Q: We have lived in a park home since retiring, but now want to move nearer our son. The site we are on is small and changed hands two years ago. The new owners insist they must approve any newcomers. This is making it very difficult for anyone to sell. We think they hope to eventually clear the site and then sell the land off for development. Do they really have the right to dictate to us who we sell to?
A: Years ago, site owners had a say in who homeowners could sell or gift their homes to and this made it not only difficult for homeowners to sell but also to achieve the real value of their home in a sale. However, the introduction of The Mobile Homes Act 2013 banned site owners from doing anything that interfered with the sale or gifting of a park home, including having a say in who the home was sold or gifted to. That said, new purchasers are still under an obligation to abide by any site rules.
If you purchased your park home prior to 26 May 2013 you will need to inform the site owner that you are going to sell prior to marketing. If you purchased your home after 26 May 2013 you do not need to inform the site owner that you are selling until you have found a buyer.
Once you have a buyer you will need to fill in the Buyer’s Information Form to provide the buyer with information about the site, its rules and your agreement with the site owner. You and your buyer must then fill in the Notice of Proposed Sale form and give it to the site owner who cannot object to the sale unless they have evidence that the buyer does not meet the site rules. You should take advice from a solicitor who is independent of the site owner.
This question has been answered by Linda Hill, a Senior Solicitor with GHP Legal.
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