Unlike ‘bricks and mortar’ properties, a mobile park home is normally a self-contained house that can be moved in either one or two sections. In law, they come under the definition of a ‘caravan’, but the style of modern homes is a long way beyond the stereotypical view and most park homes are professionally made with the intention of standing for many years.

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There is a fundamental difference when you buy a mobile park home, in that most are sold without any ownership of the land on which they are sited. This is very important, as it is not generally possible to record an entry with the Land Registry to prove the right of occupation.

As part of the agreement to be on the land, residential park homes are issued with an agreement and an important part of that is the “Written Statement”, which sets out the rights that you have as the occupier of the home and can usually be passed on (“assigned”) to another person. Sometimes this assignment can be done without telling the park owner.

Many sites also have Park Rules and these supplement the Written Statement. By law, the Council for the area must publish the park rules that are in force on their website, so it is easy to check what you are agreeing to with these.

Before you buy a mobile park home, it is sensible to know exactly what the agreement says. We strongly recommend that you do not pay any deposit until you know exactly what you are buying, tempting though it might be to pay something to ensure that the home is not sold to someone else.

What is a ‘written statement’ ?

This document is a fundamental part of showing that you have the right to keep your park home on the site and is in some ways similar to a tenancy agreement. It is just one part of the agreement between you and the site owner, which should explain where your plot is, how big it is and other information such as what services are included in the pitch fee. Along with the Park Rules, the agreement and written statement govern your relationship with the park owner.

If you are buying a home, it is important to look carefully at the terms of the Statement – some of which are set by law and some of which are set by the park owner. You can read about what terms are set by law on the “.gov” website. When we deal with a purchase, we review this document and explain to you as needed what some of the terms mean.

Where the seller does not have a Statement, this can be problematical and we sometimes encounter this situation. There are solutions, although they are not always easy to implement if the park owner or seller is not co-operative.