The new park home which is already situated on its plot (known as the pitch) and ready for occupation will have been purchased direct from the manufacturer by the park owner therefore becoming his property. ( A vital fact to bear in mind as will be shown later in this article) It will then be sold on to a prospective purchaser by the park owner, plus added siting fees and other charges, including his profit margin, which together amount to approximately £100,000+ over and above the quoted manufacturers price, depending on the size and location of the home and park.

It is very common these days for a sited new park home to remain unsold and stand empty for many months, even 2, 3.4, years or more. This may be due to price, fees charged for the pitch  (ground rent), location of the home or park, the condition of the park, or, as in some cases the reputation of the park owner.

Although the length of time the unsold home has remained unoccupied, this may not affect the outward appearance of the home, it is however possible that problems may be accruing inside. For example. Park homes are prone to condensation causing dampness, when left unoccupied for long periods without airing or heating, particularly during the winter months and even short periods of damp weather, especially inside cupboards, carpets, soft furnishings etc. Water ingress around window frames etc, due to seals breaking down, may occur and remain unnoticed causing problems later on. problems may also occur with other key components including central heating systems, plumbing, electric items, etc, etc, due their remaining unused for long periods.

In addition to the problems which could arise ( mentioned above) to the internal fittings of a new park home  due to it remaining unsold for a long period of time, other problems  may arise through the lack of routine checks  and/or maintenance of the exterior. Most manufacturers specify that to comply with their Guarantee conditions, regular inspections  be carried out, by the home owner on such items as, ensuring that the sealing material, used around the window and door frames, has not become cracked, missing or shrunken, as this would allow water ingress into walls, which would not show itself for some time. Also that the exterior of the home is painted with a prescribed coating within the first two years. Failure to carry out this recommended regular maintenance during the guarantee period will, and does result in the manufacturer disclaiming responsibility for any damage caused, as many new park home owners have found out to their cost.

Also as many homeowners have found to their cost attempting to obtain any recompense for faults occurring to their homes after purchase under these circumstances, is at best difficult, but in many cases impossible. The manufacturers will say it is the park owner’s liability because the home was sold to him and it was he who sold the home to you. The park owner will say it is the manufacturers liability. Most new homes come with the 10 year Gold Shield Warranty Scheme operated by the National Park Homes Council (NHPC), but try claiming from them and they will say they can do nothing as they will claim it is not a structural fault.  Each will pass the buck by claiming it is the others liability. And so it goes on round and round in circles with the helpless home owner banging his head against a brick wall, or in the case of some new park home owners in this position, a rotten wooden wall.

The two main options open to any unfortunate new park owner finding himself in this position are  (A)…Pay for the necessary remedial work to the home himself,  or (B) …  Undertake long  traumatic and hugely expensive court action against the park owner from whom the home was purchased, which will take months or even years with no certainty of success. There are two other options that could be tried. (1) Approach the local press and radio station. ( bad publicity can sometimes get results), or  (2)  Contact the Local Trading Standards Office, but PHRAA has found, from experience, that anything to do with park homes falls outside their remit. PHRAA over the years has acted on behalf of 4 owners of new park homes that have developed problems soon after occupation and has achieved 2 satisfactory results against manufactures for our members. One case took over two years to resolve, the other was resolved immediately, to the credit of the manufacturer, who had previously denied liability when contacted by the homeowner, carried out the necessary remedial work to the homeowners satisfaction, within days of PHRAA contacting them.  Unfortunately not all manufacturers are so keen on their customers welfare.

