What we check
Know what you are buying into.
For holiday lodges and static caravans, we investigate the park, costs, agreement, sales assurances and exit position. We explain what the evidence supports, what remains unresolved and where specialist input is needed.
The same scrutiny in both services
Both services include investigation and negotiation for the purchase you want to pursue. Full Buying also includes finding and shortlisting suitable holiday parks and available lodges or static caravans.
Explore the six areas we investigate
Open an area to see what we examine and how it helps you decide.
The park and operatorWho runs the park, what owners report and whether its permissions, rules and plans fit how you want to use the holiday home.
What we examine
- The park operator and ownership information reasonably available
- Available company and trading background
- Customer feedback and any material patterns we can verify
- Available planning and site licence information
- The park’s open season and permitted use
- Park rules, management approach and practical fit
- Documented plans for facilities or future development
Site fees and ongoing costsWhat you pay beyond the purchase price, how charges can increase and what happens when introductory offers end.
What we examine
- The quoted purchase price and what is included
- The current site or pitch fee
- How and when that fee can be reviewed
- Previous fee increases where reliable information is available
- Utilities, rates, insurance requirements and service charges
- Transfer, resale, agency or removal costs that may apply
- Extras presented as part of the deal
Licence length and restrictionsHow long the lodge or static caravan can stay, what happens at expiry and the rules on holiday use, letting, pets and guests.
What we examine
- The agreement period and expiry date
- What happens when that period ends
- Holiday use and main residence restrictions
- The dates or season when the holiday home can be used
- Letting arrangements
- Rules concerning pets, guests and occupancy
- Transfer or replacement provisions
- Park rules and how changes may affect the owner
Resale and exitIf you decide to sell or leave, the selling rules, commissions and other deductions that could affect what you walk away with.
What we examine
- Whether and how the holiday home can be sold privately
- The park’s involvement in a future sale
- Transfer fees or commissions
- Any approval or new agreement process for a buyer
- The licence period likely to remain at resale
- Any buy back arrangements
- Removal, disconnection, storage or other exit costs where applicable
- Restrictions that could narrow the future market
Sales promisesWhether the assurances you are relying on are supported by the paperwork, from your pitch and view to future fees and facilities.
What we examine
- Facilities said to be available or planned
- The pitch, outlook or view being represented
- Assurances concerning future site fees
- Letting potential or projected income
- Future development around the holiday home
- Included decking, furniture, equipment or other extras
- Timescales and completion promises
- Any other statement materially affecting the decision
Price and negotiationWhether the whole package stacks up, not just the advertised discount, and where the price, inclusions or terms can be challenged.
What we examine
- The proposed price
- Comparable market evidence where reasonably available
- What is included and excluded
- Extras, incentives or concessions
- Commercial conditions attached to the offer
- Reservation or decision deadlines
- Unresolved questions that may affect the purchase
- Points where there may be credible room to negotiate
We make clear what we can verify, what is missing and what still needs an answer. Gaps in the evidence are not treated as reassurance.
Your written Deal Assessment
Findings you can act on
You receive a clear record of what stacks up, the risks, unanswered questions and any improvements secured through negotiation. We explain whether to proceed, seek changes, pause for missing evidence or walk away, and why. The buying decision remains yours.
Inside a Deal Assessment
A better price. Still not ready.
BUYER BRIEF
Suppose a buyer wants holiday use, two dogs and no need to let. They require at least 40 years remaining on the agreement and have an annual spending limit of £11,500 without rental income.
THE OFFER
If an asking price of £105,000 becomes £101,000, the £4,000 difference needs weighing against the full terms. Decking and the first year's site fee cannot count as new savings if they were already included.
THREE FINDINGS
The licence term does not match
- Evidence
- If a sales note promises 50 years but the draft agreement expires on 31 December 2060, a buyer entering in 2026 would have around 34 years left, rather than the 40 required. The dates and agreement period need reconciling.
- Next action
- Obtain the agreement offered to this buyer and have a solicitor resolve the discrepancy. If the term cannot meet the unchanged brief, recommend walking away.
Permitted use is not verified
- Evidence
- Obtain the planning decision, conditions and pitch map, and check that they apply to the proposed pitch. Sales reassurance cannot fill that evidence gap.
- Next action
- Obtain the official documents and establish that they apply to the exact pitch and intended use, with specialist advice where needed.
Future running costs may exceed the budget
- Evidence
- With a £7,200 site fee, Year 1 waived, £2,500 of other annual costs and an assumed 7% annual increase from Year 2, Year 5 costs reach about £11,938 — above the £11,500 budget.
- Next action
- Clarify the review factors and excluded charges, then reassess affordability. The 7% rate is a stress assumption, not a forecast or a cap; Year 5 follows four increases.
RECOMMENDATION
HOLD: not ready to recommend
A lower price does not resolve missing permitted-use evidence or a conflicting licence term. Obtain and review the documents before any reservation payment or signature.
OTHER OPEN CHECKS
Physical condition, exit costs, any buy-back obligation and legal review of final terms remain unresolved. Unpriced items are not treated as £0.
WHAT THE PRICE IMPROVEMENT MEANS
If a £4,000 price reduction were agreed, the amount after the £1,295 Purchase & Negotiation fee would be £2,705 before other costs. That alone would not override HOLD.
DOCUMENTS TO CHECK
Buyer brief, original and revised offer, draft agreement, site-fee schedule, sales assurances, planning decision, conditions and pitch map. Every material finding should be linked to its source.
BEFORE MAKING A DECISION
Resolve the outstanding questions, record the answers and check that any agreed changes appear in the final documents.
Where specialist advice is needed
The checks follow the purchase. We consider the relevant specification, warranty, condition records and age or replacement provisions for the lodge or caravan involved. Where a technical inspection or legal opinion is needed, we identify that separately.
We investigate and negotiate the commercial purchase. Our work does not replace legal advice or a structural survey. Where specialist input is needed, we explain what needs checking with your solicitor or surveyor before you proceed.
See how solicitors, surveyors and buying advisers check different parts of the purchase.
Choose your starting point
See which service fits where you are in the buying process.