Fixing UK Holiday Park Home Ownership ‘Nightmares’

Thousands of people who have bought ‘Holiday Lodges’ located in resorts or parks in the UK are protesting that they are the victims of misrepresentation, reprehensible sales tactics, and cripplingly unfair commercial practices. KwikChex is stepping in. 

Article by Chris Emmins, KwikChex CEO 

While it is difficult to get an accurate figure, it is likely that there are as many as 400,000 holiday lodges – or as they are also known, ‘static caravans’ in the UK that are privately owned but located on ‘pitches’ in commercially owned and managed Holiday Parks. They are sold as dream holiday purchases, often with extensive facilities on-site and in idyllic coastal and rural locations – but, as with many types of ‘Long-Term Vacation Investment’ (which includes timeshares, fractional, or joint ownership, holiday clubs, and outright property purchasing), it can be a game of Snakes and Ladders, with many using the same expression of their dreams turning into nightmares – KwikChex research has seen this phrase used thousands of times. 

The problems 

One of the principal problems is that of depreciation – people invest many thousands in buying these holiday homes and then, for many varied reasons, have to sell them – only to find that, even if they bought only recently, the value has apparently crashed. Much of this problem is blamed on the ways the Holiday Parks operate. Despite damning media coverage, this and many other problems seem to be getting worse. 

The other serious problems include rising and unexpected costs for maintenance utilities, pitch costs, restrictive conditions and fees imposed for renting, selling, moving, and many more. Static Caravan and Lodge owners are accusing site owners of a kind of heinous entrapment – selling them something that looks so good and then revealing their true nature – similar to complaints about timeshare, getting into the dream is easy, but getting out is often a horrendous nightmare. 

Actions to fix the problems 

Many complainants take massive hits, becoming desperate and despairing. Others who can afford it may take legal action – although the complexities of the law due to all the small print and omissions in the contracts can be tough to challenge. 

New, protective legislation has been demanded, and petitions to the government organised and submitted – but these calls have been rejected, with the response that there are already consumer protection laws in place. To quote the government response, “The Government is aware that holiday caravans are sometimes mis-sold to consumers as permanent residential homes. Purchasers in such cases are not provided the correct information about the caravan or the site’s planning permission. In other instances, consumers are not provided with written agreements which clearly set out the terms and conditions for occupying a pitch on the holiday site, selling a caravan or terminating an agreement. In other examples, aggressive sales methods are used to coerce consumers into making a purchase. The Government is aware of the impacts such actions can have on consumers and which is why we brought together comprehensive provisions for consumers in the Consumer Rights Act 2015 to supplement other consumer protection regulations.” 

What appears to have been ignored in this response is that a) many of those affected cannot afford legal representation to pursue claims, which will almost certainly see the Holiday Park businesses employ expensive lawyers to defend themselves, and b) despite acknowledgement of the problems, there appears to be no move by enforcement agencies to use the current laws to take any action. Thousands of consumers are not being adequately safeguarded in this case. 

A comparison to Timeshare 

The same laws that the government refers to can also be applied to the selling of timeshares – but it was determined that they were not adequate protection, and specific laws were brought in (and have been updated since) to enhance protection. Timeshare has much in common with the Holiday Parks Home Ownership situation, including similar numbers of purchasers and a history of rogue selling and unfair terms. Most pertinently, both are ‘Vacation Investment’ products, which enable dishonest salespeople to overemphasise the prospect of the holiday dream and omit crucial details / misrepresent what they are selling. Timeshare legislation includes vital elements of compulsory disclosure within the sales, marketing and contract stages. Timeshare is not permitted to be sold or marketed as an investment. These laws have unquestionably improved the situation among timeshare consumers. Similar additional protection for Holiday Lodge buyers is appropriate and urgently required. 

KwikChex is, therefore, launching an initiative that will 

• Provide immediate, more effective safeguarding resources for those considering buying a Holiday Lodge / Static Caravan on a Holiday Park site. 

• Make assistance available for those who are currently being unfairly treated and suffering considerable detriment and distress, including a new and effective reporting system. 

• See KwikChex engage with Holiday Park site owners to achieve immediate improvement in managing complaints. 

• Implement a resource to expose examples of very bad practices where no fair resolution process has taken place. 

• Highlight resorts with best practice principles. 

• Create an owners association / alliance that will enable Holiday Park Home Owners to be effectively represented and have their complaints adequately addressed – and to include within it vital advice on all aspects of Holiday Lodge / Static Caravan ownership, cost-saving benefits – and crucially, a rapid response help facility. 

• Ensure that there is an industry Code of Conduct, including a recognised dispute resolutions system. 

• Propose new legislation to prevent owners’ detriment, and lobby Parliament and Consumer Protection Organisations to see it implemented. 

Details of the initiative and the resources will be made available shortly. In the meantime, concerned Holiday Park Home Owners can register for updates by emailing info@kwikchex.com

Are there any good Holiday Park Operators? 

Yes, there are good and popular holiday Home Parks, many of which are independent businesses. A part of this initiative will be to ensure that their integrity is recognised – and that they are used as models for the improvement of the whole sector. It is notable that one of the problems Holiday Park operators are facing is an increasingly poor online and national media reputation. While many of the parks are appreciated by non-owner holidaymakers and receive good reviews on platforms such as Tripadvisor, the increasing discontent among Holiday Park Home Owners is having a substantial negative effect overall and is likely to impact revenues across the board. The businesses that commit to improving all aspects will be the ones that succeed at the expense of those that ignore the need for better, fairer engagement with lodge owners.