When you buy a park home, you receive a set of park rules to observe while living in the park. But what about other issues that arise when you live in a park home? It is sometimes difficult to know who to turn to for park home advice. So in this article, we will look at three organisations that will offer residential park owners advice; Independent Park Home Advisory Service (IPHAS), The Park Homes Residents Action Alliance (PHRAA) and The National Association of Park Home Residents,
LOOKING FOR A RESIDENTIAL PARK HOME?
The National Association of Park Home Residents (NAPHR)?
The National Association of Park Home Residents (NAPHR) was founded in 1998 as one of the parties that joined the new Park Home Working Party or PHWP. The aim was to discuss life in a park home, and the legislation needed to protect owners and residents. The work led to the Mobile Homes Act 2013, which came into force in England in September.
Two years later, the government established the Park Homes Work Group intending to look for evidence of ‘poor practice’ and how to best deal with it and prevent it from happening again. The group included the NAPHR and national residents’ groups and trade bodies.
Today, the NAPHR works with the PHWP, the Department of Communities and Local Government. Their work is to represent member views and ensure that the government understands the impact and effectiveness of the legislation it passes affecting park homes.
Why you should know about the NAPHR
The NAPHR has a wide range of advice and assistance available for people owning park homes or living in them. While it doesn’t usually get involved with disputes such as neighbourly issues, it can help you find the proper assistance to deal with these issues. However, there is a range of ways that it can help.
1. Buying and Selling a Park Home
If you are buying or selling a park home, NAPHR is a source of up to date and accurate information about the processes involved.
For example, suppose a local council finds out that a holiday home is used as a residential property. In that case, the park owner can be prosecuted for breaking Site License Conditions and Planning Consent. So, when you are buying and selling a park home, you need to be clear on its permitted use.
As with many things, regulations are also slightly different between England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. For example, the National Association of Park Home Residents has a dedicated section on the website to help you access the information you need for your park home’s location to ensure you cover all legal requirements.
2. Park homes and care home costs
So a big concern for elderly park homeowners is if their health requires their park home sells to raise funds to pay for healthcare. The National Association of Park Home Residents has a section on the website with links to help you understand the current situation. Importantly and get assistance from legal experts to ensure you know your rights in this complex area.
3. Criminal or Civil Action
No one wants to be involved in a criminal or civil action on either side, but should you find yourself in this situation, NAPHR has a website section that details all of the legal avenues for either criminal or civil action.
You will still need to seek legal advice and assistance, but this helps you to see if you have a lawful provision to use.
Another legal section that the National Association of Park Home Residents covers is the First-Tier Tribunal Property Chamber or RPTS.
So this was incorporated into the laws on park homes in 2011 and is used to settle most disputes. The details clarify the purpose of the tribunal and how it can be used.
4. Pitch Fee and Surcharge Guidance
Pitch fees are a complex issue and one that can be either be agreed upon between the occupier and site owner or by the First-Tier Tribunal. The NAPHR documents the process for reviewing pitch fees. A pitch fee review form is used so that the process offers transparency so that occupiers are aware of the amount they are being charged. The review of the pitch fee takes into account the following, amongst others:
- The cost of any improvements to the site
- The cost of management and maintenance of the site
- If any service levels have lowered since the last review
The pitch fee review also makes clear what cannot be included. To clarify, this includes:
- The site owners’ legal fees
- Any costs that have arisen concerning the site licence
- The cost of local authority enforcement action
- Any charges for expanding the site
So if the occupier finds they disagree with the pitch fee review, they can dispute it via an application to the First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber).
5. Advice on Utilities
Utilities incorporate things such as gas and electric and areas such as LPG (liquid petroleum gas) and other means to power a park home. In addition, the NAPHR has information on all of the guidance and rules about utilities that apply to park homes; this includes steps to ensure gas safety in this type of property.
Even though your residential park home may display an NCC badge of approval, it is essential to carry out some checks of your own too:
· Gas appliances should be checked by a Gas Safe registered engineer annually. (Important to note if you let your accommodation out, this is a legal requirement)
· Gas burning appliances need ventilation; blocking this is hazardous and could result in Carbon Monoxide poisoning.
· Do not try DIY where gas is concerned; use a qualified Gas Safe registered engineer; once the work is completed, they will supply you with a gas safety record.
6. Residents Associations
Since 2006, owners of park home sites are not permitted to refuse to recognise a Residents Association. However, they can request that it is a Qualifying Association. Only owner-occupied homes can be part of the association, while empty or rented properties don’t count. The NAPHR provides easy guidance on this and links to the government factsheet.
The NAPHR Committee and its Work
In addition, the NAPHR does have a website with extensive information to help both park owners and occupiers, but that isn’t all of the work they do.
So the committee are a group of volunteers who give up their time to understand the legislation as it affects park homes. They also provide help and guidance for park owners and park home occupiers with various topics. These can include:
- Pitch fee disputes
- Maintenance issues
- Pitch boundaries
- Harassment
- Residents associations
- Utility chares
- Selling and buying park homes
By taking the guidance on the website one step further, the National Association of Park Home Residents provide active and up to date assistance for park homeowners and occupiers. Therefore they aim to make life peaceful, enjoyable and worry-free.
