Static Caravan Site Fees: What Is Included and What Can Change

The amount depends on the operator, park, pitch and package. A published starting price is useful for initial research, but it is not a quote for the caravan you are considering.

For example, Parkdean’s published caravan-and-lodge guidance lists 2026 site fees from £3,250 to £12,495 a year, including VAT. Its pitch-fee guide says the park, position and size of the holiday home can affect the charge. ^[2][1]

Hillandale’s 2026/27 schedule illustrates a different presentation. It lists £3,625 for Band A at Riverbend and £3,775 for Band A at The Glen, with specified charges and benefits included. The listed holiday-use periods also differ. ^[3]

These published examples were checked on 6 October 2026. They are not a national average, directly comparable packages or quotations for your purchase.

Use advertised figures to decide which parks to investigate. Use a dated, pitch-specific breakdown to decide whether an actual purchase fits your budget.

Start by separating three things: the pitch fee, other compulsory charges and spending that depends on your use.

The difference matters. Hillandale’s schedule includes gas, water and drainage standing charges, rates and a specified insurance benefit, but bills gas and electricity consumption separately. It also describes an additional service charge in certain usage circumstances. An inclusive-looking figure therefore still needs its exclusions checked. ^[3]

Use the following questions when reviewing your own offer. This is a comparison checklist, not a statement that every park charges for each item.

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Parkdean’s running-cost guidance separately addresses insurance, utilities, rates, water, maintenance and servicing. Its own presentation reinforces why a pitch fee should not be mistaken for the complete budget. ^[2]

“Included” needs a description. “Extra” needs a price or a clear calculation method. “Not yet established” must not quietly become £0.

Ask the park to identify the proposed caravan and pitch on the quotation.

Trading Standards guidance says that where the charge depends on the pitch selected, the buyer should know the actual fee before committing. It also says consumer prices should include VAT. ^[5]

Your comparison should record the quote date, fee period, current undiscounted charge, promotional adjustment and other mandatory payments.

Pay particular attention when buying towards the end of a season. Ask:

What is payable on completion, what period does that cover, and when is the next annual payment due?

A small balance for the remaining season is not necessarily evidence of a low annual fee.

The fee year and holiday season are different questions

An annual charge does not, by itself, tell you when you may occupy the caravan.

Parkdean, for example, says its pitch fee includes winter storage where the park is not open throughout the year. That is different from buying a number of holiday nights. ^[1]

Record the permitted holiday-use dates separately from the billing period. Check facility opening dates too.

Do not assume that a 12-month season permits permanent residence. The legal distinction between holiday and residential arrangements depends on more than the number of months a park is open. ^[7]

A fee promotion can be useful. It should still be possible to explain its value without a sales slogan.

Ask whether the offer covers a complete fee year, the remainder of a named season or a fixed monetary credit. Establish which charges are excluded and what happens after the benefit ends.

Trading Standards guidance specifically addresses promotions including pitch fees. Buyers should be able to understand the underlying fee commitment, and describing fees as free can be misleading where the purchase price has been inflated to cover them. ^[5]

Request the promotion terms alongside the undiscounted fee and review clause. Where the next year’s fee has not been set, ask how it will be calculated.

A fee waiver is not automatically a fee freeze. Establish whether the underlying charge can change during the promotional period and which amount will become payable afterwards.

Letting income and monthly payments are not the same as a discount

A letting arrangement may use rental income to meet a fee that remains due. Parkdean describes deducting the following year’s pitch fee from letting earnings. That is an offset, not proof that ownership has no ongoing charge. ^[1]

Ask what letting availability you must provide, what income is guaranteed rather than estimated, what costs remain and what happens if the arrangement ends.

Similarly, dividing an annual bill into instalments does not reduce it. Ask whether the payment option involves interest, charges or a separate credit agreement.

For your affordability check, keep the underlying fee, any genuine discount and any letting income on separate lines.

The following offers are fictional. They illustrate a comparison method, not actual park prices or a forecast.

Assume both offers cover the same permitted holiday season. Compare five complete annual fee periods, beginning at purchase.

All stated amounts include any applicable VAT. For the first calculation, assume that fees and additional fixed charges do not increase. That is a modelling assumption, not a promised price freeze.

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Not included: the caravan purchase price, setup costs, metered utilities, separately purchased insurance, servicing, repairs, finance, optional spending, sale or removal costs. Their amounts have not been established.

Offer A looks substantially cheaper in the first year. But its recurring pitch fee is £1,200 higher. Over these five fee periods, that difference absorbs the initial £6,000 credit.

This does not establish that the parks or caravans are equally good. It establishes that “free first-year site fees” was not enough information to compare their recurring costs.

Test what happens if the underlying fees rise

Now change one assumption.

Suppose both underlying pitch fees rise by an illustrative 5% each year from Year 2, including Offer A’s underlying fee after its first-year waiver. Keep the additional £500 annual charge unchanged.

