Councils net tougher powers to deal with mobile home site owners
Councils are to be given the power to ban mobile home site owners who fail to meet the standards expected of them, the government has announced.
The Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government said that more than 85,000 families lived on 2,000 park home sites across the country, including many older people, but a small minority of dishonest site owners abused their position.
“The changes that will be made will prevent site operators from burdening residents with unfair and unnecessary charges, providing greater transparency and clarity for those who live on the site and putting cash back into resident’s pockets,” it added.
The Ministry said some mobile home owners had reported management charges increasing by as much as 50% year on year. Some residents pay additional fees of up to £300 a month.
The Ministry promised better guidance available on what to do if residents feel they are being harassed by their site owner.
Housing Minister Heather Wheeler said: “Everyone has a right to feel safe and secure in their own home. We know some people in mobile homes have been ripped off by rogue site owners who charge excessive fees and harass residents.
“To stop this, councils will be given powers to ban site owners who do not meet the standards expected of them. We will make sure they have the tools needed to protect the vulnerable, while allowing honest operators to flourish.”
The Ministry also said it planned to tackle issues around complex management structures. It highlighted one where a site owner was involved with around 13 companies under one holding company. “This caused complications and extra expense for residents during court or tribunal cases and for local authorities when issuing enforcement notices.”
“Ministers will be making regulatory changes and legislation will be introduced in due course when Parliamentary time allows,” it added.
A working group will also be set up to develop and share best practice on how to improve the process for selling homes, reviewing pitch fees and streamlining site rules further to make the process clearer and easier to navigate.
