Parkdean Resorts is one of the UK's largest holiday park operators. If you own a static caravan or lodge on one of its parks, you will pay an annual site fee (also called a pitch fee) to keep your holiday home in place. This guide explains what those fees cover, how increases work, and what to do if something goes wrong.
This guide covers holiday caravans and lodges held under licence agreements. It is not legal advice. If you have a specific concern about your ownership costs, you may wish to seek independent guidance.
What Parkdean Resorts site fees cover
Your annual site fee (or pitch fee) is the charge you pay to keep your caravan or lodge sited on its pitch at the park. It is separate from the purchase price of the holiday home itself.
According to Parkdean Resorts' own buyer guide, the site fee contributes to a range of costs that owners would otherwise need to pay for separately. The categories typically included are:
- Pitch rental: the ground on which your caravan or lodge sits
- Park facilities: swimming pools, entertainment areas, play areas and communal spaces
- Park maintenance: grounds upkeep, roads, lighting and shared infrastructure
- Park management: on-site staff and administration
What is charged on top of the site fee?
The site fee does not usually cover everything. Parkdean's ownership terms confirm that the following are typically charged in addition:
- Insurance premiums for your holiday home
- Water and sewerage charges
- Local authority rates (similar to a business rates charge; you do not pay council tax on a holiday home)
- Gas and electricity used at your holiday home
- Maintenance costs for the caravan or lodge itself
Always ask for a full written breakdown of every charge before you commit to buying. The purchase price and the site fee are only two parts of the total annual cost of ownership.
Fee reviews and annual increases
Site fees are not fixed for life. Your licence agreement will set out when and how Parkdean can review the fee each year.
How increases typically work
Most holiday park licence agreements allow the operator to review fees annually, usually at the start of each new season. The agreement may link increases to a recognised index (such as the Consumer Prices Index), or it may give the park discretion to set a new rate each year. The key points to check in your own agreement are:
- When the fee is reviewed (usually once per year)
- How much notice you must be given before a new rate takes effect
- What, if any, cap applies to the size of any increase
- How the new fee is communicated (by post, email or through the owners' portal)
Parkdean bills its annual site fee in August or September, and owners receive a statement through the post as well as via the online owners' portal.
Promotional offers and what comes next
Parkdean has run promotions where buyers receive free pitch fees for the first season or two. It is important to understand that a free-fee period does not freeze future rates. Parkdean's own terms make clear that once any free-fee period ends, the full fee for the next season becomes payable at the then-current rate. If you are considering a purchase with a free-fee offer, ask specifically what the fee will be in the first season you are required to pay it.
Tip: Keep every fee statement you receive. If you ever need to query an increase, having a complete record of past bills makes it much easier to put your case in writing.
Pitch fees vs site fees, and holiday vs residential
The terms "pitch fee" and "site fee" mean the same thing in the context of Parkdean Resorts ownership. Parkdean itself uses both terms, describing the fee as "the amount you pay to keep your holiday home sited on its pitch at the park for the year."
Holiday caravans and lodges
A static caravan or lodge at a Parkdean park is a holiday home. It sits on a licence agreement between you and the park operator. This is an important legal distinction:
- Holiday caravans and lodges are not covered by the Mobile Homes Act 1983.
- Your rights and protections come from the terms of your licence agreement, not from residential park home legislation.
- You cannot use a Parkdean holiday home as your permanent main address.
This means the protections available to owners of residential park homes do not apply to holiday ownership at Parkdean or any other holiday park operator.
What this means in practice
Because holiday ownership is governed by a private licence agreement rather than statute, the terms can vary between parks and between individual agreements. Before signing, it is worth asking:
- What happens if the park wants to end your licence?
- What are your rights if you wish to sell your holiday home?
- Does the park have a right of first refusal on any resale?
These questions are separate from the site fee itself, but they affect the overall cost and flexibility of ownership.
