FAQ's
Park Homes
What is the difference between a residential park home and a static caravan/holiday home?
Park homes are a timber-framed residential property, suitable for all-year-round habitation and can therefore be used as your main UK residence if sited on a park or location with a full residential licence.
One of the key differences between a residential park home and a holiday home is the standard it has been built to comply with.
Most holiday homes are built to European (EN1647) standards, whereas all residential park homes comply with British Standard (BS3632). By meeting this standard, the home is deemed suitable for permanent occupancy and all-year-round use. More focus is given to the amount of insulation that is installed from the factory when it comes to meeting the (BS3632) standard.
Regulations state that it is illegal to live in a property full time that doesn’t conform to the BS3632 standard.
Holiday homes are not required to meet the BS3632 standard. This is because they are primarily designed for short-term occupancy during the warmer months of the year. Insulation is still present throughout the holiday home, but not to the same level as the BS3632 standard.
One thing to note is that many holiday homes and leisure lodges are now being built to the residential (BS3632) standard. This isn’t a requirement for a holiday home. However, many holiday parks enjoy a much longer site licence these days. By building to the (BS3632) standard, a holiday homeowner can enjoy the use of their static caravan or holiday lodge in the same comfort during the colder months of the year.
What is Park Home living?
Park home living is for those people seeking that sometimes elusive combination of life in the country at an affordable price. At Richmond Caravan Park you can buy one of our fully-fitted homes in a beautiful setting for a fraction of the price that a comparable, conventional dwelling would cost.
How is it different to conventional home-owning?
The cost of buying and running a park home can be substantially lower than conventional home-ownership due to:
No stamp duty payable.
No conveyancing / solicitors fees.
Low council tax - Band A.
Lower maintenance costs.
What are the homes like?
A park home is indistinguishable from a conventional bungalow. All of our homes are built to the required, nationally recognised standard BS3632, and are covered by the Gold Shield 10 Year Warranty scheme. The homes are all built on a steel chassis with timber frame and provided with a tough and durable weatherproof exterior, plus a textured finish styled to resemble a traditional render. Particular attention is paid to achieving a high level of insulation – often of equal or superior value to cavity wall buildings. This keeps heat loss and energy bills to a minimum. There is central heating and full uPVC double glazing. Park Homes are designed for easy maintenance and owners are most unlikely to be faced with the sudden high repair bills which are a common feature of bricks and mortar. Each home occupies a detached plot which can be personally enhanced with the planting of ornamental trees, shrubs and lawn
Does a Park Home keep its value?
With modern era Park Homes built from around 1990 onwards, values will follow closely to those of the conventional housing market at the time. They will often increase in value in the same way as a well kept home of similar size in the same part of the country.
Why do prices vary so much around the country?
For the same reason that traditional house prices vary around the country. Some areas are highly sought after and therefore expensive, and others less so. A substantial part of the cost of a park home is the value of the land and this varies considerably, reflecting the housing values of the locality.
Must it be a licensed residential park?
Yes, most definitely. You should not buy a home on a park licensed for holiday use if you intend to live in it. The protection offered by the Mobile Home Acts applies to licensed residential parks - and is not available on holiday parks (even if they are open for 12 months of the year). To ensure that you would be protected by the law, before making any commitment to buy, you should check the park’s Site Licence which is issued by the Local Authority to be sure that there are no restrictions (such as for ‘holiday use only’).
What else should I check and budget for?
With park homes, you purchase the home and rent the plot upon which it is sited. Therefore there is a charge – usually called a pitch fee – to be paid for the use of the land and services provided. Pitch fees are usually paid monthly, generally by standing order or direct debit from your bank account, and may be in the range £130 - £250 per month. The actual amount is influenced by the location of the park and/or the amenities provided.
What about utility payments and council tax?
You will need to make the usual provision for the payment of council tax, gas, water and electricity bills. You should establish what these are likely to be before you buy. For example, most park homes are rated in ‘Band A’ for council tax purposes (the lowest band).
Will I have to make any other payments?
Yes, when you eventually sell the home. A maximum 10% commission is payable to the park by your buyer when you sell your home. This payment, made later by your buyer when you sell, allows the initial purchase price and pitch fee to be set lower than would otherwise be the case.
What are your plans for Richmond Caravan Park in the future?
Since the early 1960’s the Park has been owned and operated by the Howley Family for three generations. We are committed to maintaining the quality of the Park and investing in improvements in the future.
Our vision is allowing the park to naturally evolve in terms of redevelopment and new homes. Along with this comes the installation of modernised services too.
Current ongoing projects include the planting and upscaling of evergreen shrubbery across the park to help achieve an even softer landscape and environment.
We have also been installing and upgrading the surface water drainage across our park, taking rainwater from the relatively flat land and back into the river ecosystem. As we complete this work we aim to gradually reinstate and resurface our roads throughout the park too.