Costs of living in a park home

The pitch fee is a charge you pay regularly (usually monthly) for the right to keep your park home on the site. Your pitch agreement will say what you must pay and what services it covers.

There are rules about how a pitch fee can increase, and it’s usually by no more than inflation.

Find out more: pitch fees

Utilities (electricity, water and sometimes gas) are usually billed separately from the pitch fee. Your supply might be metered or unmetered. There are protections that limit how much the site owner can charge for utilities.

If no mains gas is available to the site, you may need to pay for LPG gas.

Find out more: utilities

Usually the pitch fee and utility charges are the only charges that you must pay to the site owner. But sometimes you might need to pay other charges such as:

• administration charges for consent to alterations to your home, such as installing a new porch or decking – if your pitch agreement says you need the site owner’s consent, it might also state a reasonable fee for considering and granting the request
• charges for extra services provided by the site owner, such as maintenance of a private garden on your pitch, storage facilities, or parking arrangements

Any extra charges should be set out in your pitch agreement. The site owner cannot require you to pay for things that are not in your pitch agreement.

You have the right to ask the site owner for documents to explain any charges you’re asked to pay under the pitch agreement. They must provide these documents free of charge.

You need to pay council tax on a park home. They’re usually the cheapest band (band A). There’s a 25% discount if you live alone.

You can check how much council tax you need to pay on your local council’s website. You can find your local council on GOV.UK.

You’ll need to insure your park home for things like storm damage, flooding or fire. You may also want contents insurance.

You’ll need a specific policy that covers residential park homes, as they’re different from traditional homes or holiday homes.

There are companies that specialise in park homes insurance. It’s best to get more than one quote, to compare prices and the level of cover.

You’ll need to pay for repairs or home improvements to your park home. It’s a condition of your pitch agreement that you must keep your home and pitch in a good state of repair. Costs will depend on the age and condition of your home.

Find out more: making alterations and improvements to your park home and pitch

The Money Helper website has advice and tools to help with budgeting.

If you’re on a low income you may be eligible for benefits to help with costs.

Find out more: getting help with park home costs