By William Coleman
Holiday homes are the perfect place to spend your down time. When you need a break from the hustle and bustle of life you can just run away and spend some relaxing time in your holiday home. But are some people putting the UK holiday industry at risk by using them too much?
Recently trade associations have warned that misuse of holiday homes could damage the UK staycation trend. The NCC (National Caravan Council) have gone as far to issue a stern warning to potential buyers of caravan holiday homes.
The warning explains that anyone who buys, or has bought, a caravan or lodge on a holiday park must use it for leisure purposes only. Any use other than leisure could potentially lead to eviction for their chosen park if they start to live there.
The NCC’s Frank Finch said: “Due to the popularity of ‘staycations’ and the holiday home lifestyle, there is continuing growth in holiday home sales, but new buyers need to be aware that a holiday home is for holidays.
Holiday parks are licensed by the Local Authority for holiday and recreational use. To live permanently in a holiday caravan/lodge could have serious consequences, including the risk of being required to leave the park. Holiday park operators also risk enforcement action and penalties from local authorities.”
Frank added: “The problem of holiday caravans being used as a main home is not new and the current high property prices and shortage of affordable housing can be factors that drive misuse. No-one wants to face the challenges of finding somewhere new to live, so the best way to avoid that terrible situation is to make sure it does not happen to begin with. When owners are found living on a holiday park, local authorities may take enforcement action against the park if there are persistent breaches of planning, or if the conditions they imposed in the park’s site are routinely ignored.
The park will also take action to remedy the situation (e.g. by termination of the holiday home owner’s licence agreement) because it risks losing its site licence if it doesn’t comply with site licence conditions. So, if you are thinking of buying a holiday caravan, make sure you are clear how and when you can use it.”
The NCC has developed new Licence Agreements which its holiday park members use, making this and other restrictions very clear. There is also a free leaflet for holiday home owners, ‘Making the best use of your caravan holiday home/holiday lodge’ available on www.thencc.org.uk which explains this in detail.
Frank added: “Holiday homes offer superb leisure break opportunities, but misuse can limit availability. As more people embrace the staycation trend and discover the benefits of holidays and short breaks in the UK, we want to make sure that everyone has the opportunity of enjoying caravan holiday homes and get the most out of their leisure time.”
I am not sure if I have heard of anyone getting into any kind of trouble for the ‘over use’ of their holiday home, caravan or lodge, but I can see why is may cause some issues in the future. When it comes to the main reasons behind it, property pricing hikes, you can see why people may be tempted to use their caravans as full time accommodation.
