Mobile home/Park home licence

The Mobile Homes Act 2013 received Royal Assent on 26 March 2013. This Act aims to improve housing standards, give greater protection to homeowners and provide more effective enforcement action by local authorities regarding licence obligations. The Mobile Homes Act 2013 amends the Caravan Sites and Control of Development Act 1960 by introducing (amongst other matters) new provisions in relation to local authority powers with effect from 1 April 2014.

These powers are:

• to charge fees for new residential site licences, licence transfers and variations
• to charge an annual fee to existing residential site licence holders
• to refuse a licence (or to refuse to transfer a licence) if necessary
• to serve and enforce ‘compliance notices’ and undertake emergency works together with the power to recover expenses and costs relating to works in default
• for the Local Authority to be the keeper of ‘Site Rules.’ These rules must be deposited with the authority by site operators by the February 2015, the Act allows a small fee to be charged for depositing these rules

The 2013 Act also introduced new laws to address malpractice across the mobile homes sector. For example, it removed opportunities for site operators to block sales and requires them to agree new site rules with park home residents. Many of these provisions are now in force but do not affect local authority powers and duties.