Moving in to mobile home accommodation can be a big step. There are lots of things you should consider before you buy or rent a mobile home.
Mobile homes can vary greatly in size and type. A mobile home could be:
Mobile homes are an economical housing option. Some people, particularly those of retirement age, choose to move into mobile accommodation, often selling traditional property to do so. In many rural areas, where there is not enough council housing available or where house prices are beyond your reach, a mobile home may be your only option.
When you buy or rent a mobile home, you need to think about:
Even if you own land to put a mobile home on, you will need planning permission and a site licence, which you can obtain by writing to the council.
Our pages on renting or buying a mobile home on a site explains what you should consider when looking at sites.
Many mobile or park home sites have rules stating that you can’t live there all year round. This is usually because the site operator’s licence is for holiday letting and forbids using the site as a primary residence. It is very important that you check whether there are periods when you can’t stay there as you can be evicted very easily from a site that doesn’t permit year-round residential use.
Get help if you are in this situation.
Yes. Park homes should be built to a British ‘residential’ Standard (BS3632). Various schemes exist, such as the Gold Shield Ten Year Warranty, to ensure that park homes comply with these standards. Make sure that any mobile home you buy is covered by a warranty.
A list of approved caravan, motorhome and caravan leisure home models can be found at the National Caravan Council (NCC) website. The NCC has checked these models and approved that they comply with UK legislation and safety regulations. They will carry an NCC approved sticker.
Unfortunately, tenants or owners of mobile homes don’t have as many rights as owners or tenants of ‘bricks and mortar’ homes. This is because different laws apply to mobile homes.
To find out what your rights might be take a look at our pages on :
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.
If you have a housing problem, call our expert housing advice helpline
08000 495 495
If you have a non-urgent problem and would like to speak to an advisor
email us
This page was last updated on: May 3, 2023
Shelter Cymru acknowledges the support of Shelter in allowing us to adapt their content. The information contained on this site is updated and maintained by Shelter Cymru and only gives general guidance on the law in Wales. It should not be regarded or relied upon as a complete or authoritative statement of the law.
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