So please, anyone considering purchasing a new park home which is already situated on a park ready for occupation, before you part with any money or enter into a binding commitment to buy, check on the actual age of the  home and ascertain how long it has been on the park unsold. This can be done by examining the metal Identification Plate displayed, usually on the front of the home. This gives the Make, Model and Serial Number of the home. Make a note of this information, especially the Serial Number and by making a telephone call to the homes manufacturer and/ or the National Park Homes Council (NHPC) Gold Shield Warranty Scheme, you will be able to ascertain the date of manufacture and the date it was sold  to the park owner. The National Park Homes Council (NHPC) informed PHRAA that the first two numbers of the Serial Number denote the year of manufacture. Another method of finding how long a new home has been awaiting a buyer is to ask existing park residents, but still check for your self.

When considering the purchase of a already sited new park home, as already mentioned,  you should be aware that a park home is purchased from the manufacturer by the park owner so technically, although it has not been occupied, you are purchasing a second hand home. It is also possible also that this seemingly new home may have been used as a exhibit, {Show Home}, at one of the many park home shows held round the country where, besides being transported, assembled and reassembled several times throughout its life,  which may have placed a strain on the structure causing damage which,  while not visible at present, may well be the cause of problems later,  it will have had possibly hundreds of viewers tramping through it.

The most important factor to take into consideration when considering the purchase of an already sited new Park Home, Holiday Caravan or Lodge, is the effect the actual age of the home has on the manufacturers Warranty/Guarantee and the 10 year Gold Shield Warranty,  provided on most new park homes today. As already mentioned in paragraph 2 of this article a new park home is purchased directly from the manufacturer by the park owner who then assembles{sites} the home on its previously  constructed base.

When buying a product from a shop or a dealer the warranty/guarantee period operates from the date you purchase that product irrespective of how many years that product has been on the shelf or the car has been in the show room. When buying a conventional “bricks and mortar” which usually has a 10 year warrantee, however long that home has remained empty awaiting a buyer, that warranty start date begins from the date of completion and the purchaser takes possession. In the case of a park home the period of the manufacturers warranty/ guarantee, which may be valid for 1 or 2 years depending on the manufacturer, begins the day it is delivered to the park owner. Should the manufacturers warrantee/ guarantee be for one year and the home is purchased by a innocent buyer, say  18 months  after being sited, although these days, as already mentioned, it is quite common for homes to remain unsold for several years., then the manufacturers Guarantee/Warranty will have expired 6 months  before purchase. Similarly should the manufacturers Guarantee be for two years and the home has been sited but unsold for 4 years as is quite common, then the Guarantee will have expired 2 years before purchase. If that was not bad enough,  the NHPC 10 year Gold Shield Warranty Scheme, which covers the home against structural defects and normally comes into force when the new home is first sold to the park owner, have informed PHRAA that in certain cases, where the home is sold after more than two years, they will allow up to a two year grace period, but longer than that the period of cover is reduced to the buyer. This means that if the home has been on the park for 4 years awaiting sale, the ten year cover is reduced to eight. The amount of cover offered by the 10 year Gold Shield Scheme operates on a sliding scale, reducing each year, which results in the new homeowners loss of the  vital first years cover, which includes the fixtures and fittings, such as cookers, central heating systems etc .etc. This means that the new homeowner could well be faced with the inconvenience of expensive repair bills to those vital items caused through their lack of use, maintenance or servicing.

If you do find that the home you are interested in has been on the park unsold for a long period,  and still wish to proceed with the purchase, then before you part with any money, obtain an undertaking, IN WRITING, from the park owner that he will be responsible for, and will immediately rectify any defects, faults or other problems, which may occur later.

Remember buying a new park home is the biggest and possibly the last investment you will make in your lifetime. Remember also that however wonderful a park home appears it is still classed as a caravan stationed on a caravan site, on land you do not own. Make sure you get it right, do your homework before you part with any money. ABOVE ALL MAKE SURE THAT THE NEW PARK HOME OF YOUR DREAMS REALLY IS NEW. YOUR FUTURE HEALTH AND HAPPINESS DEPEND ON IT.

If you or anyone you know has experienced any of the problems outlined above, please let PHRAA know. All information given to PHRAA is treated in the strictest confidence.