How to raise a complaint with Parkdean Resorts
If you have a concern about your site fees, a charge on your account, or any other ownership matter, it is important to follow a clear process and keep a written record at every stage.
Step 1: Contact the park directly
Start with the park where your holiday home is sited. Speak to the park management team and explain your concern clearly. If possible, follow up any phone call with an email so you have a written record of what was said and when.
Step 2: Escalate to Parkdean's ownership customer relations team
If the park team cannot resolve your concern, the next step is Parkdean's central ownership customer relations team. This is a separate contact route from general holiday complaints.
- Telephone: 0344 335 3523
- Email: ownership.feedback@parkdean-resorts.com
- Post: parkdean Resorts, One Gosforth Park Way, Gosforth Business Park, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE12 8ET
Always use email or recorded post for formal complaints so you have proof of delivery and a date stamp.
What to put in writing
Whether you email or write a letter, include the following:
- Your full name and the address of your holiday home on the park
- Your owner account or agreement reference number
- A clear description of the problem, with dates
- Copies of any relevant documents (fee statements, correspondence, your licence agreement)
- What outcome you are asking for
- A reasonable deadline for a response
Keeping records
Good record-keeping is one of the most useful things you can do if a dispute arises. Keep copies of:
- Every fee statement since you purchased
- All emails and letters to and from Parkdean
- Notes of any phone calls (date, time, name of person spoken to, what was said)
- Your original licence agreement and any amendments
If your complaint is not resolved
If Parkdean does not respond within your stated deadline, or if you are not satisfied with the response, you may wish to consider the following options:
- Citizens Advice can provide free, impartial guidance on consumer rights. Visit citizensadvice.org.uk or call 0808 223 1133.
- Trading Standards can be contacted through Citizens Advice if you believe a business has acted unfairly.
- You may also wish to take independent legal advice, particularly if the dispute involves a significant sum.
Note: Parkdean's holiday complaints page asks guests to raise issues within 14 days of returning from a holiday. Ownership disputes are handled separately through the ownership relations team and are not subject to the same 14-day limit, but it is still good practice to raise concerns promptly.
What owners tell us
Park Home Claim works with owners of holiday caravans and lodges across the UK. The concerns raised by holiday caravan and lodge owners tend to follow a number of common themes.
- Annual running costs were higher than expected. Some owners say the total cost of ownership, once utilities, rates, insurance and maintenance are added to the site fee, was significantly more than they had anticipated at the point of sale.
- Fee increases felt larger than expected. Some owners say they were not given a clear picture of how fees could change from year to year, and that increases over time added up to more than they had budgeted for.
- Resale was more difficult than anticipated. Some owners say they found it harder to sell their holiday home than they expected, and that the resale value was lower than the price they paid.
- The costs of exiting ownership were not clearly explained. Some owners say they were not told about charges that could apply when they came to sell or hand back their holiday home.
These are reported experiences, not findings of fact against Parkdean Resorts. If any of these themes apply to your situation, it may be worth reviewing the information you were given at the time of purchase.
When a cost problem might become a claim
Not every unexpected cost or fee increase gives rise to a legal claim. However, if you believe that the information you were given at the point of sale was incomplete or inaccurate, it may be worth checking whether you have grounds to pursue the matter further.
Common situations that owners ask us about include:
- Being told at the point of sale that fees would only increase by a small amount each year, but then experiencing larger increases
- Not being given a full breakdown of all annual costs before signing
- Being told the holiday home would hold its value or could be let out to generate income, when the reality was different
- Not being made aware of restrictions on resale or the charges involved in selling
If any of these apply to you, you can use our free, no-obligation check at parkhomeclaim.co.uk/landing/mis-sold-caravan to find out whether your situation is worth looking into. Park Home Claim is a claims assistance and document collation business. We work with independent SRA-regulated solicitors who will assess whether a claim may be possible. We are not a law firm and we do not give legal advice.
Parkdean Resorts is a major operator within the UK holiday park sector. Its inclusion does not imply wrongdoing in any individual case.
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.