New powers to protect park home residents

From 1st April 2014, local councils will find it easier to take action against park home site owners who fail to maintain or manage their sites adequately.

Councils will be able to take enforcement action where owners are found to offer poor conditions and the new rules also mean that where an emergency situation arises and the park owner is unavailable to take immediate action, the council can step in – for example, if a power cable is hung dangerously low or the supply of gas to the site has become disconnected.

Where park owners fail to act on a notice, the council will be able to take them to a magistrates’ court where they could face a substantial fine. Furthermore,  site owners will be prevented from passing the costs of enforcement action on to their residents.

The new powers are the first changes to laws relating to park home site licensing for half a century.