WIREDGOV

Legislation 'more suited to the 1960s' is failing to protect park home residents – most of whom are elderly - from exploitation by unscrupulous owners, says the Communities and Local Government Committee.

Launching the report of an inquiry into Park Homes, Clive Betts MP, Chair of the committee said,

"We received an exceptionally large body of evidence showing the Park Homes industry has been infiltrated by a rogue element and our recommendations are designed to drive these operators out of the sector.

While we recognise that there are some good site operators, the vast majority of the evidence we received suggests that malpractice is widespread across the sector: Complaints from residents about unfair fees, poor maintenance and site owners making it difficult for residents to sell their homes are common.

The Committee found that a quarter of park home residents had experienced problems with maintenance, security or safety standards; that nearly a fifth of residents had experienced problems with the written contracts they had with site owners; and that residents had experienced intimidation by site owners or managers at a significant number of sites in the UK."

Findings

The most widespread problems identified in the report include:

Commenting on these findings Clive Betts MP added:

"The current legislation is beyond inadequate. It fails to deter unscrupulous site owners, fails to give local authorities effective powers to improve conditions, and fails to protect residents, many of whom are retired. Rules governing this sector have evolved piecemeal, and needs to be updated as soon as possible."

Recommendations 

The Committee recommends:

• Legislation to remove a site owner's existing 'right to approve' buyers.  To compensate for this, sellers would have to make buyers aware of their obligations towards a site and its owner in writing before sale transactions take place;
• Pending this legislation, clearer powers for the Residential Property Tribunal to award damages and compensation to park home owners affected by sale blocking;
• Modernisation of the licensing regime to provide local authorities with powers similar to those used to regulate other forms of housing, and no upper limit on fines for non compliance;
• New legislation to make site owner obligations clear, especially with regard to site maintenance, and to require the deposit of site rules (which can define obligations) with local authorities that are also given powers to enforce them.

The Committee welcomes the Government's consultation A Better Deal for Mobile Home Owners, but warns that more needs to be done:

Clive Betts said,

"The proposals set out by the Government should go a long way towards improving the sector – but we  need to make sure that new legislation works. The Government should commit to undertake a survey of the sector three years from now to ensure that changes are effective.

If the expected improvements do not happen, then the new legislation must provide a power for the Government to allow local authorities to withdraw and withhold licences from site owners found not to be ‘fit and proper’. This provision should be activated if that survey shows problems are persisting," 

The vast majority of park home sites are privately owned, with a small number owned by local authorities. Park homes have proved attractive to retired people wishing to release capital from the sale of a house and wanting  to find a pleasant and peaceful location with a sense of community to move into permanently. 

Emerging research findings provided by Consumer Focus include:

• 25% of residents had experienced problems with maintenance, security or safety standards
• 19% of people had problems regarding their written contracts or pitch fee agreements
• Residents of sites owned by 28 different owners having experienced intimidation by site owners/managers
  
  
  

Report: Park Homes

Inquiry: Park Homes

Communities and Local Government Committee