What is a park home, and what are the rules?
A factory-built residential unit sited on a licensed park, where you own the home and rent the pitch it stands on — a split that produces a legal position unlike either freehold or leasehold and that accounts for most of the sector's problems.
The structure:
You buy the home — a physical chattel, not land.
You pay a pitch fee to the site owner, reviewed annually.
Your rights come from a written statement under mobile homes legislation, with implied terms that cannot be excluded.
The protections you do have: a right to an agreement in prescribed form; a right to occupy indefinitely in most cases, provided terms are met; statutory limits on pitch fee increases, with a presumption linked to an inflation index and a tribunal route to challenge; a right to sell or gift the home, with the site owner entitled to a commission of up to 10% of the sale price; and site licensing and site rules requirements on the owner.
Where the problems concentrate:
The commission on sale, which is a substantial deduction and is unusual in any property market.
Site owner behaviour, which has been the subject of repeated regulatory attention — including obstruction of sales, pressure on residents, and disputes over charges.
Utilities, where the site owner frequently resells energy and water and may not charge more than they paid, which is a rule commonly breached.
Depreciation. A park home is usually a depreciating asset, unlike a house, and does not benefit from land value growth.
Mortgageability, since conventional mortgages are generally unavailable — purchases are cash or specialist finance.
Residential versus holiday sites, which is the distinction that matters most: a holiday site licence does not permit year-round residence, however the home is sold to you, and buyers have found themselves unable to live in a home they bought for that purpose.
What to check before buying: the site licence and whether it permits permanent residence; the written statement and site rules; the pitch fee and its review history; age restrictions; whether the home meets the residential construction standard; and the site's ownership and record.
General information, not legal advice.