Buying a Parkhome, urgent advice needed.

Not all sites are residential so be careful to check,many need you to have a home address and check that yearly.
There is also ground rent to pay,which goes up yearly.can be anything from2k to whatever they like and you either pay or move your home off site after paying thousands in disconnection fees to the site.
Also they can insist you buy a new van from them after 10 years.
It’s not a cheap option,my advice would be Don’t do it.

Age UK factsheet 71 - the real deal. www.ageuk.org.uk/services/information-advice/guides-and-factsheets/

henetha I'm not totally up on it all but when she moved in there was a social club on the site with fairly regular events. This has gone. There was some complicated thing about who it technically belonged to which wasn't resolved very well - so eventually it was shut down. Also, a dispute as yo the standard of driveways and footpaths which were under the site's control but very poor. She also had an issue with where her car was parked and also the mooring which the owner decided was (suddenly) not "hers" after all. He wanted to let it out - but eventually withdrew this as the right of access to the land there was only into her garden.

Luckily she has a solicitor in the family who helped her resolve these issues but there always seemed to be something going on. Some (even) older residents do keep coming to her for support.

That said, she feels that being prepared to quote "chapter and verse" back at him has given her protections that some others don't really enjoy.

We are in a park home and love it my only worry is selling as you’ve read in other responses we do have to pay 10% of sale to park home owners ( rip off has been taken to government but never gets any further to be squashed unfortunately not sure how that stupid rule ever came about) other than that we are happy very sociable community and everyone looks out for everyone very safe

If the holiday park only allows 11 months of occupation and it cannot be a primary residence then there could be issues.

i listen to you n yours on radio 4.
problems with these park homes have often featured over the years.

The very fact that they are pushing for a quick sale sets alarm bells ringing. Do as Monica says get a solicitor and also research on line, name of owner of park and his company. There are some real horror stories about some parks.

DONT If he intends to live on the park home as his main residence he will have no rights as he would on a residential site. He will be at the mercy of the site owner. It would be best for him to buy a smaller bungalow. The park home would decrease in value. We nearly made the mistake some years ago.

The truth is, Bijou, if it's a good "residential" type home people can be very happy there.

My friend is happy even on her not-so-good site.

i would not buy a park home, it is a way to lose money.

Unless it is a really well run site in a lovely location I think he might be better buying a flat or 1 bed bungalow..

As I keep saying - the most well-run sites in lovely areas can be sold overnight.

@doodledog happened to my sister. She had so wanted to live in one, it was in an amazing location but site owners change, they brought in new management and her dream turned into a nightmare and she would never recommend anyone buy one

For Doodlebug - DO READ the comment by Henetha, which is more accurate. Lots of folk live quite happily on Park Home sites, year round, and yes, some owners can be lousy, but it's far from all of them.

DrWatson, Doodledog (not Doodlebug) is absolutely correct that the experience of living on a particular site can change dramatically with a change of ownership. oodles has related her sister’s situation in the post immediately above yours.

I think the best park home to buy is one which is on a known site owned by one of the large companies. The company which owns this site has about 50 sites from the Midlands southwards. I would generally not buy on a privately owned site, although I am aware that some of those are absolutely fine of course.
Good research is needed. If you find a park home which you really like, on a reputable site in a location you want, then it is a lovely way to live. It's the nearest I will ever get to my dream of a bungalow in the country. It really is heavenly here. I'm so lucky to have found it. The drawbacks are very few.

Thank you GSM. Please don’t shout at me DrWatson. I do read posts before I reply - people not reading the thread is one of my pet hates. If you read my posts you would know that we have a lodge on a holiday park. We are happy there but the costs are astronomical (and new charges come in every year). Nevertheless we know that we will lose tens of thousands when we sell, and that we could be asked to move from our lovely pitch tomorrow with no recourse. This happens all the time, as there is no regulation for holiday parks. Owners can be ruthless- they often sniff off out people with financial difficulties or bereavement as they are easy to pressurise to the point where they sell up and leave, so the park owner can sell on their unit at a huge profit.

When we bought our lodge, the park was privately owned and we’d had caravans on it for many years, but it was sold to a large company and the changes started.

I am well aware that residential parks operate under different legislation, but there are many issues that overlap with holiday parks, and that some holiday parks will tell prospective owners that they can live on their land, but doing so is illegal. This has resulted in people being evicted and losing their life savings.

Read the files on the Holiday Park Action Group for details and horror stories. There is an action group for residential parks too - a quick Google should find it.

It makes no difference to me if someone buys onto a park - I gain or lose nothing. I am only warning (as asked in the OP) of the possible risks.

Thank you everyone for your responses. I passed them onto my friend and even got him copy of the latest Park Home magazine. He has taken on board everything you have said and has decided to go ahead and buy the park home he has set his heart on. He is very keen to move in, especially as he has open fields to the back of his property and loves to be out bird watching. He told me yesterday he has spoken to more residents in the last week on this Park than he has spoken to in the last three years in his bungalow. I think he will be happy there.

Thank you for updating us. It is important to look at the issues, and it sounds as if your friend has considered them.
Sometimes we take a risk, or accept a future problem to have things better now.
I have 2 friends who live in 'park homes'. Both see wildlife on their doorsteps and have a good community around them. This is more important to them than leaving a more secure inheritance. I'd also say that their energy bills are small (I know this is an issue for some) as their homes are very well insulated.
I'm glad your friend is happy with his choice, and hope it continues to go well.