The Basics and Benefits of Sited Modern Park Homes.

Once you have identified where you want to live, check out the Park Home Estate, look at the state of the roads, lawns, fences, etc. Avoid sites that have signs of litter or graffiti.

All park owners should display their licence from the local authority.

Permanent residential parks require planning consent and as such occupants are protected under the Mobile Homes Act 1983.

If you can, talk to existing residents and find out what they think about their site and the management of it.

Sites that are members of the British Holiday and Home Parks Association (BH&HPA) or the National Caravan Council (NCC) operate a code of practice for their members to adhere to.

Don't be afraid to ask any questions of the owner, manager or warden of a park home estate. Find out what the fees are that are applicable to your particular plot as fees can vary greatly. Establish where your electricity and gas comes from and who controls the supply. Are water rates included and what band your park home falls into for council tax.

There are strict minimum standards laid down by the local council for siting of mobile homes of a minimum of 6 metres between units.

Many modern park model homes are built to strict British Standards - BS3632, insulated to the highest standards throughout with wall, floor and roof cavity insulation. Not only will you find them warm and comfortable but economical to heat too, so there are warm winters ahead.

Modern park homes need very little maintenance and built to last. The exteriors need very little attention, being made of weather resistant materials. Many have UPVc window frames that do not need any regular maintenance or painting at all.

The majority of park home interiors can be papered or painted as you prefer.

Security aspects of the park should be investigated, whether the site is 'open' or gates are PIN controlled etc.

Park home estates have normal utility services: electricity, water and drainage. Gas supply is normally either mains or bulk tank LPG. A telephone can also normally be installed and if you want Satellite TV this can be usually be installed subject to availability and some sites are hooked up to a fibre-optic cable network (like Telewest) others may have an internet wireless local area network (LAN).

Under the provisions of the Mobile Homes Act you are required to enter into a written agreement with the residential park estate owner(s) to live on their site. There should be terms (Part III) laid down in law attached to the agreement as well as the 'Express Terms', which is the agreement between the resident and site owner.

You should obtain a set of the 'Site Rules' and study them before deciding to live on any park home estate. The site rules will lay down strict rules (not guidelines to be interpreted) about things like: children, pets (of any kind), vehicles including motor-cycles and cycles, parking, visitors, gardens, fencing (colour and height etc), responsibilities and more.

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