Most people in mobile homes own their own home. There are several ways to buy a mobile home such as a caravan, motorhome or park home. This page explains how to go about finding a mobile home to buy.

If you want to live in a park home, you will probably need to purchase a home already stationed in the park. Most park homes do not rent out pitches for people to station their own mobile homes on. If you are interested in buying a mobile home stationed on a site or park, you can search for mobile homes to buy at the British Holiday & Home Parks Association’s UK parks website. The National Caravan Council website lists caravan parks across the UK.

The UK Parks website has links to park home manufacturers in the UK – bear in mind that you will need somewhere to station the mobile home, and most park homes will not rent out pitches for this purpose. Find details of caravan and motorhome dealers near you in the Yellow Pages.

Websites such as RV Sales and Autotrader offer caravans and motorhomes for sale.

Depending on their condition, caravans can cost anything from a few hundred pounds, while park homes cost upwards of £20,000, making them significantly cheaper than traditional bricks and mortar property. However, bear in mind that you will have to pay a pitch fee and service charges as well, and that the value of a mobile home will not increase in line with traditional properties.

Banks and building societies don’t offer mortgages for buying mobile homes. Some sales centres offer financial packages, while some financial institutions, such as RoyScot Larch, specialise in loans for mobile homes. Bear in mind that the interest rates on your loan will be significantly higher than the average interest rates charged for a mortgage.

There is no stamp duty to pay when you buy a mobile home.

If you are thinking of buying a park home, it’s best to get a surveyor with specialist knowledge of mobile homes to look over the property and the site. They may be able to spot problems that could cost you a lot of money in the future.

Unless you buy land on which to site your mobile home, you will have to pay pitch fees to the owner of the site you live on. Pitch fees will vary in price, but are usually around £70-£120 a month. Read the page on mobile home sites to find out what you need to consider when looking at a site.

There are laws regulating the renting of pitches that give you certain rights, including protection from eviction. When you buy your mobile home, you are entitled to a written statement laying out the terms and conditions of renting the pitch and living in the park.

If you are buying a new home in a park, you will be able to negotiate the terms of the agreement with the site owner. However, if you are buying a second-hand home, you will have to abide by the previous owner’s agreement. This means:

• on the downside, you won’t be able to change any conditions you’re unhappy with
• on the upside, the site owner cannot change the conditions either and so, for example, cannot increase the pitch fees when you move in.

The section on owning a mobile home explains more.

When entering into any legal contract, it’s best to get a solicitor to look over the rental agreement before you commit yourself. Make sure you find a solicitor experienced in mobile home law, or at least in housing law. You can find a solicitor at The Law Society website. You can also get free housing advice from a Shelter Cymru adviser or Citizens Advice Bureau.

Mobile home owners who rent a pitch do not enjoy all the rights that ‘bricks and mortar’ home owners have.

• You’re not free to sell or give away your mobile home to anyone you like, or leave it in your will to anyone you like. The site owner must approve the new owner, although they shouldn’t withhold their permission unreasonably.
• When you sell your mobile home, you have to pay 10 per cent commission on the sale to the site owner. The section on owning a mobile home explains these restrictions in more detail.
• In certain circumstances, you could be evicted from the site. Find out more by reading the page on eviction of mobile home owners from a pitch.

We are sorry that we cannot provide this information in Welsh, however if you would like to speak to an adviser in Welsh please contact 08000 495 495.