Pros and Cons of Park Living

DB and SIL moved to one years ago; it is lovely and they have a very nice garden (SIL loves gardening). When DB died she had support from friends and neighbours, but the only thing is that, with it being an over-50s site people do die more frequently (sorry, but you know what I mean) and she has lost a lot of her neighbours too.

I don't think you are allowed dogs, or, is so, only small ones. There must be cats but I've never seen one there. And you have to pay ground rent on top of council tax. There are restrictions re what you can do which would annoy us - no garden shed (a greenhouse is allowed), not supposed to grow vegetables but she does.
Everyone seems to take a pride in their homes and gardens and everywhere looks spruce and well-cared for.

Just choose your park carefully as there are still some shark owners about.
We had a caravan for several years on a park where some bought lodges to live in and the conditions of the agreement seemed unfair,for example no long leases and ground rents could jump up considerably. I hope that purely residential sites are better regulated. Still, be aware and shop around. Good luck.

I believe that if / when you want to sell the site owner take a proportion of the sale price.
We have a lovely site in our village that is beside the canal.

I think generally advice before making a commitment is to visit the site you have chosen and talk to other owners who will tell you what it is really like. Usually there is the equivalent of a residents association. My Aunt lived very happily for many years on a residential park site, loved it. We thought about it seriously when we downsized but couldnt find one we liked in the area we wanted. Many we saw were actually larger than the bungalow we settled on. The leases can be restrictive but in a good park they are more about thoughtfulness than rules for the sake of rules. As with any change doing homework is essential but it can work. The legal side of a purchase can be complex so perhaps think of a solicitor who is experienced in this area. We found both of these web sites helpful for initial information.

www.gov.uk/government/collections/park-homes
www.ageuk.org.uk/Documents/EN-GB/.../FS71_Park_Homes_fcs.pdf?

Sorry, they might not work as links - technological incompetence

Good luck, happy hunting. I hope it all works out for you.

I think there is someone on the forum who lives in a park home-can't remember their name. Hopefully they'll see this thread and be able to give first hand experience.

Friends of ours where considering Park Living and whilst they found a beautiful site it was some of the comments made by the residents which made them think twice ie.how would you manage if you didn't have the use of your car and are a distance away from shops/visitors not allowed to stay overnight on some sites & DGCs not allowed to stay/having to give owner of site first offer when selling or the owner having an input with any future sale.If you looked at a Purpose built over 50s flat you would most likely be centrally sited near shops/banks/doctors etc and have easy access to them all if ever needed quickly.There are pro's and con's on each side.

Many thanks for comments. Plenty of food for thought.