Your rights as a park home or static caravan owner depend entirely on one thing: whether your home is classed as a residential park home or a holiday caravan or lodge. The two types of ownership are governed by completely different rules, and mixing them up leads to real confusion.
This guide explains both, clearly and accurately, using primary sources of UK law.
The key distinction: Residential park homes on protected sites are covered by the Mobile Homes Act 1983 (as amended by the Mobile Homes Act 2013). Holiday caravans and lodges are not covered by those Acts. They sit on licence agreements with the park, and are subject to general consumer protection law.
This page covers:
- Rights if you own a residential park home
- Rights if you own a holiday caravan or lodge
- The "15 year rule" and age limits explained
- What you should have been told before you bought
- Where to find official information
- Frequently asked questions
The Single Most Important Distinction: Residential vs Holiday
Before looking at your rights, you need to know which category you fall into. The difference is not just about how often you visit. It is about the planning permission on the site and how you use the home.
- Residential park home. What it is: Your only or main home, on a site with residential planning permission; Governing law: Mobile Homes Act 1983, as amended
- Holiday caravan or lodge. What it is: A leisure home on a holiday park; you cannot live there permanently; Governing law: Licence agreement with the park, plus consumer protection law
If you are unsure which applies to you, check the planning permission on the site. A residential site (sometimes called a "protected site") allows permanent occupation. A holiday park does not. This is the most important question to answer before reading anything else on this page.
The House of Commons Library briefing CBP-8505 summarises this clearly: the Mobile Homes Act 1983 applies to residents of sites with residential planning permission; a permanently parked leisure home is not caught by the Act.
If You Own a Residential Park Home
If you live in a park home as your only or main residence on a protected site, you have strong statutory rights under the Mobile Homes Act 1983. The Mobile Homes Act 2013 strengthened those rights further, particularly around pitch fee reviews and site rules.
The Written Statement
The site owner must give you a written statement setting out the terms of your agreement at least 28 days before you sign anything or buy the home. You can agree in writing to a shorter period if you choose, but the site owner cannot require you to do so.
The written statement must include:
- The express terms agreed between you and the site owner
- The implied terms set by law (which apply whether or not they are written down)
- Site rules, which under the 2013 Act now form part of the express terms of the agreement
If the site owner does not give you a valid written statement, no express terms in the agreement are enforceable until one is provided. You can apply to the First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber) to require the site owner to provide one. See the GOV.UK buying a park home factsheet for further detail.
Pitch Fee Reviews
You own your home but not the pitch. You pay a pitch fee to the site owner for the right to station your home there and use the common areas. Under the 1983 Act, pitch fees are reviewed annually.
Key rules on pitch fee reviews:
- The site owner must give at least 28 clear days' written notice before any proposed increase
- Since the 2013 Act, that notice must be accompanied by a prescribed form; without it, the notice of increase has no effect
- In England, the law presumes pitch fees will rise by no more than the change in the Consumer Prices Index (CPI). Improvements the site owner has consulted residents on can also be taken into account
- If you disagree with a proposed increase, you can challenge it at the First-tier Tribunal
Selling, Gifting and Security of Tenure
You have the right to sell your park home or give it to a family member. Under the 2013 Act, the site owner no longer needs to approve the buyer; the buyer simply notifies the site owner after completion. The site owner is entitled to a commission of 10% of the sale price under the 1983 Act.
Your right to remain on the pitch is also protected. The site owner can only end your agreement on specific grounds set out in the Act, such as non-payment of the pitch fee or breach of the agreement. You cannot simply be asked to leave.
If You Own a Holiday Caravan or Lodge
Holiday caravans and lodges are not covered by the Mobile Homes Act 1983. This is one of the most important things to understand, and it is confirmed by the House of Commons Library briefing CBP-8505: a permanently parked leisure home is not caught by the Act.
Your rights as a holiday caravan or lodge owner come from two places: your licence agreement with the park, and general consumer protection law.
Your Licence Agreement
When you buy a holiday caravan or lodge, you are buying the unit itself. The pitch is not yours. You hold a licence from the park to keep your unit on that pitch, and the terms of that licence govern almost everything: how long you can stay, what fees you pay, whether you can sublet, and what happens when the agreement ends.
The licence agreement is the most important document you hold. Unlike residential park home agreements, there is no statutory set of implied terms that automatically protect you. What is in your agreement is what counts.
Key things your licence agreement should set out:
- The length of the agreement and what happens at the end
- How site fees are set and reviewed
- Whether you can sell your unit privately or only through the park
- Whether subletting is permitted
- Any age or condition limits on the unit
- What notice the park must give you before making changes
What Consumer Protection Law Still Gives You
Even without the Mobile Homes Act, you do have legal protections.
