Questions & answers
Static caravan questions answered
Short answers, each linked to the guide with the detail and the sources.
The basics
Can I live in my static caravan?
No — not on a holiday park. Holiday parks’ planning permission and site licences usually say caravans are for holidays only and can’t be anyone’s main home, and your agreement will say the same. You must have a main home elsewhere, and parks check your address when you buy and (on NCC member parks) at least once a year. If you live there anyway, the park can end your agreement and the council can take enforcement action — and you’d have none of the legal protections that residential park home owners have.
More detail: Holiday park rules: seasons, site licences and the holiday-use rule
Is a 12-month park the same as a residential park?
No. A 12-month holiday licence means owners can take holidays at any time of year. It doesn’t allow anyone to live there. Residential park homes are on separate "protected sites" licensed for people to live in.
More detail: Holiday park rules: seasons, site licences and the holiday-use rule
What’s the difference between a static caravan and a lodge?
A static caravan (caravan holiday home) is usually built to BS EN 1647, the holiday caravan standard. A holiday lodge is usually built to BS 3632, the residential park home standard, which generally means more insulation — but it is still sold for holiday use only. If a lodge fits within the twin-unit size limits it is still a caravan in law.
More detail: What is a static caravan?
Do I need a TV licence for my static caravan?
Only if someone is watching live TV or using BBC iPlayer at your main home at the same time, or if the caravan is your main home. Otherwise your home licence covers it, and TV Licensing asks you to send a signed "non-simultaneous use declaration". Owners in some park letting schemes need a separate licence.
More detail: The costs of owning a static caravan
Buying one
How long can I keep my caravan on its pitch?
For as long as your licence agreement says — the "agreement period". NCC member parks must offer at least 12 years from new, and HARPA member parks at least 10 years. A used caravan gets what’s left of the existing term. At the end, neither you nor the park has to agree a new one.
More detail: The licence (pitch) agreement: what to check
Can the park make me remove my caravan because of its age?
There’s no law setting a maximum age for a holiday caravan — any limit comes from your contract. NCC member parks mustn’t remove a caravan during the agreement period solely because of its age, or to create a sale. Trading Standards guidance says age restrictions should be specifically pointed out before you buy.
More detail: The licence (pitch) agreement: what to check
Can I get a mortgage on a static caravan?
Usually not. A regulated mortgage has to be secured on land, and a holiday caravan is a movable item kept on a pitch under a licence. Buyers typically pay with cash, hire purchase or a loan. Hire purchase is covered by the Consumer Rights Act like a sale.
More detail: Buying a static caravan
Is there a cooling-off period when I buy?
On NCC member parks, yes: 14 days from the date of order, to cancel without penalty. That comes from the NCC’s code, not the law — the legal 14-day right to cancel only covers sales made online, by phone or away from the trader’s premises, not a sale signed in the park’s sales office.
More detail: Buying a static caravan
How much VAT is there on a static caravan?
It depends on size and build standard. A new caravan no more than 7 m long and 2.55 m wide: 20%. A larger one built to BS 3632: zero. A larger one not built to BS 3632 — most holiday caravans: 5%. Holiday park pitch fees carry 20%.
More detail: VAT on static caravans
Owning one
How much are pitch fees?
There’s no official national average. As examples of operators’ own 2026 figures, Parkdean Resorts quotes £3,250 to £12,495 a year including VAT, and Park Holidays UK quotes from £3,245 for holiday homes and from £4,745 for lodges. Ask your park for its price list, and use our running-cost calculator.
More detail: The costs of owning a static caravan
Do I pay council tax on a holiday caravan?
No. Holiday caravans on holiday parks don’t pay council tax. The park pays business rates for the whole site and may recharge owners as part of their charges. If a council asks you for council tax on a holiday caravan, the NCC says to tell it the caravan is a holiday unit.
More detail: The costs of owning a static caravan
Can I rent out my static caravan?
Only if your agreement allows it — many parks don’t allow private letting, so check before you buy. Lets must be to genuine holidaymakers. Once you let, you’re a landlord for gas safety (a yearly gas safety check is a legal requirement), the income is likely to be taxable, and you’ll need insurance that allows letting.
More detail: Letting your caravan out
Do I need a gas safety certificate?
If you let the caravan, yes — a gas safety check every year by a Gas Safe registered engineer is a legal requirement. If you don’t let it, there’s no law requiring one, but parks commonly make a yearly gas check a condition of the agreement, and Gas Safe Register recommends yearly servicing and checks for LPG appliances.
More detail: Safety: gas, electrics, carbon monoxide and fire
How many carbon monoxide alarms should a static caravan have?
The NCC recommends two — one in the hallway near the bedrooms and one in the main living area — meeting BS EN 50291, tested every month and replaced about every five years. NCC member manufacturers now fit CO alarms in all new holiday caravans.
More detail: Safety: gas, electrics, carbon monoxide and fire
Selling & sorting problems
How much commission does the park take when I sell?
If you sell privately on the pitch, you pay the transfer fee in your agreement — a percentage of the sale price plus VAT. There’s no legal cap for holiday caravans. The 10% cap you may have heard of is for residential park homes. Selling back to the park means no transfer fee.
More detail: Selling your static caravan
Can I sell my caravan privately?
Usually, yes — to a buyer who keeps it on the pitch, as long as the park approves them. The park normally gets first refusal at your asking price, the sale goes through the park office, and you pay the transfer fee. You’ll need current gas and electrical safety certificates.
More detail: Selling your static caravan
What happens if my park is sold?
Under the NCC’s guidance, a new owner that is an NCC member must honour existing agreements and can’t impose new ones. Your agreement stays in place.
More detail: The licence (pitch) agreement: what to check
Who can I complain to about my holiday park?
Start with the park’s own complaints procedure, in writing. If the park is an NCC member and you’re not satisfied, you can use the NCC’s free dispute service and then the Independent Case Examiner. For free advice, contact Citizens Advice (England and Wales), Advice Direct Scotland or Consumerline (Northern Ireland).
More detail: Complaints and disputes