Government support for park home owners

Government support for park home owners

The term ‘mobile home’ covers a variety of accommodation units, such as ‘caravan’, ‘park home’ or ‘lodge’, which are located on a site/park and can be transported from place to place.

The law distinguishes between a residential mobile home (in which the owner lives all year-round) and a mobile home which is used for holidays.

It is estimated that around 159,000 people were living in mobile homes on 1,832 sites in England in 2021. Mobile homes can offer an attractive housing option for retired people; around 80% of park home residents are aged over 65.

The majority of mobile home sites are privately owned with a small number owned by local authorities.

Despite reforms to the mobile homes legal framework, concerns persist about: awareness of rights, unfair practices by some site owners, local authority enforcement, energy costs, and the requirement to pay commission on the sale of a mobile home.

How are mobile home sites regulated? Planning permission

The rights of mobile home owners may depend on the planning permission that has been granted for a mobile home site.

In granting planning permission for a site, local planning authorities may attach planning conditions. These might specify that a site is for ‘holiday use only’ or restrict occupation for a specified period, for example, 11 months of the year. Sites subject to these requirements will, as a rule, not be ‘relevant protected sites’ to which the Mobile Homes Act 1983 (as amended) applies (see below).

Licensing

The Caravan Sites and Control of Development Act 1960 prohibits the use of land as a site without a licence from the local authority.

Local authorities have powers to impose conditions in site licences and enforce them if they are breached. These conditions may relate to the number of mobile homes on the site, the spacing between them and provision of amenities. In attaching conditions to the licence, local authorities will seek to ensure that general standards of environmental health are maintained. Local authorities have enforcement powers to take action against site owners who breach their site licence conditions.

The government has published guidance for local authorities on site licensing enforcement (2015).

What rights do mobile home residents have?

People living year-round in a mobile home normally own their home and rent the land on which it is stationed from the site owner (paying a pitch fee). The written agreement between the mobile homeowner and the site owner sets out the rights and responsibilities of both parties.

The Mobile Homes Act 1983 (as amended) implies a number of important terms into the written agreement. These cover matters such as: how the agreement can be terminated; how the annual pitch fee can be changed; and the process that needs to be followed when buying, selling or gifting the mobile home. The implied terms constitute the minimum rights of mobile home owners in England.

The independent First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber) can adjudicate on most disputes about mobile homes. The county court deals with applications to terminate an agreement with a mobile home owner. Disputes over the site licence or harassment arising on the site can be referred to the local authority.

Mobile home residents can access free independent advice about their rights through the government-funded Leasehold Advisory Service.

The Commons Library briefing on Mobile (park) homes (2023) provides further information about the legal framework.

2017 review of mobile homes legislation

There are long standing concerns about the regulation of the mobile home sector.

In 2015, the Conservative government set up a Park Homes Working Group “to identify evidence of poor practice where it exists and investigate how best to raise standards and further tackle abuse”. The group, which included national resident groups and industry trade bodies, concluded its work and put forward its recommendations to government.

The government conducted a two-part review of mobile homes legislation in 2017 (see: part and part 2). The review also sought views on some of the Park Homes Working Group’s recommendations.

The review concluded that, overall, the measures introduced by the Mobile Homes Act 2013 had been effective in improving the sector. However, the review also identified areas where further action was needed, including:

• administrative processes and procedures could be streamlined
• residents still lacked awareness of their rights and responsibilities
• local authorities faced barriers in carrying out their enforcement activities
• some site owners continued to take unfair advantage of residents

The Conservative government’s response to the two-part review, published in October 2018, set out proposals to strengthen the mobile homes legislation by:

• strengthening residents’ rights
• giving local authorities stronger enforcement powers to tackle rogue site owners
• working with the sector to raise awareness of rights and responsibilities of residents
• developing and disseminating best practice amongst local authorities

The Conservative government subsequently:

• introduced a legal requirement that a mobile home site owner or manager must demonstrate they are a ‘fit and proper person’ to manage a site; and

• supported enactment of the Mobile Homes (Pitch Fees) Act 2023 which changed the pitch fee review inflationary index (used by site owners to increase the pitch fee paid by mobile home owners on their site) from the Retail Prices Index (RPI) to the Consumer Prices Index (CPI).

On 4 July 2025, in response to a written parliamentary question, the Housing Minister, Matthew Pennycook, said the government was “committed to improving the standards of park home site management and supporting local authorities to ensure site managers are fit and proper persons” and would “continue to keep the effectiveness of relevant regulations under review.”

10% commission on mobile home sales

When an owner of a mobile home situated on a site covered by the Mobile Homes Act 1983 (as amended) sells their home, there is a requirement to pay commission on the sale to the site owner. The maximum rate of commission is prescribed in regulations made by the Secretary of State and is currently set at 10% of the sale price.

There has been a polarised debate over the years about the commission payment, with park home owners calling for the rate to be reduced or abolished, and site owners arguing for the commission payment to be maintained.

