Frequently asked questions

Long term finance is available from specialist lenders. The park where you wish to purchase your holiday lodge will advise you.

Yes. There is a Ten Year Gold Shield Warranty available, provided and administered on behalf of the manufacturers and the NCC (National Caravan Council). Within the ten years, the first two years are warranted by the manufacturers and the last eight years by Gold Shield.

This warranty is only available on parks registered within the scheme, please ask the Park Owner. Registration of to the Gold Shield Scheme is free for the park owner, but they are obliged to offer additional warranties relating to the base the lodge is sited on.

A note of caution – the Ten Year Gold Shield Warranty may not cover your holiday lodge or holiday park home if the intention is to let it out for holiday rentals. Please ask first.

Be aware that if the park is registered with the Gold Shield scheme it is your responsibility to register your lodge within 90 days of purchasing.

Please be aware that Gold Shield is not an insurance scheme and you still need to ensure that your lodge is adequately insured.

Living permanently in a holiday caravan or lodge will breach the park's planning permission and Site Licence, making it illegal. Your Holiday Licence Agreement explicitly prohibits permanent residence, meaning you would have no legal right to live in your holiday caravan or lodge year-round.

Parks are required to ensure holiday caravans and lodges are used strictly for holiday purposes. To uphold this, they may regularly request proof that you have a genuine permanent home address elsewhere. A “paper” address, such as one for correspondence only, will not suffice.

What You Should Avoid:

• Working locally and commuting from your holiday caravan.

• Registering with a local GP or healthcare services.

• Enrolling children in local schools.

• Registering to vote using your holiday caravan address.

These actions indicate permanent residence and violate the terms of holiday use.

Your contract with the park will clearly state this holiday-use-only requirement, and it must be respected. If you breach this condition, the park may ask you to stop immediately. Continued non-compliance could result in the termination of your contract and a request to remove your holiday caravan or lodge from the site. Additionally, the planning authority may take enforcement action against both you and the park.

Respecting these rules is essential to avoid legal complications and ensure your holiday caravan remains a peaceful retreat, used as intended.

Why Legal Advice is Essential When Buying a Holiday Home

Purchasing a holiday home or lodge is an exciting step, but it comes with unique considerations that differ from buying a traditional property. Seeking advice from a solicitor experienced in holiday park law is highly recommended to ensure a smooth, secure transaction and to protect your investment.

A specialist solicitor can:

• Review Agreements and Site Rules: They’ll carefully examine purchase agreements, terms, and park rules, ensuring you understand all aspects of the transaction and that your rights are protected.

• Ensure Compliance: They’ll verify that the sale adheres to all legal regulations and that there are no hidden clauses or conditions that could affect your ownership.

• Clarify Responsibilities: A solicitor will explain any ongoing obligations you may have as a holiday homeowner, such as maintenance fees or site-specific rules, giving you peace of mind.

While hiring a solicitor isn’t mandatory, their expertise can prevent potential disputes, misunderstandings, or costly mistakes. By working with a solicitor who specialises in holiday home transactions, you’ll gain confidence in your investment and clarity about your new holiday home and its community.

Protect your rights and make your holiday home purchase as stress-free as possible with professional legal guidance. It’s a step you’ll be glad you took!

No. You own the holiday home (static caravan), holiday lodge, holiday park homes or pod, but you pay an annual ground rent and maintenance charge for your plot.

Not all holiday parks permit the sub-letting of privately owned holiday caravans and lodges. If sub-letting is something you’re considering, it’s essential to check the park’s policy before committing to a purchase. Confirm this in writing to avoid any misunderstandings.

If sub-letting is allowed and you decide to proceed, here are a few key steps to consider:

• Secure an Appropriate Contract: Ensure you have a clear and legally sound agreement in place for any sub-letting arrangements. This protects both you and your guests and clarifies terms such as rental duration, fees, and responsibilities.

