Types of parks:
Leisure/Holiday Park – A park where you can visit your own holiday home to use for leisure activities, holidays or short breaks away.
Residential Park – A park which allows you to live on-site throughout the year and is your permanent residence.
12-Month Park – A holiday or leisure park with a 12-month park season. This means you can visit the park any time or month of the year to use your holiday home, but it is not for a permanent residence.
Pet-friendly park – Pets will be allowed to stay with you at the park. Most Residential parks are pet-friendly but there may be a limit as to how many pets you can bring with you.
Terms associated with park homes:
Park home (general term) – A single-storey static home, pre-fabricated & situated on a park.
Park home (specific home) – A static home that reaches BS3632 residential standard and is suitable to live in permanently.
Lodge – A static home that has the appearance of a log cabin, usually with exterior wood-effect cladding. Can be suitable as holiday homes or can be built to meet residential standard.
Static caravan – A static home that is used for holidays and is the least expensive type of home.
Holiday home (general term) – These homes can only be used for short breaks away or on a holiday basis & are situated on leisure parks.
Single unit – A home that is manufactured & transported to the park in one piece, usually with a maximum width of 15 feet.
Double unit – A home that is manufactured & transported to the park in 2 halves, usually with a maximum width of 22 feet.
Fully-furnished – If a park home is stated as being fully-furnished, this means all furniture shown in manufacturer’s images is included in the purchase price of the home.
Park terminology:
Site fees – An additional, annual cost associated with any park home. This covers the cost of your ground rent, park maintenance and facilities accessible to you on the park.
Ground rent – It covers the cost of the piece of land you are effectively renting from the park owner, which your home to sits on. This is part of your annual site fee.
Licence agreement/lease – The length of time given to your home for it to stay on a park. At the end of this time you may have to update your home & re-negotiate the lease or arrange for your home to be taken off the park.
Contract – Outlines the agreement between you and the park owner. This will include the licence agreement and details such as your annual site fees (including by what rate these may increase over time).
Freehold – A property in which you own the land that it sits on. Park homes are very rarely freehold properties.
Leasehold – A property that has a lease or license agreement attached to it. In the sense of park homes, you do not own the land it sits on so you have a licence agreement and pay a site fee to cover this.
Utilities – Includes your water, electric gas and occasionally sewage disposal & WIFI. These are metered on holiday parks, but gas can also be bottled. Residential Park homes are usually hooked up to the Mains. Utilities are an additional cost to your Site Fees.
Park home council tax – Council tax is only applicable to residential park homes and will be Band A (the lowest amount)
Over-50s development – A park that requires homeowners to be over the age of 50, this can also be over-45s or 55s. This is usually a requirement with Residential Parks but some Leisure Parks require it as well.
Gated community – Usually Residential but can be a Leisure park in which the park is secured with a front gate and only owners can enter. Adding a layer of security to the park.
BS3632 residential standard – A British Standard that states the requirements a park home must meet to be suitable to be inhabited permanently.
Sub-let/renting out – You may be able to sub-let or rent out your holiday home to others as an investment, providing the park allows this.
ROI - Return on Investment. A park offering ROI opportunities allows you sub-let your holiday home to make an income.
Owners-only park – Only yourself, friends and family can use your holiday home. It is not able to be sub-let or rented out.
Park home Associations:
BH & HPA – British Holiday & Home Parks Association. Established exclusively to serve and represent the interests of the parks industry in the UK.
NCC – National Caravan Council. The UK trade body for the tourer, motorhome, caravan holiday home and residential park home industries.
If you find any terms you're not sure of, we're always here to help.
