Buying a Holiday Lodge from a Park vs a Private Resale

There are generally two connected contracts: the purchase of the lodge or caravan, and the pitch licence governing its presence and use on the park. They may appear in one document, but buying the unit does not answer every question about the pitch. [1]

For each offer, identify the seller and the park operator separately. Ask whether the sales office is selling its own stock or acting for an existing owner. Obtain the contracting parties' names, rather than relying on the branding above the sales-office door. [2, 3]

For a private on-park purchase, establish the transfer process and the agreement available to the incoming buyer. Do not rely solely on the seller's current paperwork. [4]

Do not commit to the unit on the assumption that the pitch paperwork can be sorted out afterwards. Establish how both arrangements will be completed together.

Already considering a specific lodge or caravan? See how our Purchase & Negotiation Service investigates the proposed deal.

“Park sale” does not necessarily mean “brand new”. A business can also sell pre-owned stock. The useful comparison has three routes:

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Consumer rights against a business seller can apply to used goods as well as new goods. What counts as satisfactory quality takes account of the circumstances, including age, price and description; it does not mean every used unit must be indistinguishable from new. The seller's actual trading status matters, not simply whether an advert is labelled “private”. [2, 3]

Compare the documents and obligations behind the offer—not just “new”, “used” or “private” on the listing.

Consider two pre-owned lodges offered on the same park.

The following figures and terms are fictional. They are not current offers, market averages or a Park & Lodge client result. They illustrate an initial suitability check, not a valuation or a finding that particular terms are lawful.

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The private resale appears £40,000 cheaper. But the eight-year pitch arrangement does not meet this buyer's 15-year requirement. Unless a suitable arrangement can actually be established, that option fails an essential part of the brief.

That does not make the £130,000 option a good purchase. The longer term alone is not enough to recommend it.

For another buyer with a shorter intended ownership period, the private resale might remain worth investigating. The conclusion follows the buyer's requirements and the evidence—not a rule that park stock is always better.

Nor should dividing the asking price by the years remaining become a valuation shortcut. It leaves condition, annual expenditure and the eventual exit position out of the comparison.

Park & Lodge's role is to investigate the purchase against your requirements, not simply celebrate the biggest advertised discount. Our fictional Deal Assessment shows how an improved price can still leave a proposal on HOLD.

The NCC and BH&HPA explain that a private on-pitch sale and a park resale can involve different packages and licence arrangements. That industry explanation is useful context; it does not establish the terms of an individual offer. [5]

Ask for the proposed agreement, exact expiry date, renewal wording, current site fee and any conditions attached to taking over the pitch. Establish whether the arrangement involves transfer of existing rights or a new agreement, and what changes for the incoming buyer. [4]

Do not assume that buying from the park restarts the clock, or that a private purchase automatically inherits every concession the seller received.

The park's involvement is not an unlimited right to obstruct a private sale. Trading Standards guidance warns against unreasonable checks, unfair restrictions and adverse treatment of incoming buyers. A condition being written down does not settle whether it is fair or enforceable. [4]

For the detailed agreement checks, use our holiday lodge licence guide or static caravan licence guide.

Buying from a business

For an ordinary sale of the unit as goods by a trader to a consumer, the Consumer Rights Act 2015 provides standards concerning description, satisfactory quality and fitness for a purpose made known in the relevant circumstances. An additional warranty does not replace those statutory rights. Buying predominantly for business purposes can change the position. [2, 3]

That is a reason to identify the actual seller and promised package—not a reason to skip a physical inspection or accept unresolved defects.

Buying from a private owner

A genuine private goods sale does not carry the same general satisfactory-quality protection. However, it is wrong to say you have no rights: Sale of Goods Act provisions can apply to the seller's right to sell, undisclosed charges and goods matching their contractual description. The precise contract and circumstances still matter. [6]

A private unit purchase also does not turn your separate contract with the park operator into a private arrangement. Consumer-contract protections may still be relevant to that relationship. [1]

A warranty may not follow the holiday home

Ask the warranty provider to confirm whether you, as the incoming owner, qualify. Do not assume paying a transfer fee makes cover transferable.

For example, Willerby's published guidance says its warranties apply to the first owner in the original location and cease to apply if the home is sold on or moved. Other manufacturers' or sellers' terms require their own check. [7]

Record the provider, eligibility, remaining term, exclusions and claim process. “It still has a warranty” is not enough information to rely on.

Our suggested comparison has three parts: the amount needed to complete, the cost of owning, and the cost of leaving. Do not add a figure to the spreadsheet until you know what it represents and who owes it.