The five-year total of the stated fixed charges becomes approximately:

Offer A: £29,654

Offer B: £29,023

These are calculations from the fictional inputs, rounded to the nearest pound. The fifth year follows four increases. The 5% assumption is neither a forecast nor a statement of what either park could lawfully charge.

For your own comparison, replace every input with the actual offer and clearly distinguish agreed amounts from assumptions. Do not call the result a complete ownership budget until the other costs are included.

Read the actual review clause rather than assuming every park follows the same inflation formula.

Trading Standards guidance says a variation clause should clearly explain what may change, why and how an increase is calculated. Notice and whether the owner has a genuine practical way to leave without suffering loss also matter when assessing fairness. ^[4]

For your proposed agreement, ask:

When can the charge change? Identify the first review date, later reviews and any claimed power to impose additional changes.

What is the calculation? Where an inflation index is mentioned, identify the index, reference period, any additional percentage, minimum increase or ceiling. Ask the park to demonstrate the calculation using an example.

Which charges does it cover? A limit on the pitch-fee increase may not describe how separately billed charges are reviewed.

What happens after a promotion? Establish whether the review applies to the discounted amount, the underlying charge or another defined amount.

How can you challenge it? Ask for the process, notice requirements and relevant contact details.

A clearly written clause is easier to assess, but clarity alone does not establish that it is fair. The CMA warns against variation terms that effectively give a business unrestricted power to impose higher costs, new requirements or reduced benefits. ^[8]

Do not assume either that the park can charge whatever it wants or that a reference to inflation settles every legal question. Obtain appropriate advice where the meaning or enforceability of a material clause is uncertain.

Our suggested request is for the previous three annual fee statements or increase notices for the same pitch or a genuinely comparable category, where available.

Ask whether a change reflects an increase in the underlying fee, an expired discount, different inclusions or a move to a different pitch category.

For example, a bill rising from £3,000 to £5,000 could represent a fee increase, the end of a £2,000 promotion or several changes together. You cannot establish the explanation from the two totals alone.

Check the undiscounted charges, dates and supporting notices.

Fee history is context. It does not promise the next increase, and information about a neighbouring pitch does not automatically apply to yours.

Where records are unavailable, record that gap and test affordability using clearly labelled scenarios. Do not describe missing evidence as a stable fee history.

When buying a pre-owned caravan, establish the fee and terms offered to you, not just what the current owner pays.

Ask whether an existing discount transfers, whether the remaining season’s payment carries across and whether another payment is due on completion.

Trading Standards guidance specifically identifies risks around loyalty discounts that are not available to a later private buyer. It also warns against using new terms or costs to block a private sale unfairly. ^[5][6]

That does not mean every fee difference is automatically unlawful or that every discount must transfer. It means the proposed arrangement needs to be clear and considered in context.

The same question matters when you eventually sell: what fee and agreement would the next buyer be offered?

Use this as a focused fee request, alongside the wider purchase checks.

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Keep the quotation, agreement and promotion together. If they contradict one another, ask for the inconsistency to be resolved before relying on the offer.

A spreadsheet can calculate the figures you enter. It cannot make an unclear contractual commitment clear.

It is reasonable to ask whether the park will improve the overall package. Do not assume the answer will be yes.

A useful negotiating request might concern the undiscounted fee, the length of a genuine fixed-price period, an included compulsory charge or the conditions attached to a promotion.

Consider what the improvement changes beyond the first invoice.

A contribution towards one year’s bill may help with cash flow. A clear and acceptable ongoing commitment answers a different question.

Ask for agreed improvements to appear in the appropriate written offer or agreement. Verbal assurances can matter legally, but preserving them in writing makes it easier to identify what was promised and resolve contradictions. ^[4]

Our recommended approach is to assess the package with and without the concession. If the purchase only works financially while a short promotion lasts, a slightly larger first-year discount may not address the real problem.

Ask the operator for the contractual basis, calculation, notice and complaint process. Keep the agreement and earlier bills alongside the new demand.

Trading Standards guidance expects owners to understand how fee changes can be challenged and warns against obstructing legitimate challenges. ^[6]

Get independent advice before deciding to withhold a disputed payment or end the agreement. The consequences depend on the circumstances. Citizens Advice in England and Wales, or Advice Direct Scotland, can provide consumer guidance; a solicitor may be needed for a particular dispute. ^[6]

You do not just need someone to tell you that site fees can rise. You need to understand the proposal in front of you.

Park & Lodge’s investigation covers quoted charges, available fee history, review wording, compulsory extras, concessions and important sales assurances. We distinguish established costs from assumptions and unresolved questions, then challenge and negotiate where there is credible scope.

For an identified purchase, Purchase & Negotiation brings that work together with the wider park, purchase and exit assessment. Our role is not to guarantee a lower fee or certify that every clause is legally enforceable. It is to investigate the commercial position, explain what remains unresolved and help you decide whether the overall proposal works for you.

Understand the recurring commitment, not just the introductory offer.