- Consumer Rights Act 2015 (Part 2): unfair terms in your licence agreement are not enforceable. The caravan or lodge must be as described and fit for purpose when bought from a business.
- Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008: all businesses must trade fairly. Misleading claims made at the point of sale could breach these regulations.
- Caravan Sites and Control of Development Act 1960: every holiday park must hold a site licence from the local authority. This governs site standards, not your individual contract.
What the Park Can and Cannot Change
Parks can set and change their site rules, including fee structures and conditions for remaining on the pitch. However, under the Consumer Rights Act 2015, a term in a consumer contract may be found to be unfair if it creates a significant imbalance between the park's rights and yours, to your detriment.
A term is more likely to be challenged as unfair if:
- It was not clearly explained before you signed
- It gives the park unlimited power to vary fees without a fair process
- It was not prominent in the agreement you received
Some owners say that costs and conditions turned out to be different from what they understood at the point of sale. If that is your experience, it may be worth reviewing your agreement carefully.
The "15 Year Rule" and Caravan Age Limits
Many owners ask about the "15 year rule". It is important to be clear: there is no single national law that sets a 15-year age limit for all holiday caravans. What people usually mean by the "15 year rule" is a park's own age policy, written into your licence agreement.
What Age Limits Actually Are
A caravan age limit (sometimes called an age-off policy) is a rule set by the individual park. It states the maximum age at which a unit can remain on a pitch. Age is usually calculated from the year of manufacture, not the year you bought it.
Common age policies vary widely between parks:
- Some parks set limits of 10 to 12 years (often higher-end parks)
- Many parks use a 15-year threshold
- Others allow 20 years or more
- A small number of parks have no formal age policy
The 15-year figure is not a legal standard. It is simply the most common threshold used in the industry. Your agreement may say 10 years, 20 years, or something else entirely. Lodges often have longer permitted periods than standard static caravans.
Where the Limit Comes From
For holiday caravans and lodges, the age limit comes from your licence agreement and the park's site rules, not from statute. If the limit was in your written agreement when you signed, the park can enforce it. If it was not clearly set out, or if the park is trying to apply it retrospectively, that is a different matter and may be worth taking independent advice on.
For residential park homes, age limits are not a feature of the Mobile Homes Act 1983. Your right to station your home on the pitch is protected by the Act, not by the age of the structure.
If you are unsure what your agreement says about age limits, locate your original licence agreement and look for any clause about the maximum permitted age of the unit, what happens when that age is reached, and what notice the park must give you.
What You Should Have Been Told Before You Bought
Whether you own a residential park home or a holiday caravan, there are things you should have been given or told before you signed anything. If key information was missing or misleading, that could be relevant to your legal position.
Residential Park Home Buyers
Before you entered into a pitch agreement, the site owner should have given you:
- A written statement at least 28 days before you signed
- A copy of the site rules
- Clear information about the pitch fee and the next review date
If the written statement was not provided, or if express terms were added to your agreement that were not in the written statement, those terms may not be enforceable.
Holiday Caravan and Lodge Buyers
Before you signed a licence agreement, you should have been given clear information about:
- The length of the licence and what happens when it ends
- How site fees are set and how they can change
- Any age limit on the unit and what that means in practice
- Whether you can sell privately or only through the park, and on what terms
- Any restrictions on subletting
Under the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008, businesses must not give you misleading information or leave out information that would affect your decision to buy. If important information was not given to you, or if what you were told turned out to be materially different from the reality, it may be worth looking into whether you have a claim.
Some owners say the ongoing costs and exit conditions were not what they understood them to be at the point of sale. If that describes your experience, a free, no-obligation check through our mis-selling assessment could help you understand whether your situation may be worth pursuing.
Where to Find Official Information
The following are primary sources you can rely on. All are publicly available and free to access.
- Mobile Homes Act 1983 (as amended): the full text of the law covering residential park homes on protected sites
- GOV.UK park homes collection: guidance for residents in England, including the pitch fee review form and consolidated implied terms
- House of Commons Library briefing CBP-8505: an accessible summary of consumer protection for leisure park home owners; explains the distinction between residential and holiday ownership
- Consumer Rights Act 2015: the law on unfair contract terms and goods that must match their description
- Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008: the duty on businesses to trade fairly and not mislead buyers
This page is reviewed when the underlying legislation or official guidance changes. The last review date is shown at the foot of this page.
Park Home Claim is a claims assistance and document collation business. It is not a law firm and does not provide legal advice. Where a matter requires legal assessment it is referred to independent SRA-regulated solicitors.