When you want to own a caravan, you must consider the site. It can either be a residential caravan park, holiday park, or private land.
Residential caravan parks offer many perks to their residents.
But, wait, do you know what is a residential caravan park? If not, then read on to learn about this before deciding anything.
A residential caravan park is a property that offers accommodation in the form of manufactured homes, caravans, and other mobile dwellings at its site.
For living in residential caravan parks, the residents have to sign an agreement with the park operator.
To learn more about residential caravan parks, read this post till the end.
Types Of Residential Caravan Parks
The manufactured homes can be located in various types of residential parks:
Mixed Use
This residential park has a mixture of manufactured homes, caravan sites, holiday cabins, and tents to provide short to long-term residents.
Purpose Built
Purpose built residential parks consist of only manufactured homes that are particularly for residential or full time living purposes.
Residents Of Residential Caravan Parks
There are two types of residents of residential caravan parks. If you’re planning to get a caravan at a residential caravan site, you’ll fall in either of the two categories:
Home Owners
You can buy a caravan home at the residential caravan park and become a home owner.
Tenants
If you don’t want to buy a caravan home at a residential site, you might be able to rent one long-term instead. You can talk to the park operator or manager to rent a caravan home at your favourite residential caravan park.
Are Residential And Holiday Parks Same Or Different?
Both residential and holiday parks are perfect caravan locations, but they come with different aesthetics. Understanding the differences between the two is vital if you’re considering getting a caravan at a residential or holiday park.
The primary difference between these two is the standard that is met while building them.
Residential Caravan Parks
Residential caravan homes are built to fulfil British standard BS3632. This standard ensures that the home or park is for permanent use. You have the legal permission to stay in your residential caravan park home full time without any trouble.
Holiday Caravan Parks
Holiday homes or caravan parks are built to comply with EN1647 standards. It means you can’t use it as your permanent site of living. It is illegal to live in a holiday home or caravan park full time as it doesn’t fulfil BS3632 standards.
However, now many holiday caravan parks are being built according to BS3632 standard to provide full-time accommodation without requiring a site license.
What Are The Differences Between A Residential Caravan Park And A Holiday Caravan Park?
Now you know the primary difference between a residential caravan park and a holiday park. But, before you decide on staying in any, you need to know some significant differences between the two:
Right Of Permanent Residence
You don’t have a right to permanent residence at a holiday park. The site license decides the maximum duration that you can spend at the holiday caravan park. It means that you need to have a permanent home somewhere else because you can’t consider your caravan a full-time residence.
The license given by the local council decides whether you can stay in a holiday park for weeks or months. Even if a holiday park remains open for the whole year, you may have to vacate for a couple of weeks each year to comply with local and site licensing requirements.
On the contrary, you stay at the residential caravan parks won’t be influenced by any sort of license. You can stay there whenever you want.
Cost Considerations
The costs of a caravan home at a holiday park will be less than a residential caravan park. One of the significant reasons for this is that you don’t own the property at a holiday park. You’re staying there for a limited period as determined by the occupational license.
While the occupational agreement with a residential caravan park owner has no expiry date. You can live there for as long as you want.
Moreover, you don’t need to pay council tax for your temporary residence at the holiday park, reducing the costs significantly.
Consumer Protection
The caravan homes in the holiday park are not secured by Mobile Homes Act 2013, which is not the case in residential parks. You get consumer protection when you choose a residential caravan park.
Can A Holiday Park Become A Residential Park?
Well, the simple answer to this question is Yes. A holiday caravan park can become a residential caravan park if the council changes the site license of the holiday park.
If this happens, all the owners who had purchased caravan homes when it was still a holiday park will have to clear the pitch. Park operators must sell new residential caravan homes to new residents.
Summary
Residential caravan parks offer you permanent accommodation. To get the residence, you’ve to sign an agreement with the owner or manager of the park.
You’ve two options in front of you when you choose a residential park for caravan adventures, mixed-homes or purpose-built. Similarly, you have two options when it comes to living in a residential caravan park. You can either buy the caravan or rent it.
Many people confuse residential caravan parks with holiday parks. Both are different, and understanding the difference before your decision can save you from trouble later.
You can choose to make a residential caravan park your permanent residence. But you can stay in a holiday caravan park forever. You’re bounded by a site license that governs your stay duration in a holiday caravan park.
Both residential and holiday caravan parks have their own perks. In terms of costs, consumer protection and the right to permanent stay can affect your decision.
But, if you’re not comfortable shifting your caravan home often, you shouldn’t choose a holiday park. A residential caravan park will be your property until you abide by the laws set by the owner of the park.
