Don't miss this week's park home show at Stoneleigh

I'm off to the National Park Home & Leisure Lodge Show at Stoneleigh tomorrow and I can't wait!

All the latest park homes will be on show from the UK's top manufacturers, along with a great selection of leisure lodges. If you haven't got your tickets yet call 0871 945 4510.

See you there maybe!

Find your perfect park with our help

We're looking for readers to be part of our monthly Help Us Find a Park Home feature.

If you're currently looking for a park home in England, email alex_melvin@ipcmedia.com right now and we'll be in touch to help you find your new home.

Government releases consultation document on dispute resolution options

Currently when problems arise between park home owners and their park owner options for resolution are limited. It's the county courts that hear cases brought under the Mobile Homes Act and Government figures suggest only around 60 cases reach the courts each year.

Housing Minister Iain Wright recently announced that he would be examining dispute resolution options for park home owners with the intention of providing better access to justice for residents. The Government has now released its consultation document on the subject. Park home owners and park owners alike are invited to respond and choose from three options, giving detailed reasons for the choice.

The three choices are as follows:

• Jurisdiction to remain with the county courts
• Transfer of jurisdiction to existing residential property tribunals
• Transfer of jurisdiction to a dedicated park home tribunal

Visit www.communities.gov.uk/news/corporate/parkhomesjustice to download your copy of the consultation document and make sure you send your response back to the DCLG by 22 August 2008.

Let me know what your preferred option is.

Don't be tempted to make a holiday home your permanent residence

I've received another three letters this week from people living permanently in their holiday homes and now facing problems. I want to take this opportunity to again warn potential park home buyers of the dangers of buying a home on a holiday park to live in permanently.

The construction of holiday homes has come on leaps and bounds over the past few years, and many of the latest lodges are built to full residential standards (BS3632). This means the boundary between what is a leisure home and what is a residential home is becoming more and more blurred.

Put simply, whether or not a park is a residential or holiday park depends on the licence issued to the park owner by the local council.

If your park holds a full residential licence, you can, with the permission of the park owner of course, live permanently in a lodge that meets full BS3632 standards. You will be protected by the Mobile Homes Act 1983 and will hold a written agreement outlining your rights and responsibilities in its implied and express terms.

If your park holds a holiday licence, no matter whether that licence is for 12 months of the year, you must only use your lodge as a holiday home. You must have a permanent address elsewhere and will not be protected by the 1983 act.

Planning for new park home estates is rare and some holiday park owners are turning a blind eye, or indeed encouraging buyers to buy a holiday home on a holiday park as their main residence. Please don't be tempted to do this. The law is there to protect you on residential parks, not holiday parks.

With so many makes and models on the market, where do you start?

I get to see all the new park homes on the market and I must say there are so many fantastic models to choose from.

The annual park home show at Stoneleigh Park in Warwickshire will take place between 16 and 20 July and I can guarantee that visitors will be spoilt for choice. All the top manufacturers will be showing homes from their current ranges and most will be exhibiting a leisure lodge too. Many of these are built to full residential standards and so can be sited on residential parks if the park owner agrees.

How else can you find your perfect home? Our June issue (on sale Friday 30 May) follows one reader as she chooses and designs her ideal home at Omar's Milton Keynes show centre. Staff were at hand to help with the more technical decisions and Jean was able to try out sofas, handle worktops and choose fabrics.

Click on the link below to visit our galleries packed with interior and exterior shots of park homes.

http://www.phhc.co.uk/homes/1/lookinside.html

Why are so many park home buyers happy to hand over large sums of cash to secure a home with no guarantee of return?

I get letters on a weekly basis from disgruntled park home buyers who have lost large cash deposits on homes. Some have changed their minds about the purchase, others haven't been able to sell their bricks and mortar homes and have dropped out of the sale.

This is a subject we cover almost every month on our unmissable legal help pages in Park Home & Holiday Caravan magazine but still a new crop of buyers appear happy to hand over large amounts of cash with often nothing more than a handwritten receipt with non-refundable written on it.

When buying a park home please ensure you know exactly what will happen to your deposit if you have to pull out of the sale.

If at all possible, keep the deposit payable to under £5,000 as this will allow you to try and retrieve the cash using the Small Claims Court.

Click on the link below for more essential legal guidance when buying a park home.

http://www.phhc.co.uk/advice.html

Get support from your local MP

I received a letter this week from a residents' association that contacted its local MP and arranged for him to come and visit the park to chat to residents about their perceived short comings of the current park home legislation.

This association's main concern surrounds the 10% commission charge payable to park owners on sale of a park home. After meeting with their MP, residents now feel they've got their point across and feel confident that he will represent their views to Housing Minister Iain Wright in Parliament.

I urge all park home residents who are dissatisfied with current legislation to get together on their park and invite their local MP to come and listen to their concerns. I have attended meetings of the All Party Group for the Welfare of Park Home Residents and can assure you that your voices are being heard at Westminster.

Don't forget, your local MP will be canvassing for votes in the future so would do well to listen to you now.

For expert legal advice, visit our legal help pages by clicking on the link below.
http://www.phhc.co.uk/advice.html

Download the new Model Standards here

The Government has finally published its New Model Standards document and it's available to download from the Department of Communities and Local Government's website.

The Model Standards represent what is normally to be expected as a matter of good practice on caravan sites in England and cover residential mobile home parks. The DCLG explains that they should be applied with due regard to the particular circumstances of the relevant site, including its physical character, any relevant services, facilities or other amenities that are available within or in the locality of the site and other applicable conditions.

Click on the link below to get your copy.

http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/housing/modelstandardsparkhomes

Important information regarding running a business from a park home

A feature entitled Mind Your Own Business appears in the Your Life section of our Spring issue (on sale now) that offers great start up advice to would-be entrepreneurs in their 50s and 60s.

However, I must stress the importance of gaining permission from your park owner if you intend running a business directly from your park home rather than a separate office.

Our legal expert, Graham Watts, advises that many site rules have a clause stating that residents cannot run a business from their home.

Let me know if you've succeeded and the nature of your business.