Housing rights for Gypsies and Travellers on permanent sites

Gypsies and Travellers living on authorised permanent sites, whether council-run or privately operated, have housing rights that are similar in many ways to those of other tenants, but with some important differences. You'll find out what rights apply, who is responsible for repairs and maintenance, and what to do if conditions on your site are poor.

What types of site are covered?

This guide focuses on authorised permanent sites, sites where people have an established right to station a pitch on a long-term basis. These include:

• Council-run sites: Pitches provided by local authorities, often run by the housing department
• Registered social landlord sites: Sites run by housing associations
• Privately owned licensed sites: Sites owned by a private operator, where occupiers pay a pitch fee

This guide does not cover unauthorised encampments (where people are present without permission) or transit sites (designed for short-term stays).

What are my rights on a permanent site?

Pitch agreement: Most people on authorised permanent sites have a pitch agreement (sometimes called a licence agreement) that sets out the terms of their occupation. If you have lived on a council site for some time, you may have a secure or flexible tenancy rather than just a licence.

Protection from eviction: You cannot be removed from a pitch without a court order. Even if your pitch agreement has a formal end date, you cannot be simply told to leave without the site operator going through the court process.

Protection under the Mobile Homes Act 1983: If your pitch is a mobile home (caravan) on an authorised site, the Mobile Homes Act 1983 may apply to you. Under this Act, you have significant rights, including:

• The right to a written statement of terms within 28 days of the agreement
• Protection against eviction, the site owner must give notice and, in most cases, get a court order
• Rights in relation to pitch fees (how they can be increased and how you must be informed)

The Mobile Homes Act was amended in 2013 to improve protections, and the law was further updated in 2023. If your pitch involves a residential mobile home on an authorised site, the Act gives you some of the strongest occupier protections available.

Repairs and maintenance: who is responsible?

Site infrastructure: The site operator (council or private) is responsible for maintaining the communal infrastructure of the site, roads, lighting, drainage, water supply, waste collection, communal toilets and washing facilities (where provided), and any communal buildings.

Your pitch: The condition of the pitch itself, whether it is level, drained, and in a usable state, is generally the site operator's responsibility. If your pitch has become waterlogged, subsided, or is in a poor state of repair, you can report this to the site manager or council.

Your home: The physical structure and condition of your caravan or mobile home is generally your own responsibility, unless the site agreement provides otherwise. However, if the site infrastructure (drainage, water supply) is defective and is causing damage to your home, the site operator may be liable.

Damp, mould and health on site

If the site infrastructure is causing conditions that affect health, poor drainage leading to damp beneath caravans, inadequate water supply, broken communal toilet and washing facilities, these are problems you can report and, if they are not addressed, pursue through formal routes.

Conditions on Gypsy and Traveller sites are assessed under the Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS) by local authority environmental health officers. Hazards including excess cold, damp and mould, and sanitation failures are Category 1 or Category 2 hazards depending on their severity.

Discrimination

Gypsies and Travellers are recognised ethnic groups for the purposes of the Equality Act 2010. Discrimination on grounds of race, including ethnic origin, in the provision of housing is unlawful. If a council or site operator is treating you less favourably than other residents, or failing to maintain a site used by Gypsies and Travellers to the same standard as other housing it manages, this may amount to race discrimination.

What should I do if conditions are poor?

1. Report in writing: Write to the site manager or council setting out the problem. Keep a copy.
2. Contact the council's environmental health team: Ask for an HHSRS inspection if the conditions pose a health risk.
3. Contact a specialist advice service: Friends, Families and Travellers (01273 234 777) provides specialist advice on housing rights for Gypsies and Travellers. Shelter and Citizens Advice can also help with general housing rights.

When should I contact Support for Tenants?

If you are experiencing housing disrepair on a permanent site that your landlord or site operator has not fixed, and it is affecting your health, call us on 0800 030 4669.

No upfront cost. You only pay if you win, and the fee comes out of the compensation. If you don't win, you pay nothing.

Sources

• Mobile Homes Act 1983 (legislation.gov.uk)
• Equality Act 2010 (legislation.gov.uk)
• Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS) guidance (GOV.UK)

Related articles

• Park home and mobile home, disrepair rights
• How to request an HHSRS inspection
• Disability discrimination in housing
• Where to get other housing help
• How damp and mould affect your health