A written statement is the document a park has to hand you before you commit to buying a park home. It sets out what you pay, what the park has to do, and what you have to do in return. Get it wrong and you can find yourself bound to terms you never read.

It is also the document most buyers skim. That is the mistake, because almost everything that later turns into a dispute is decided in it.

Key takeaways

  • The park must give you the written statement at least 28 days before you sign.
  • It covers the pitch agreement, not the sale of the home itself.
  • It must name both parties, identify the pitch, state the pitch fee and the review date, and set out the express terms.
  • The implied terms apply whether or not they are written down, and neither side can contract out of them.
  • If the park never gives you one, you can apply to a tribunal for an order compelling it.

What a written statement actually is

Section 1 of the Mobile Homes Act 1983 requires the owner of a protected site to give a written statement to anyone who is going to live in a park home on that site. It is not a courtesy. It is a statutory duty.

The statement records the agreement between you and the park about the pitch. That distinction matters more than most buyers realise. You own the home. The park owns the ground it stands on. The written statement governs the ground.

So the statement does not tell you what the home costs. It does not carry the survey, and it does not carry the warranty. Those are separate documents from separate parties. If you have been handed a written statement and expected a price on it, that is why it is not there.

The 28-day rule

The park must give you the statement at least 28 days before the agreement is made. Where you are buying a home from the park, the clock runs to the date of the sale agreement. Where there is no sale agreement, it runs to the date of the pitch agreement itself.

You can waive that period, but only in writing. A park cannot simply shorten it, and it cannot be waived by you nodding along on a site visit.

Twenty-eight days sounds generous until you are mid-purchase. Use it. Read the express terms, and take the statement to a solicitor who has handled park home sales before, not just any conveyancer.

People sign these because they are excited about the home and the paperwork feels like a formality. It is not a formality. It is the only document that says what you will be paying in ten years and who fixes the road when it floods.

— Justin Allitt, Sell My Group

What must be in it

The Act sets the core requirements. The Mobile Homes (Written Statement) (England) Regulations 2011 then prescribe the form it has to follow.

What a written statement must cover
Names and addresses of the parties
You, and the legal entity that owns the site. Check the entity, not the trading name.
Particulars identifying the land
Enough detail to fix exactly which pitch is yours, usually with a plan.
The pitch fee
The amount, and what it does and does not include.
The review date
The annual date the fee can be reconsidered. This one governs the rest of your ownership.
Any other charges
Services billed separately from the pitch fee, such as utilities.
The express terms
The terms specific to that park. Read these hardest, they vary most.
The implied terms
The statutory terms that apply anyway. Set out so you can see them.

Pitch fees vary by park and by plot, and there is no standard figure. Ask the park directly what the current fee is and what the last three reviews did to it.

Express terms and implied terms

Express terms are the park own rules. Pets, sub-letting, parking, what you can put on your pitch, age restrictions. They differ from park to park and they are negotiable in principle, though in practice most parks present them as fixed.

Implied terms come from Schedule 1 to the Act. They apply whether or not anyone writes them down, and no agreement can remove them. The ones worth knowing:

  • You are entitled to quiet enjoyment of your home and your pitch.
  • You can end the agreement by giving the park at least four weeks written notice.
  • The park cannot end it without going to a tribunal.
  • The pitch fee can only change through the review process, by agreement, or where a tribunal decides a change is reasonable.
  • The park must maintain the base, the site infrastructure and the common areas.
  • The park must consult you about improvements to the site, with at least 28 clear days notice.

The review process has its own timetable. The park must serve notice at least 28 clear days before the review date, and the notice has no effect unless it comes with the prescribed document. We cover how that works in our guide to pitch fee increases and the RPI to CPI change.

If the park does not give you one

Some buyers only discover the gap years later, usually when a dispute starts and nobody can produce the paperwork.

The Act deals with this. If the owner has not given you a written statement that meets the requirements, you can apply at any time after the agreement was made for an order requiring them to provide one. In England that application goes to the First-tier Tribunal, Property Chamber. In Wales it goes to the Residential Property Tribunal Wales.

Two things follow from that. Missing paperwork does not weaken your position, because the implied terms bind the park either way. And there is no deadline on applying, so a gap you find in year six is still actionable.

Before you sign

  • Check the legal entity named as owner matches the entity selling to you.
  • Find the review date and diary it.
  • Read every express term, and ask what each one means in practice on that park.
  • Ask what the pitch fee has done at the last three reviews.
  • Ask which charges sit outside the pitch fee.
  • Take it to a solicitor with park home experience.

If any of that gets a vague answer, that is information too. A park that will not put a straight answer in writing before you buy will not become clearer afterwards. Our guide to the pros, cons and pitfalls of buying a park home covers the other checks worth making, and if you are on the other side of the transaction, selling a park home and the rights you need to know sets out where you stand.

Looking for a residential park you can trust?

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Sources

  • Mobile Homes Act 1983, section 1
  • The Mobile Homes (Written Statement) (England) Regulations 2011
  • Consolidated implied terms in park home pitch agreements, government factsheet, revised 2023
  • GOV.UK, Park and mobile homes: your rights
When must a park give me the written statement?

At least 28 days before the agreement is made. Where you are buying the home from the park, that runs to the date of the sale agreement. You can agree to a shorter period, but only in writing.

Does the written statement tell me the price of the park home?

No. It covers the pitch agreement between you and the park, not the sale of the home. The purchase price sits in a separate transaction.

What is the difference between express terms and implied terms?

Express terms are the park own rules and vary site to site. Implied terms come from the Mobile Homes Act 1983 and apply whether or not they are written down. Neither side can contract out of the implied terms.

What happens if I never received a written statement?

You can apply to a tribunal at any time after the agreement was made for an order requiring the park to give you one. In England that is the First-tier Tribunal, Property Chamber. Your implied-term rights apply regardless.

Can the park change the pitch fee whenever it likes?

No. It changes through the annual review, by agreement, or where a tribunal decides a change is reasonable. The park must serve notice at least 28 clear days before the review date, using the prescribed form.

Should I get a solicitor to look at it?

Yes, and preferably one who has handled park home sales before. The express terms are where parks differ most, and a general conveyancer may not know what to flag.