Park homes?

[ccr32]

I'm currently looking for a house with the mrs, and in searching RightMove, Find A Property, and the like, a lot of these "Park Homes" are coming up in our area and in our sort of price range.

Now from what I can tell, they are all on a single floor, and often of a fairly tempoary-looking nature being made out of wood etc. However, the vast majority of them are set within some excellent looking areas, and often have access to shared facilities such as swimming pools and fishing lakes. There are some really quite nice looking log cabin type examples too.

Can these sorts of properties really be compared to a normal (bricks and mortar) house that you could live in year-round, or should they only be looked at as holiday homes?

This is the first time I have come across this sort of property so just looking for other people's views and opinions on them really. Thanks.

[Tiggsy]

I have a realtive in one.....its a dive, like a caravan (only worse because you cant tow it away and dump it)

I also have a client in one that is VERY expensive and in a lovley area....but still like a fancy caravan.

Unless you are over 60 i'd stay clear.

[Tuna]

If you mean 'static caravan', we live in an old (about 1992) one.

Before you consider it, check out (1) insurance, (2) heating bills and (3) resale value. All of these are different (read: worse) than a traditional home. How much worse will depend on the exact type of the home being sold.

I'd recommend talking to a local Park Home owner/landlord to get the full information.

[schmokin1]

I saw some watchdog type programme on these. They said to watch out for clauses in the lease relating to resale, namely that the owner of the site would be entitled to a cut of the sale price....

[ccr32]

fair enough.

specifically, this is the one that I saw:

Here

As has been said however, whether you get it all back when you sell is questionable. Had a look at the site that it is on too yesterday, and it is a bit, ermmm.... camp site-y I think. Still, does seem like you get a lot for your money...

I was only curious what the deal was with them anyway - thanks for your help peeps.

[Engineer1]

Watch, the site owner can have you by the balls as although the park home is yours it is effectively leasehold, so you pay ground rent, siting fee, the gas could be a local main from a central calor "bottle" etc, so check all the smallprint and check your running costs.

[DavidY]

Andd a significant number have an 11 month occupancy restriction, which means that the property has to be not lived in for a period of 30 continuous days.

davidy

[pgtips]

I have one a bit similar in South Devon - weekends and holiday. It is fantastic. The fact that it is not bricks and mortar adds to the appeal - draws a nice distinction (for us at least) between the City and country. There is a wide variation in types of lodge and the parks they are set in, so worth browsing a few options. PM if you want any details,

[Ricky_M]

Look out for homes with plumbing in plastic pipe. I had to re-pipe a whole one of these units in copper because mice/rats were chewing through the pipework. Not a pleasant or cheap job to do!

[Chrisgr31]

I used to act for a client that made this and they are certainly very well specified. The insulation qualities etc are often better than a brick and mortar house.

However as has been said you will need to read the terms of the site licence etc well. I also wonder what mortgage companies say about them. I wonder what the life expectancy of the property is?