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Business Companion emphasises clear compulsory purchase charges, the actual fee for the selected pitch and transparent introductory offers. [8]

Do not assume a universal 15% resale commission. Establish the contractual charge, calculation, tax treatment and payer in this transaction. Charges and restrictions remain subject to applicable fairness requirements. [4]

If the seller's commission is deducted from the agreed sale proceeds, do not add the same commission to your purchase cost again. Separate any actual buyer charge. A private seller's existing fee discount should not be treated as yours without confirmation.

For lodge purchases, our ownership cost calculator can help test assumptions. It is not a valuation, an inspection or proof that a pitch arrangement is suitable. Use the static caravan costs guide for caravan-specific budgeting questions.

These are practical enquiries to organise the proposed purchase, not a substitute for legal or technical advice where needed.

Confirm the incoming pitch position. Obtain the written process, proposed terms, approval requirements and confirmation of what must happen before you can take over. Distinguish a transfer requirement from a separately appointed selling agent's services.

Establish the seller's right to sell. Ask for identification of the unit and supporting ownership information. Require disclosure of finance and other claimed interests. Where finance is involved, seek appropriate provider confirmation and an agreed settlement process before completion; do not rely on a promise to pay it off later. A clear park-fee account does not, by itself, prove that the unit is free of finance. [6]

Reconcile the park account and completion amounts. Ask what is outstanding, which party is responsible, how any current-year fee adjustment is calculated and how the agreed sums will be recorded. Do not assume you owe the seller's debts or that an unresolved account can simply be ignored.

Obtain appropriate condition evidence. Consider an independent inspection with a written scope. Ask about service and repair records, known defects, relevant installed-system checks and any work the park says is required. Identify responsibility, price and completion evidence for promised repairs. Do not mistake a transfer inspection or a certificate covering one system for a comprehensive survey.

Agree the payment and handover sequence. Establish the recipient of each payment, when obligations become binding, what remains conditional and what happens if the necessary pitch arrangement cannot be secured. Get advice before relying on unfamiliar deposit or cancellation wording.

An unexplained gap is a reason to ask more questions before paying—not evidence that someone else has already checked it.

Negotiation should start with the evidence and your priorities. It should not start with an assumption that the park has a huge margin or the private seller is desperate to leave.

With a business seller, possible discussion points include price, included items, documented repairs, handover arrangements, fee concessions and commercial terms. With a private seller, the discussion may focus on price, inventory, repairs, timing and payment arrangements, alongside the separate discussions needed with the park.

A private seller cannot promise an extension or concession that only the park can agree. Identify whose confirmation is needed for each proposed improvement. Some permissions or requirements may not be negotiable at all.

Keep important assurances in writing and resolve inconsistencies. Spoken pre-contract statements are not automatically worthless: Trading Standards guidance explains that relevant statements by a business or its staff may become part of the contract. [1]

Our approach is to establish what has improved, what is still missing and whether the resulting offer meets your brief. Sometimes the sensible result is a revised deal. Sometimes it is not proceeding.

Before paying a park or seller to reserve a unit, understand what that payment commits you to and what happens if an essential issue cannot be resolved. Do not assume a deposit is always refundable or always lost. Applicable rights and the circumstances of the agreement matter. [9]

Our suggested final question is:

If I pay now and the pitch term, inspection or other essential check fails, what happens next—and where is that recorded?

If you have already paid, keep the advert, correspondence, receipt and agreed terms, and identify any deadlines. Obtain suitable consumer-law advice about disputed cancellation or repayment rights rather than treating this guide as a determination of them.

This section concerns money paid to the park or seller. It is separate from Park & Lodge's own enquiry-deposit arrangements.

You do not have to piece the proposal together alone.

We work for you, not the park. We receive no park commissions or incentives.

Within the agreed service, we examine the purchase, pitch terms, costs, sales assurances and exit arrangements against your brief. We challenge missing or inconsistent information, negotiate where there is credible scope, and give you a written Deal Assessment explaining the findings and unresolved questions.

We distinguish what is supported from what remains unclear, including when the right recommendation is to seek changes, pause or walk away. Our work is commercial investigation and buyer representation; legal opinions, physical surveys and specialist finance or title questions may require appropriately qualified advisers.

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A private resale may suit you. A park-owned holiday home may suit you. The useful question is what each offer gives you, what remains unresolved and whether the purchase fits your plans.

Resolve those questions while you are still deciding—not after you have committed money on the assumption that the rest will work out.

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