• Understand Your Legal Responsibilities: As a holiday caravan/lodge owner, you will have obligations under the terms of your park agreement and possibly local regulations. These could include health and safety compliance, insurance requirements and tax liabilities.

Taking these steps will help ensure that your sub-letting experience runs smoothly and legally while maintaining a good relationship with your park operator. Always seek professional advice if you’re unsure about any aspect of sub-letting.

There is a scale of VAT on these holiday properties and that depends upon how they are built.

Holiday homes (static caravans) built to BS EN 1647 will have 20% VAT applied to all the removable contents, such as the dining suite, sofas, beds and white goods. A further 5% will be applied to the rest of the home.

Holiday lodges built to BS3632 standard, generally known as a residential spec, will have just the removable content applied with 20% VAT, but nothing further on the lodge.

You have the right to sell your lodge, either privately or to the park. There is no obligation for you to sell your lodge to the park although they may well be interested in purchasing it from you. Before a sale can proceed the lodge owner must notify the park in writing of their intention to sell and the price required. The park may be able to assist you with the sale, or offer advice where appropriate. The park may agree special arrangements where, for example, the lodge/holiday home owner is selling because of ill health or other difficult circumstances.

Lodge owners may agree a fair price for their lodge with a prospective customer. Whilst they are free to conduct this negotiation themselves if they wish to do so, they must keep the park owner fully informed of the negotiations as the park are entitled to a transfer fee based on the sale price. The rate payable for this transfer fee is generally 15% of the sale price or fair market value.

The transfer fee is not comparable with commission payments made to Estate Agents etc. rather; it reflects the fact that the pitch and the amenities of the park add to the resale value of the lodge. Transfer fees supplement the income the park receives from pitch fees: without them, pitch fees would be higher. Considerable investment is necessary to develop and maintain a licensed lodge park. A reasonable return on this investment is essential to ensure that the park continues a viable concern in the interests of both lodge owner and park owner.

You are buying the holiday property outright, but will pay an annual ground rent and maintenance charge for your plot.

A change of park ownership will not affect your statutory rights, or those within your License Agreement or lease.

Either are called different names varying from holiday property, log cabin, leisure property, log home etc., but for the purpose of our website, holiday lodges are built to British Standard 3632 and holiday homes (static caravans) are built to British Standard European Norm 1647 and log cabins are generally built to Building Regulations standard, or anything else!

When you purchase a holiday lodge or holiday home (static caravan), you will be required to sign a Licensed Agreement. This will lay out the terms of the purchase. It will also define the length of time your property may occupy this plot. This can vary from 20 to 125 years and sometimes more. The length of the license agreement will be reflected within the price you pay. You do not require the use of a solicitor with a License Agreement, although we absolutely recommend that you do so.

With the purchase of a log cabin, you will purchase a lease of a determined length and will require the use of a solicitor and the lease will be registered with Land Registry.

You currently do not have to pay Stamp Duty when purchasing a holiday lodge or holiday home. Normal Stamp Duty rules apply to the purchase of a log cabin if the price you pay is beyond the threshold.

No, providing you already have a TV licence at your primary residential address.

If the lodge owner was living with his/her husband or wife when the death took place, then the surviving partner can inherit the lodge/holiday home and the rights for the lodge under the licence agreement. In this way the surviving partner can continue to use the lodge/holiday home on the park. Under these circumstances no money should change hands and equally no transfer fee will be payable.

A member of the lodge/holiday home owner’s family may also inherit the lodge/holiday home and the rights of the licence agreement, so long as this does not contradict the park rules or terms of the licence agreement – for example, the family member should be within the age range permitted to own a lodge/holiday home on the park i.e. over 18 years of age and assumes the terms and conditions regarding ground rent and insurance are met.

The licence agreement defines who counts as a member of the lodge owner’s family. Again under these circumstances no money should change hands and equally no transfer fee will be payable.

If no family member was living with the lodge owner when he or she dies, then the person who inherits the lodge will have the right to use it within the terms of the licence agreement.