NAPHR Offers Free Help for Park homeowners
Above all, The National Association of Park Home Residents offers advice and assistance to all owners and occupiers of park homes. They act as a crucial go-between with owners, occupiers, and the local authority and help decipher legislation and regulations. Therefore, they are an institution that everyone involved with park homes should know about and support.
The Independent Park Home Advisory (IPHAS)
The Independent Park Home Advisory Service (better known as IPHAS) was set up to offer advice and information to those who already own or consider owning a park home in the UK.
It is a voluntary organisation run by residents who know the mobile home legislation inside out and work with the government to promote and review any possible changes in the legislation. IPHAS can be compared to the TCA, which acts on behalf of timeshare owners.
What Do The Independent Park Home Advisory Service Do?
IPHAS is essentially split into two branches, advising and helping park home residents and acting as the park home community representative to the government.
Unfortunately, disputes can arise between park home residents and the owners of the mobile park homes, and it can be challenging to know exactly what your right are.
That’s where IPHAS come in. They can offer advice on what your best course of action is and what your rights are and try to steer you onto a path that will sort out your dispute without having to go to court.
If the court is required in your case (as it sometimes is), IPHAS will help you out with the sometimes complicated courtroom world and help you out with all the relevant paperwork, as well as help you choose and work with a lawyer.
The other arm of IPHAS’s work is working at the government level to represent park homeowners alongside other associations to protect their rights and ensure that any future legislation doesn’t negatively impact them.
They often advise the likes of council officials, the Citizen’s Advice Bureau and lawyers, as park homes can sometimes require a high level of niche knowledge.
Unfortunately, as they are not lawyering themselves, IPHAS are not qualified to give legal representation. However, they advise both sides to reach an amicable conclusion either in or out of court.
While IPHAS can provide information that is necessary about park home laws and regulations, they cannot act on your behalf. It is ultimately up to the owner themselves to make any decisions based on that information. IPHAS can’t be held responsible for the consequences of any action subsequently taken.
IPHAS is entirely volunteers run, and none of its members is paid for their work.
The History of The Independent Park Home Advisory Service
IPHAS was founded by Roy Waite, who lived in a park home himself during the early 1980s. Roy also served as chairman of a national resident’s association.
He met co-founder Joan Aylott on the board of this association in 1989. They both left the organisation after disagreeing on how it should be run.
However, Joan and Roy still found that people were asked advice on the park home industry. So they decided to form IPHAS in November of 1993.
They were soon joined by other park homeowners who had learnt from their own experiences with park homes.
They worked with the government on legislation such as The Housing Act 2004 and the Mobile Homes Act 2013, which were designed to give greater legal protection to park homeowners.
Through this work, IPHAS established itself as a trusted voice on the matter of park homes with government figures and local councils, and they continue to fight for the rights of park homeowners.
If you require any advice regarding your own park home or are perhaps interested in joining the Independent Park Home Advisory Service, you can find their contact details on our services page.
Park Homes Residents Action Alliance (PHRAA)
With the growth in park home living, the Park Homes Residents Action Alliance (PHRAA) provide information, advice, tips and guidance to prospective, new and existing park homeowners.
PHRAA is made up of long term fellow park homeowners. The aim is to use their knowledge and experience to help new and prospective buyers understand the rules and regulations of park homeowner life. Thus avoiding problems and making homeowners’ life as enjoyable and straightforward as possible. The president and one of the founding members, Colin Packman, has over fifty years of personal experience researching problems and finding solutions for park homeowners.
What does the Park Homes Residents Action Alliance do?
The Park Homes Residents Action Alliance (PHRAA) provide information, advice, tips and guidance to prospective, new and existing park homeowners. This is done via their website and monthly newsletters. The PHRAA is an entirely independent, voluntary organisation founded in 2002. Their aim is to inform and protect fellow park homeowners via their website and monthly newsletter. In addition, they keep their members up to date on current events within the park homeowners forum. This is in the form of the latest government legislation from the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government. PHRAA will also provide informative articles on the everyday life of a park homeowner.
They are passionate about standing up for and protecting residents’ rights. They provide a safe place for park homeowners to turn to if they encounter any issues. PHRAA will take up the cause for others if a person or even an entire park isn’t run the way it should be.
The PHRAA are not sponsored by or contain any advertising for businesses or park operators; they are entirely impartial and are proud to use the tag line “Tells it as it is”. The PHRAA will point out new or existing issues about parks, individuals or services. They don’t need to worry about losing sponsorship or advertising money. Thus, those who read their newsletters and website will trust that they receive the truthful and unbiased information they need.
Why would you need the PHRAA?
The Park Homes Residents Action Alliance is there solely to offer support, guidance and essential legal information. The Alliance is there to help all park homeowners and those looking to become park homeowners. They are a unique organisation, as members are the very people who have encountered these issues and difficulties for themselves. They use their experiences and knowledge to help others navigate the sometimes difficult decisions and journey to becoming park homeowners.
As in any area of life, some individuals do not follow what should be done; they cut corners and are only interested in making money. The PHRAA call these individuals USOs (unscrupulous park owners), and they are an invaluable source of information to help others avoid these USO. Resulting in a park homeowner a much less fraught experience. They can guide you and tell you how to avoid these individuals, which is excellent for all – prospective park homeowners and trustworthy park owners alike.
Can anyone join the PHRAA?
Anyone who is a park homeowner, or is looking to become one, can join the PHRAA. Membership is free, and the application form can be found on their website, www.thephraa.website.