The licence (pitch) agreement: what to check

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At a glance

• The agreement period is how many years the caravan can stay on the pitch — at least 12 years from new on NCC member parks, 10 years on HARPA member parks.
• No law sets a maximum age for a holiday caravan; any age limit comes from the contract.
• Pitch fee increases are set by the agreement, not by law — the NCC model uses RPI, HARPA’s latest model CPI.
• Unfair-terms law applies, and Trading Standards guidance says terms on sale, disposal and age should be specifically highlighted.

Get it early and read it properly

The licence agreement is your contract with the park. The NCC’s model is a Combined Purchase and Licence Agreement, covering both buying the caravan and the right to keep it on the pitch. HARPA (formerly BH&HPA) publishes its own model Licence Agreement for a holiday caravan pitch, most recently in December 2025.

NCC member parks should give you a draft at the first meeting and as long as you need to read it and take advice. HARPA’s advice is simple: don’t buy until you have been given — and understand — a holiday licence agreement. The NCC says the agreement is personal to you and can’t be assigned (handed over) to someone else.

How long can the caravan stay? The agreement period

• NCC member parks: at least 12 years from first purchase for a new holiday caravan or lodge. A pre-owned caravan, bought from the park or privately on the pitch, gets at least what remains of those 12 years from when it was first bought by a consumer.
• HARPA member parks: at least 10 years for a brand-new caravan or lodge, and often longer for lodges. A second-hand buyer usually gets a new agreement for the time left on the existing one.

At the end of the agreement period neither you nor the park has to agree a new one. If no new agreement is made, you must arrange for the caravan to be removed — on NCC parks, within 30 days of written notice.

Don’t confuse the agreement period with the season — the months each year the park is open. See holiday park rules.

Age limits

There is no statutory maximum age for a holiday caravan: any limit comes from your contract. Under the NCC guidance, during the agreement period a member park must not remove a caravan “to create a sale” or solely because of its age, and can’t require removal without a reasonable cause set out in the agreement.

The NCC model agreement only lets you replace the caravan on the pitch after it has been destroyed by fire, natural disaster or a similar insurable risk.

What to read in the agreement

Drawing on the NCC and HARPA models, look for:

• Dates — when the agreement starts and ends, and the park’s opening and closing dates each year.
• The pitch fee — how much it is, what it includes, and how it is reviewed.
• Other charges — rates, water, sewerage, gas, electricity and waste.
• Insurance — what cover you must have and how you prove it each year.
• Letting — whether you can let the caravan, and on what terms.
• Selling — the routes, the park’s right of first refusal and the transfer fee percentage.
• Gifting and inheritance — who you can pass the caravan to.
• Park rules — pets, vehicles, alterations and standards of behaviour.
• Ending the agreement — the grounds on which the park can end it, and removal and storage charges.
• Complaints — how to complain and what happens next.

Pitch fees and how they go up

The pitch fee is the yearly charge for keeping your caravan on its pitch and for the pitch services listed in your agreement. On holiday parks there is no statutory formula for increases: unlike residential park homes, the contract decides, subject to unfair-terms law.

• NCC guidance: at least 45 days’ written notice of a change, with an explanation. Increases normally follow inflation and/or improvements or changes in operating costs. If 33% of owners object in writing, the park must consider the objections and hold the increase until it has given a reasoned decision. You must be told that you can leave the contract without loss if you don’t accept the change.
• The model agreements: the NCC model links reviews to RPI. HARPA’s December 2025 model links them to CPI, with 6 weeks’ notice and a similar 33% objection mechanism. Under the HARPA model, if you don’t accept a new pitch fee you can end the agreement by writing within 6 weeks after it becomes due, then remove, sell on the pitch or gift the caravan.
• Trading Standards guidance says pitch fee rises are more likely to be fair if they are tied to an external index such as CPI, with notice and a real right to leave.

Park rule changes work in a similar way on NCC parks: if a third of owners object in writing, the park must consider the objections and respond within 21 days.

Unfair terms

The unfair terms rules in Part 2 of the Consumer Rights Act 2015 apply to licence agreements. Business Companion’s guidance for holiday parks, from Trading Standards, says restrictions on the sale, disposal and age of the caravan should be specifically pointed out to owners, and warns against terms that let the park change the contract on its own without a valid reason. The NCC’s guidance reflects that Trading Standards guidance, first issued in spring 2023.

When the park can end the agreement

Under the NCC model, if you break the agreement in a way that can be put right, the park must warn you and give you time. If you don’t, it can end the agreement and require you to remove the caravan within a further 30 days.

The NCC guidance says parks can’t end an agreement because you made fair comment on social media, made a legitimate complaint, or complained to the police, Trading Standards or Environmental Health. And if the park changes hands, a new owner that is an NCC member must honour existing agreements and can’t impose new ones.

Removal, storage and connection charges

Disconnecting and removing a caravan must be done by the park or its contractors. Under the NCC model the charges must be reasonable and no more than a written quote you get from a third party. The agreement should also spell out the charges that apply after it ends, such as removing decking or daily storage.

For what all this costs year by year, see the costs of owning one and our running-cost calculator.

Questions people ask

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.

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.

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.

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 model Combined Purchase and Licence Agreement (June 2024) (thencc.org.uk)
3. NCC: Q&As before buying a holiday caravan or lodge (2025) (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. UK Parks (HARPA): Buying a holiday caravan FAQs (ukparks.com)
7. Business Companion: Holiday parks — contract law and unfair terms (businesscompanion.info)
8. Business Companion: Holiday parks guidance (CTSI) (businesscompanion.info)
9. NCC: guidance for consumers thinking of buying a holiday caravan or lodge (thencc.org.uk)
10. Mobile Homes Act 1983, section 1 (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.