New laws have come into force this week governing the buying and selling of park homes.
From now on, park home operators will not be allowed to buy and sell properties on their site. The owners of the properties will instead be free to sell their homes on the open market, including using estate agents.
The change of rules has come in to protect residents of park homes, who frequently found they had no choice but to sell at a cut price to the operator, only for the operator to sell on for a massive profit. A Commons select committee report last year said many residents suffered intimidation.
Housing minister Mark Prisk said: “For too long, some unscrupulous operators have made residents’ lives a misery, intimidating people and manipulating the rules to turn a quick profit. So we’ve closed the loopholes to root out the rogues and ensure that those who run an honest business will flourish.
“We’ve also given councils the power they need to protect the vulnerable, so park home residents who know their rights will be able to enjoy their rural retreats in peace.”
The changes are in the Mobile Homes Act 2013, which also gives new powers of prosecution on the grounds of harassment. The Government has also set up a park homes advice line, which is being run by the Leasehold Advisory Service.
There are an estimated 84,000 households living in park homes on 2,000 sites in England. Most of the residents are elderly people.
Comments
dose this also apply to people owning static caravans as a holiday home.
Recently wrote a blog post about buying a static mobile home on a park.
http://www.findersandsellers.com/wordpress/mobile-home/
Many years ago my grandparents bought a home for 18 grand and sold it three and a half years later for 27 grand so I assume their park owner was an honest businessman.