The general justification for the commission charge is that what is sold is an amalgam of the value of the mobile home and the value of the site on which it is placed. Site owners regard the charge as an important source of income which allows them to reinvest in the sites and maintain higher standards without additional costs for mobile home owners.

Mobile home owners regard the requirement to pay commission as unfair and outdated. Some argue that the commission charge traps them financially and prevents them from moving. Various organisations, such as Park Home Owners Justice Campaign (PHOJC), have campaigned for reform.

In 2018, the Conservative government confirmed it would gather relevant data to enable a detailed assessment of how a change to the 10% commission charge would impact mobile home and site owners.

In March 2021, following a scoping study, the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) commissioned the University of Liverpool and Sheffield Hallam University to carry out the research. A final report outlining the key findings and recommendations was published in June 2022.

The authors recommended:

• the maximum commission on park home sales should not be reduced without financial support for smaller parks.
• further work to explore and clarify the rationale of the commission charge.
• further action to strengthen the professionalism of park operatives.
• further work to explore the efficacy of local authority enforcement on parks, including consideration of whether a national enforcement body could ensure a more consistent and higher quality of park operation.

Consequently, on 5 March 2026, the government published a call for evidence regarding the rationale for the commission charge. It is seeking to understand the rationale for the payment of commission, how the commission rate is determined, and the role it plays within existing legislation and the sector’s business model. The call for evidence closes on 29 May 2026.

The Commons Library briefing on Mobile (park homes): 10% commission on sales (2023) provides further background information.

Sale blocking on mobile home sites

One issue that has historically been identified on mobile home sites is site owners blocking residents from selling their homes, so they can purchase the property themselves at a reduced price and then resell it for a profit. The Mobile Homes Act 2013 introduced measures to strengthen residents’ rights in this area, and local authorities have powers to take enforcement action against site owners engaging in sale blocking and harassment.

In November 2025, the government-funded Park Homes Advice Service published an insight report into the blocking of mobile home sales by site owners. The report provided the following key insights:

• Whilst legislation has strengthened park homeowners’ legal protections, issues persist around sale blocking and associated harassment on some park home sites.
• The impact that sale blocking and related harassment can have on park homeowners is significant, impacting their well-being and financial security. This is particularly troubling given the demographic of park homeowners who are older and have more modest incomes.
• Whilst local authorities have the power to tackle cases of sale blocking, they do not have a duty to act and we hear of cases where authorities are not intervening.
• The current process for challenging sale blocking places a large responsibility on vulnerable residents who may not feel able to challenge the behaviour, document the necessary evidence, and submit it to the local authority and challenge if the local authority does not act swiftly.

Energy costs

Where mobile home residents purchase electricity from their site owner, they may not always have a choice of energy supplier, contract type or prices and this can lead to disputes between residents and site owners. The Conservative government explored this matter in 2023 through a call for evidence, but no straightforward solutions were identified.

In October 2025, Ofgem issued a call for input on reselling gas and electricity to assess whether current arrangements under the Maximum Resale Price (MRP) provisions remain fit for purpose, ensure fair pricing, and protect consumers, particularly in light of evolving market conditions and energy affordability concerns. Ofgem is considering the responses and aims to publish a policy consultation on proposed changes in early summer 2026.

The Warm Home Discount provides a £150 rebate off energy bills to eligible low-income households through their electricity supplier. Mobile home residents typically pay their site owner for their electricity supply and are not direct customers of an electricity supplier. However, they can apply for the £150 rebate through the Park Homes Warm Home Discount scheme 2025/2026 (closed for winter 2025/26 and re-opening in September 2026). The scheme is funded by participating energy suppliers.

Mobile home residents can also apply for support via a range of government energy efficiency schemes including the Warm Homes: Local Grant and ECO4.

Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland

Housing policy is a devolved matter. Mobile home owners have different rights and responsibilities in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Annotated reading list

• Heating: Park Homes (UIN 123523, 14 April 2026)

Asked about: heating cost support.

Answer refers to £53m in financial support to help households with energy costs.

• Insulation: Park Homes (UIN 123525, 13 April 2026)

Asked about: plans to reintroduce grant schemes for park homes insulation.

Answer outlines support available through energy efficiency schemes.

• Park Homes: Sales Commission Charges (783 c531, 13 April 2026)

Asked about: the 10% sales commission charge on park home sales.

Answer refers to the government’s call for evidence on the rationale for the commission charge.

• Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, Government review launched into park homes commission charge, 5 March 2026
• The Telegraph, Park homes: downsizer dream or money pit?, 18 February 2026
• Travellers Times, Opinion: Why the Mobile Homes Act is still failing residents on local‐authority sites in 2026, 23 January 2026
• Gov.uk: Park homes
• Commons Library, Mobile (park) homes, 1 September 2023
• Commons Library, Mobile (park) homes: 10% commission on sales, 1 September 2023
• House of Commons Communities and Local Government Committee, Park Homes, 20 June 2012
• All-Party Parliamentary Group on Park Homes (active 2016 – 2025)
• National Association of Park Home Residents
• Holiday and Residential Parks Association