Holiday Lodge Site Fees Explained

Depending on the park, the fee may cover pitch use, grounds upkeep, security and access to some facilities. Electricity, gas, insurance, rates, winterisation and other services may be charged separately. The NCC lists several of these as additional annual budgeting items. ^[1][2][3]

Ask for an itemised schedule showing what is included, compulsory extras and optional services. Check the full amount payable including VAT where applicable.

Do not assume two parks include the same things simply because both call the charge a site fee.

There is no single tariff that applies to every lodge or every buyer. Parkdean says its fees vary with the park, pitch location and unit size. Haven also identifies the prevailing rate when an owner enters the park as a factor. ^[1][2]

These are examples of published 2026 figures checked on 6 September 2026:

These are published park examples, not a national average, market benchmark or directly comparable quotes. Parks differ in location, facilities, pitch, unit size/type and what the fee includes. They are not endorsements or a like-for-like ranking. The Parkdean page does not separately specify VAT treatment alongside that range. Obtain the full payable figure for your own pitch.

Ask “What will I pay for this pitch under this agreement?” rather than only “What are the fees at this park?”

Compare equivalent pitch categories, fee years, facilities, included charges and promotional status. A neighbour's older agreement may not establish what a new buyer will pay.

Do not assume holiday-lodge fees are automatically limited to inflation or covered by residential park-home rules. The Commons Library distinguishes the contractual holiday-ownership position in England from the statutory protections for qualifying residential park homes. Consumer protections against unfair terms still apply to holiday agreements. ^[6]

The review clause should explain what can change, the calculation and how an increase can be challenged. Business Companion's Trading Standards guidance specifically addresses these points. ^[7]

“Inflation is considered” does not mean “inflation is the limit”

The published NCC and BH&HPA model agreements allow their review processes to consider more than inflation, including outside charges, expenditure benefiting owners and operating expenses. They also have different notice and objection provisions. These are model contracts, not universal statutory rules. ^[8][9]

A salesperson saying fees “usually follow inflation” is therefore not a substitute for reading your actual clause.

For context, Haven's owner guidance announced a 5.2% increase for 2026. That is a published operator-specific increase, not an industry average, a forecast or proof that any particular increase is unfair. ^[10]

A cap can help, but read its scope

Leisure Resorts publishes a maximum 6% annual site-fee increase in its Site Fee Choice terms. This demonstrates that published caps exist. It does not mean every park offers one or that every buyer can negotiate one. ^[11]

Confirm which charges a cap covers, how long it applies and whether exceptions or separate charges remain. An upper limit still needs to fit your budget.

A long pitch agreement is not, by itself, a promise to freeze the annual fee.

The following is an illustration, not a prediction. It starts with a £6,000 fee in Year 1 and applies an assumed increase once before each subsequent year.

Figures are rounded to the nearest pound. Year 10 follows nine increases. Totals exclude the lodge purchase, other running costs, finance and resale proceeds, assume no concessions, and are future nominal pounds rather than today's purchasing power.

The point is not that your fee will follow any of these paths. It is to test whether ownership still works under different assumptions instead of treating today's bill as permanent.

A modest-looking percentage can become a substantial extra commitment when it repeats.

No. Separate four different arrangements.

A useful published example is Leisure Resorts' option to spread one year's site-fee credit across four years. That is not four free years. Its terms say annual fees still rise and exclude utilities, insurance and other account charges from the credit. Confirm the exact credit and conditions in your own offer. ^[11][12]

Compare the full period, not the headline offer

Consider two hypothetical fee packages. Both increase by 5% annually from Year 2, including during any free period:

In this example, the package with two free years costs about £3,492 more in site fees over ten years.

That is not a verdict on either park or the whole purchase. It isolates why the starting fee, review mechanism and intended ownership period matter alongside concessions.

You can ask. Do not plan your purchase around the assumption that the park will agree.

Our approach is to examine both immediate cost and future exposure. Depending on the proposal, we may challenge the starting fee, request a contribution, seek a defined fixed period, or ask for clearer limits on future reviews and separately charged items.

We assess the complete purchase package. A fee concession needs to be weighed against the lodge price, included extras, restrictions and the agreement, not treated as a saving in isolation.

Where a park will not change an important term, the next question is whether that risk is acceptable or whether another park is a better fit.

An advertised offer is not an extra saving created by a buying adviser. Any claimed improvement should be measured against the genuine offer already available to that buyer.

Request the current fee schedule, the actual review clause, a written explanation of any concession and, where available, several years of invoices or review notices for comparable pitches.

For a historical comparison, separate the underlying fee from temporary discounts, VAT changes, additional charges and changes in what was included. Record the year and source. Missing history is an information gap, not proof of wrongdoing; an apparently stable history is not a future guarantee.

Six questions bring the assessment together:

1. What is the full current annual fee for this exact pitch, and what is extra?
2. What does the next review permit, and when will it happen?
3. Is there a defined calculation, inflation index, minimum increase or maximum?
4. What will I actually pay after the promotion ends?
5. What changes if I sell, leave early or the park changes ownership?
6. How do I challenge an increase, and what notice or deadline applies?

Get important answers recorded. Verbal statements can have legal significance, so keep emails, messages and notes as evidence; getting commitments into the final paperwork reduces avoidable uncertainty. ^[13]

Request the relevant clause, the park's calculation and the written reasons for the rise. Follow the complaint procedure and obtain consumer or legal advice about deadlines, payment obligations and available remedies.

An expensive fee is not automatically legally unfair. Business Companion distinguishes a transparent, prominent starting price from a later price-variation clause, which remains subject to the fairness test. ^[13]

Do not assume a group-objection threshold in a model contract removes your individual legal rights, and do not simply stop paying without advice. The appropriate response depends on the actual agreement and circumstances. ^[7][13]