Caravan and mobile home

We are responsible for licensing all the residential mobile home sites in the borough. For a licence to be granted for a caravan or mobile home site, the site must have planning permission.

Some caravans do not need licences, for example caravans used by showmen or forestry workers, and caravans used in connection with a dwelling house.

Site licence conditions

Conditions will be attached to the licence to regulate the use, safety and maintenance of the site.  These conditions will be in accordance with the 2008 Model Standards and cover the following areas

• maintenance and safety of roads and footpaths
• hard standings to caravans/mobile homes
• fire precautions and electrical installations
• drainage, sanitation and washing facilities
• water and liquefied petroleum gas supply
• car parks and recreational areas

Complaints about a licensed site

If you live on a licensed site and are concerned about a potential breach of the licence conditions you can report a breach. We are able to investigate this complaint and if any breach of the licence conditions is witnessed we may be able to serve a notice to ensure the breach is rectified.

Rights as a mobile homeowner

As a resident of a mobile home you may be in the unusual position of owning your home but not the land on which it is positioned. There are several pieces of legislation relating to mobile home parks and the rights of residents who live on them. Below you will find brief information on those pieces of legislation that may be relevant to you as a mobile homeowner and details of where to get more information. 

  Park Homes: Know your rights

Mobile Homes Act 1983

If you own your mobile home and live in it on a permanent basis as your only residence, you are protected by the Mobile Homes Act 1983.

The Act

• sets out the right of park home owners to have an agreement with the site owner allowing them to occupy their home on the site as their main residence
• covers other issues including security of tenure, the sale of mobile homes and other details of agreements between site owners and residents
• applies to privately owned licensed sites and sites in local authority ownership

These provisions are enforceable through the civil court which means that you must pursue action yourself, usually with the assistance of a solicitor. We are unable to intervene on your behalf. 

Park Homes Advice may be able to provide help and guidance

• Park Homes Advice 

Please note: The Act does not cover people living permanently on holiday sites as under the site licence no caravan on a holiday site can be used as a person's only residence or abode.

Mobile Homes Act 2013

The Act has made a number of changes to the law and your rights and responsibilities as a mobile home (caravan) owner.

Pitch fees

There are new rules about how site owners review pitch fees and what can be included in the review. Site owners will have to use a special form to tell you about this. Before they can raise pitch fees, they have to get your agreement or go to a tribunal.

Selling or gifting your home

In the past, site owners have had a say in who you can sell or give your home to, and some have made it difficult for residents to sell their home for its real value.  The new law means you do not need to seek the site owner's approval of the buyer - but if you bought or were gifted your home before 26 May 2013, you will need to tell them who your buyer is.

The rules for your site

On 3 February 2015 any existing site rules ceased to be effective unless the site owner had undertaken the relevant consultation process and then deposited the rules with us.

More inform can be found on

• Park Homes Advice

Register of site licences and site rules

All site licences and any site rules with have been deposited with us are available to view the register of caravan site licences, site layout plans and site rules page.