This time of year is prime time for those thinking of making a move to a park home, and it’s much more fun choosing a home and location when the sun is shining and the weather is good. After all, visiting potential parks is the perfect excuse for a few extra weekends away!
If you’re thinking of starting the process now, there’s also a good chance you might be settled in your home ahead of autumn and winter, when you may not feel quite so much like leaving your cosy environment.
MAKE THE MOST OF SHOWS AND OPEN DAYS
So, with the Stoneleigh World of Park and Leisure Homes Show in June, now is a great time to be looking at homes and parks, asking all questions you might have, and exploring the park home lifestyle in general. There are plenty of experts on hand covering a wide range of topics, all happy to share their expertise freely.
There, you’ll be able to tour a wide variety of models from a range of manufacturers, and properly assess how they work for you practically. You may also develop an affinity for a particular manufacturer’s style, and that’s another great way of narrowing down the field.
There are many ways of approaching the buying process, and we are often asked which comes first; the park or home’ but it can work either way. Alternatively, you may just see the perfect home and park advertised and look at park home living for the first time based on that ideal combination. Many buyers also join their friends or relations on parks after seeing how much they have enjoyed the lifestyle, too.
MAKING SURE IT’S RIGHT FOR YOU
Shows are very useful in consolidating your thoughts, as are visits to manufacturer showrooms, and open weekends where you can look around parks without feeling under pressure. That’s because you can walk around the models and look at them from a really practical perspective to make sure they suit the way you want to live.
Then there’s the question of whether you buy a show home already on site, on the way in, or put a deposit on a plot for a home to be specified to your own preferences. How much you are able to bespoke a home that hasn’t been built yet may depend on the manufacturers the park works with, as some are more flexible than others.
KEY POINTS TO CHECK
The most critical thing to remember is that, if you want to live in your home, you need to check that the park has a residential licence, and that the home is built to BS3632 residential standard. Ideally, you may want to check that your chosen manufacturer is NCC (National Caravan Council) registered too, so you know they are working to a high standard.
You might need to put head before heart with the park too. If you have any mobility issues you might prefer a park on one level, and if you have dogs you might be on the lookout for good walks from your doorstep.
Once you look at the park and have decided it’s for you, you’ll be asked for a deposit to secure the plot and home of your choice. The selling price will usually include all fixtures, fittings, furniture, siting, and connection to services. On some parks this will also include skirting, preparation and landscaping of the plot to a degree so if you need elements such as a ramp rather than steps, make sure that’s possible before you buy. It’s definitely worth double checking what’s included outside. You are buying the home but not the land it stands on, so that will be subject to a pitch fee, payable weekly, monthly or annually. The pitch fee includes charges to cover the park’s running costs, including items such as sewage, water, upkeep of the communal ground and road maintenance.
CHECKING THE FINE DETAIL
You will also need to see the park rules, which may be specific in areas such as pet ownership, how long family members can visit for, and if you can fence your garden or place any structures on it. Under the amended Mobile Homes Act, all prospective owners of new park homes must receive a written agreement from the park owner at least 28 days before they complete their purchase and move in, to give them time to understand exactly how things will work. On the government website there are useful fact sheets for park home residents and forms to use when buying or selling a park home but we would also recommend engaging a solicitor to go through the details with you, to make sure you don’t miss anything which could cause you problems later. If you’re buying a ‘pre-loved’, second hand home, then make sure you get it surveyed, so that you know if any repairs are needed and the potential cost before you buy.
It’s also worth knowing that part exchange and assisted move schemes are also available on many parks and these can make the process of selling your current home much less daunting! Whatever you do, take your time and enjoy the process. The park home lifestyle is a change of pace to a relaxed way of living, and few regret it!
USEFUL RESOURCES
www.gov.uk/government/publications/buying-a-park-home/buying-a-park-home-factsheet
Representatives from Park Homes Law and Clearview Park Home Surveyors will be on hand at the Stoneleigh Show if you have any questions – why not give them a call in advance and ask if you can have a 5-minute informal chat with them?
