still need to be paid even if you’re no longer able to live there.

Included in any details about the home is the maximum number of people it is designed for. Do not confuse this with the total number of people that are allowed to live there which is usually included in the express terms.

If you have to sell

You do not have to sell to the site owner. But when you sell, the site owner gets a commission. Currently this is up to 10% of the sale price. Unlike a house or flat, the park home may not have gone up in value.