Park Home Living
Park homes for sale and rent in the UK

An introduction to Park Rules

Published: 9th March, 2025

Protection - regulation

Park rules are necessary to ensure that standards are maintained on a park, which will be of general benefit to residents. They are intended to promote community cohesion on the park.

In this article, we will cover some frequently asked questions relating to park rules.

Is it an obligation to have site rules?

Contrary to popular belief, there is no legal obligation for a park owner to introduce park rules on a residential park. However, if a park owner chooses to do so, a procedure must be followed, which is provided for in the Mobile Homes (Site Rules) (England) Regulations 2014 in England and the Mobile Homes (Site Rules) (Wales) Regulations 2014 (“the Regulations”). These Regulations also cover how a park owner is to ‘vary’ or change the site rules on the site.

If the site rules procedure prescribed by the Regulations has been adhered to, the park owner must deposit the park rules with the local authority.

The local authority retains a register of the park rules, which is open to members of the public during working hours, and the local authority must also publish these online on the relevant local authority website.

In what circumstances are the park rules not enforceable?

If the process has not been followed by the relevant regulations and the site rules have not been deposited as outlined in the Regulations, the site rules are not enforceable.

How are the site rules treated?

If the site rules have been made in accordance with the Regulations and deposited with the local authority, they are treated as express terms of the Agreement.

This highlights the importance of understanding the site rules before buying a park home and equally complying with the site rules whilst being a park homeowner. You would not want to fall foul of the park rules as this could lead to a legal dispute between you and the park owner.

Are there any rules which are banned?

There are certain rules that are banned, and all existing rules which have been banned have no legal effect. Some examples of these ‘banned rules’ include (non-exhaustive):

(a) which grant homeowners certain rights, subject to the exercise of discretion by the park owner;

(b) about any matter that would contravene the implied terms of a home owner’s pitch agreement under the 1983 Act;

(c) which restrict a home owner from obtaining goods and services, for example, bottled gas;

(d) which require additional charges or deposits to be paid to the site owner and

(e) which restrict home owners’ rights over the site, such as in relation to visitors and vehicular access.

(f)  whether the park home owner should be prevented from selling or gifting the mobile home to anyone other than the site owner.

(g) whether the buyer of the park home should be required to attend a meeting with the site owner.

Have you considered the site rules before you purchase?

The site rules should be fully understood before purchasing your park home, so you are not in breach of your agreement.

Should you have any doubts as to the validity and/or the implications, you should seek specific legal advice from a qualified lawyer that specialises in this area of law. In any event, it is always advisable to obtain legal advice when purchasing a park home.

Need park home advice?

If you are looking to understand the legal validity of the site rules on your park home site or have a dispute regarding the site rules, you can submit an enquiry using www.parkhomeslaw.com 

 

The information provided in this article serves as useful guidance. Please note that this is not intended to be comprehensive and should not be taken in place of specific legal advice. If in doubt, you could seek specific advice from Ibraheem Dulmeer, who specialises in this area of law. This material should not be replicated without the author’s consent. Ibraheem Dulmeer © 2025