Complaints and disputes

On this page

At a glance

• Complain to the park in writing first — NCC member parks should acknowledge within 7 days and decide within 28.
• Raise a problem with an NCC park within 28 days of noticing it, or the NCC dispute service may not take your case.
• The NCC dispute service is free but only covers NCC member parks; the next step, the Independent Case Examiner, costs £50 + VAT (refunded if you win).
• Free consumer advice: Citizens Advice in England and Wales, Advice Direct Scotland, Consumerline in Northern Ireland.

Step 1: the park’s own complaints procedure

NCC member parks must have a written complaints process. Put your complaint in writing. The park should acknowledge it within 7 days and give you a final decision within 28 days — or explain why it needs longer and when it will reply. On parks using HARPA’s model agreement, the park aims to acknowledge complaints within 14 days and give you a timescale.

Don’t sit on a problem. The NCC’s dispute service won’t take a complaint that wasn’t raised with the park within 28 days of you becoming aware of it, or one referred more than 3 months after the park’s final decision.

Step 2: the NCC Informal Dispute Resolution Service (IDRS)

If your park is an NCC member, you can then use the NCC’s free Informal Dispute Resolution Service. It aims to get both sides talking again rather than to rule on who is right, and targets a conclusion within 90 days of having the complete file.

What IDRS won’t deal with:

• the level of, or increase in, pitch fees where the park followed its contract (though whether the agreed pitch fee process was followed can go to IDRS);
• commercial decisions, such as buy-back values or the price of entertainment passes;
• disputes about the quality or fitness of the caravan (those are Consumer Rights Act matters) and warranty issues;
• holiday lets;
• cases where lawyers are instructed or court action is under way;
• site licence and planning matters — those go to the council;
• residential park disputes — those go to the tribunal.

Step 3: the Independent Case Examiner (ICE)

If IDRS can’t resolve an eligible dispute about your contract, you can take it to the Independent Case Examiner — an independent dispute resolution service appointed by the NCC but run separately from it.

• Ask in writing within 30 days of IDRS closing your case (the NCC’s best practice guidance says one month).
• The fee is £50 + VAT, refunded in full if the decision goes wholly or partly your way. The park pays a fee too, and must cooperate.
• If you accept the decision it binds both sides, and the park must pay any award within 14 working days. If you don’t accept it, you can still go to court.

If your park isn’t an NCC member

HARPA (formerly BH&HPA) says its members are vetted and sign up to its Articles of Association, but we couldn’t find a HARPA-run dispute service for consumers; its consumer pages point to Citizens Advice, LEASE and the NCC. HARPA’s model agreement offers optional routes — pitch fee questions to an independent RICS surveyor (paid for by the park), arbitration (an arbiter in Scotland) with costs shared, or an alternative dispute resolution service — but none of them is compulsory.

Objecting to a pitch fee or rule change (NCC parks)

If 33% of owners object in writing to a pitch fee change or a change to the park rules, the park must consider the objections and respond — for rule changes, within 21 days. You must be told you can leave the contract without loss if you don’t accept a change. See the licence agreement.

If you were misled or pressured into buying

Since 6 April 2025, the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 has protected consumers against misleading and aggressive selling. You may be able to unwind the contract, get a discount or claim damages; Citizens Advice describes getting a full refund if you act within 90 days. HARPA says it is misleading and illegal for a salesperson to tell you that you can live on a holiday park.

Faults with the caravan, and finance

If you bought from a business, faults are covered by the Consumer Rights Act 2015 — see buying a static caravan. Complaints about a finance provider go through its own complaints process first, then to the Financial Ombudsman Service.

Free advice and Trading Standards

The NCC also points owners to the National Association of Caravan Owners (NACO), the Caravan and Motorhome Club, the Camping and Caravanning Club, and Resolver.

Breaches of a park’s site licence — such as the spacing between caravans or fire points — are for the council’s licensing or environmental health team.

Going to court

As a last resort you can go to court. In England and Wales, money claims start on GOV.UK; Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own processes (see mygov.scot and nidirect). In Northern Ireland, disputes under the Caravans Act (NI) 2011 go to the county court.

All the contacts are on our help page.

Questions people ask

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).

Sources

Checked 6 October 2026. We wrote this guide from these sources, in our own words:

1. NCC Best Practice Guidance for Holiday Parks (February 2025) (thencc.org.uk)
2. NCC IDRS complaints guidance (October 2024) (thencc.org.uk)
3. NCC: When things go wrong (thencc.org.uk)
4. HARPA model holiday caravan Licence Agreement (December 2025) (bhhpa.org.uk)
5. HARPA: Thinking of buying a caravan? (harpa.org.uk)
6. HARPA: About us (harpa.org.uk)
7. UK Parks (HARPA): Buying a holiday caravan FAQs (ukparks.com)
8. Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024, Part 4 Chapter 1 (legislation.gov.uk)
9. Citizens Advice: misled or pressured into buying (citizensadvice.org.uk)
10. Citizens Advice consumer service (citizensadvice.org.uk)
11. Advice Direct Scotland — consumeradvice.scot (consumeradvice.scot)
12. Consumerline (Northern Ireland) (economy-ni.gov.uk)
13. Financial Ombudsman Service (financial-ombudsman.org.uk)
14. GOV.UK: Make a court claim for money (gov.uk)
15. Caravans Act (Northern Ireland) 2011 (legislation.gov.uk)

Travel Trailers is an independent guide. It is not owned by, or connected to, any holiday park operator, caravan manufacturer, dealer or trade body. Spotted something out of date? Tell us.