Park home living

Alternatively, could you look for a retired apartment which would suit permanently with nice gardens and solid structure and close to facilities?

If I was ever considering moving to a park home, I certainly wouldn’t be considering it now after reading all this
A couple of people have had good experiences, but the majority is not good..

Just be aware that even if you find a good site it may be taken over by unscrupulous money grabbers.
This is what I have been saying from the start.

There is one near where I live, a pleasant little community until it was bought by the famous Alfie Best, Wyldecrest Parks. Since then the site has been ruined, a large bank excavated and inadequate supporting wall put up that now sits at an angle, the lovely green in the middle filled with homes, additional homes sited anywhere there is space ....... along the entrance road. The council recently won a three year battle with the company over some aspect of maintenance. Just be aware that even if you find a good site it may be taken over by unscrupulous money grabbers.

Doodledog

Gas bottles on the Holiday Park we are on cost £110, as opposed to the £43 quoted above.

This illustrates the variation between owners of sites - the bottles will be supplied at the same price to them all, but the resale price depends on how much profit the owners want to make. We are only allowed to buy direct, so have no choice but to pay more than double what Leopard79 is charged. The same is true of wifi, decking, sheds and other items - all have to be arranged by the site, who take a huge 'commission' for doing nothing.

I know that is not true everywhere. It wasn't where we are until the site was sold a few years ago, but when that happens things change overnight, and that is why I am advising caution. What can be a good deal when you buy can turn into a nightmare through no fault of your own.

£42 is for the middle sized ones not the large ones - I think they're £72.

On some residential park sites, the utilities are provided by the same suppliers as with houses, and one can change supplier by choice. Same with water - usually it comes directly from the regular local water company. Council tax can be low - often "A" rated. (But of course there's the monthly "pitch fee" to consider.) Again, it all comes down to diligent research before making a commitment. A decent and reliable residential park owner should respect and understand this, and should be able to provide whatever information you need.

Gas bottles on the Holiday Park we are on cost £110, as opposed to the £43 quoted above.

This illustrates the variation between owners of sites - the bottles will be supplied at the same price to them all, but the resale price depends on how much profit the owners want to make. We are only allowed to buy direct, so have no choice but to pay more than double what Leopard79 is charged. The same is true of wifi, decking, sheds and other items - all have to be arranged by the site, who take a huge 'commission' for doing nothing.

I know that is not true everywhere. It wasn't where we are until the site was sold a few years ago, but when that happens things change overnight, and that is why I am advising caution. What can be a good deal when you buy can turn into a nightmare through no fault of your own.

I tend to believe if one doesn't actually own the land and ground rent can escalate, that I'd not want to purchase a park home.

I prefer owning land.

Doodledog is absolutely and utterly right! There's a huge difference between owning a residential park home (on a legally registered residential park site) and a holiday caravan or static. The legal differences are very clear too for the actual ownership. If you own a residential park home you have many legal rights. Not so with a holiday home. Please, please, do your own research and be 100% clear about this.

My husband and I moved to a static home in a holiday village 3 months ago - there are limited residential vans for over 50s and then holiday vans.

Although it's not been long - we absolutely love it.

Electric is around £25-30 a month and a gas bottle is £43 and lasts 6+ weeks (obviously it'll be higher in the winter when heating is needed).

It's definitely my favourite place to live - I grew up in a big farmhouse then lived in a terraced, semi detached and a detached but I'd choose this overall of them.

I think it's a bit like marmite - you love them or hate them.

Some friends of mine live permanently in a park home for over 55's. They've regretted it. The ground rent keeps increasing each year. If they decide to sell, the owners of the site keep a percentage of the sale value. The owner of the site has now built a club house which is at the rear of their home, right next to their bedroom. There's shouting and loud music every week. My friends looked into this and apparently the management didn't need planning permission for the club house. The final straw is the older park homes have been removed and replaced with single occupancy homes for rent. My friends have said the people living there look 'very dodgy'. They've formed a neighbourhood watch.

I've lived on a residential park home site for 5 years and love it. Warm in winter , we have air conditioning so cool in summer. not joined on to anyone have a lovely mature garden, 2bedrooms plenty of wardrobes, drawers bed drawers. We have our own mini bus which goes twice a week to the local town and monthly trips out, a club house where various things happen weekly with Sunday lunch every fortnight.
Every one looks out for each other plenty of help available, I would never go back to living in the city.

Summerskies

Thank you for all the helpful replies it does definitely need much consideration, and might be a better idea to just downsize to a little flat and keep with bricks and mortar or sell and rent property

An estate agent once told me that 'Downsizing At Retirement' is the absolute biggie in regards to moving decision flip/flopping.
Lots and lots of visits to different locations and a goodly amount of ponder time needed.
Good luck & hope you find what you need!

