Park homes and mobile homes: disrepair and your rights

Do you live in a park home or mobile home on a residential site? The law treats you differently from a normal tenant. The main laws that protect you are the Mobile Homes Act 1983 and the Caravan Sites Act 1968. They give you strong rights. But these rights work in a different way from the Housing Acts that cover most tenants. Here we explain your rights if your home or site has fallen into disrepair.

What is a park home or mobile home?

A park home (sometimes called a mobile home or residential caravan) is a ready-built home. It sits in one place on a residential caravan site. The word "mobile" can be misleading. Most park homes never move once they are placed on a pitch. They have full mains connections. They are permanent homes.

You usually own your home outright, or you pay for it over time. You pay a pitch fee to the site owner (the park operator). In return, you get the right to keep your home on the pitch.

Who is responsible for what?

It matters who looks after what in a park home:

You are responsible for:

• The structure of your home itself: its roof, walls, and fittings inside
• Upkeep and repair of your home (unless it was supplied faulty, see below)
• Contents and appliances in the home

The site owner is responsible for:

• The pitch: the land your home stands on, its drainage, hard standing, and access
• The site's communal areas and facilities
• Connection points for water, electricity and gas, up to where they join your home
• The wider site: roads, paths, drainage, lighting
• Keeping to the site licence conditions set by the council

The Mobile Homes Act 1983

The Mobile Homes Act 1983 sets out the deal between park home residents and site owners. Under the Act:

• The agreement between you and the site owner (the "written statement") must set out your terms
• Your right to occupy the pitch is protected, a site owner cannot evict you without a court order
• The site owner must maintain the site and keep to their duties under the written statement
• Any change to the terms needs your agreement, or an order from the First-tier Tribunal

The site owner has a duty to look after the site's roads, drainage, utilities and shared areas. If they fail to do this, they have broken the Act and the written statement.

Site licence conditions

Every residential caravan site must hold a site licence. The local council grants it. The licence sets rules the site owner must follow. These cover things like drainage, roads, emergency access, shared facilities, and often fire safety.

If the site owner is breaking these rules, you can report it to the council's licensing team. The council can make them put things right. In bad cases, the council can take the licence away.

Resolving disputes under the Mobile Homes Act

If you and the site owner cannot agree, the First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber) usually sorts it out. The Tribunal can:

• Order the site owner to carry out set work or upkeep
• Settle rows about pitch fees and the terms of agreements
• Award compensation in some cases

You can apply to the Tribunal yourself. You do not need a solicitor. Park homes charities and advice groups (including the National Association of Park Home Residents, NAPHR) can help you use the Tribunal.

What if your home itself has defects?

Say you bought your home from a dealer or maker, and it has faults from the way it was built. In that case, you take it up with the dealer or maker, not the site owner. Consumer rights cover the sale of your home. You may have a claim under the Consumer Rights Act 2015 for faults that were there when you bought it.

If your home has worn out over time through fair wear and tear, it is your job as the owner to keep it in repair.

Fire safety in park homes

Park homes can be more at risk from fire. They are often made from materials that catch fire more easily than brick. Smoke alarms and carbon monoxide alarms are a must. Site licence rules usually call for fire safety measures on the site. The site owner must keep these in good order.

Utility supply problems

Some sites supply your gas, water and electricity to you. Others connect you straight to the grid. If your site supplies them, it may be an "embedded network" operator. It may then have to follow Ofgem rules. Maybe you pay for these through the site operator, and there are supply problems or unfair charges. If so, Ofgem's Citizens Advice Extra Help Unit can give you advice.

When should I contact Support for Tenants?

We mainly help tenants in normal rented homes (social housing and private assured tenancies). If you are a park home resident with tricky disrepair problems, a park homes adviser or solicitor who knows this area may be a better fit for you.

But if you are not sure what applies to you, call us on 0800 030 4669. We will tell you honestly whether we can help, or whether someone else is a better fit.

Sources

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

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