Thank you for all the helpful replies it does definitely need much consideration, and might be a better idea to just downsize to a little flat and keep with bricks and mortar or sell and rent property

Thank you much everyone that has really helped . We need to really exercise caution and a better idea in the future when we both retire might be to downsize to a small flat in an area with better transport and just have a smaller equity out of our house .

I'm the minority Summerskies as we love our home. We are on a Tingdene Retirement residential park, not a holiday park, owned by a reputable company called Tingdene.
We were very dubious at first, but done lots of research and looked at several sites before moving.
Our home is spacious, plenty of room for the two of us and family visits. We have no problem with the heating, warms up so quickly in the winter and we are cool in the summer.
Nobody ever gets moved on. The only time a new home is put on is if the person moves, often to a nursing home or sadly passes away.
Lovely people, everyone helps if shopping is needed or lifts to hospital or doctors, etc

It is so quiet, yet behind the trees we have every shop and cafes you need.
The negatives are the ground rent goes up every year ours is now £2400, and still have Council Tax to pay.
Also Tingdene takes 10% if you sell your home.
It freed up money for us to buy a motorhome and help our daughter out financially.

Please private message Summerskye if there is anything I can help with.

We did it about 4 years ago. A good site with with good size gardens. As it was out in the country side there was a very basic bus service.

We missed our home town so decided to move back but had to pay 10% of the selling price to the owners of the site.

When we moved there, there was a thriving social group in a small building where they had darts and different functions but the manager was not a very friendly person and had the place closed down

So before you move, think of public transport, when as you get older you may have to give up your car.
Also check on the site manager because they can make or break a site.

I would like to see a type of Council run Residential Park Home Site. There are some quite beautiful ones about and they are very appealing- community, safety, landscaped grounds etc.
If the fear of private site owners taking advantage/increasing service charges/ground rent was removed and run more affordably many would, I'm sure love to live with like minded folk.
Such a lot of older people are living in properties which are no longer suitable and some might readily move and be a lot happier/secure if these fears were addressed.

Smileless2012

I said in my first post that our lodge is on a holiday park Doodledog. We have a flat which is our permanent address and is only 20 miles away but the lodge is where we live.

To do what we're doing, every year we have to provide proof that we have a permanent address.

I thought it would be a holiday park. Yes, the need for proof of permanent address is usual. We need that for our lodge too (and a council tax bill) although we live at home and use the lodge for holidays and weekends in summer.

I only asked as there are so many differences between the two, and I didn't want the OP to get the wrong idea. Many people think they can live on holiday parks and not pay CT, which is not the case. Well, some do, of course, but they are always 28 days from eviction, as it is illegal not to pay CT, and as soon as their situation comes to light the parks insist they leave. That is bad enough if the unit is a holiday home, but if it is a sole address it can leave people homeless (and penniless if they have sunk all their savings into the lodge). There are some heartbreaking tales on the HPAG pages.

why not consider moving to a cheaper home? have you claimed pension credit as it it is just a state pension you may be eligible?
I know there is no stamp duty on park homes but some are very small and clothes have to be stored under the home in rat proof boxes .

We considered this and visited several. They were very nice and had some manageable outside space. Since I lost my DH last year I’m relieved we didn’t go ahead with it. One of the things that put us off was resale prices and the length of time it was taking for them to sell! One of the sites had a clause in their contract that said they were entitled to 15% of selling price if you decided you wanted to sell! My sister has purchased one and lives very happily in it. She bought hers because she said it was the only way she could comfortably afford to live by the sea in an area she has loved since holidaying with her children 50 years ago. It’s a stunning home and she is so happy she has made the move.

My friend lived in one in near Guildford and moved into sheltered accommodation 10 years ago. The ground rent and service charges were around £3600 p.a. It was boiling hot in the summer and freezing in the winter despite central heating. I think the site owners can make you upgrade the home to a newer model. It was a nice spot and very clean. No pets allowed.

Some good advice here. I know some one who lives on a park home. She finds the home she has is very hot in the summer and cold in the winter.

We are doing it now. The park is right on the coast and is quite nice. We know lots of people there already and all are very happy with the transport links, park maintenance, and the grounds themself. You will get loads of negative reviews I know but careful research and speak to people. Ours is an over 55s park.

I said in my first post that our lodge is on a holiday park Doodledog. We have a flat which is our permanent address and is only 20 miles away but the lodge is where we live.

To do what we're doing, every year we have to provide proof that we have a permanent address.