Buying on a holiday park is a big investment for most people, and it also means entering a binding legal agreement. It pays to read that paperwork carefully before you sign, and to get legal advice if any term isn't clear.
This guide covers what to look for in a holiday park contract, what rights you have once you own a caravan on a pitch, and how to end that agreement if you need to, and what happens if you simply stop paying.
This is general guidance, not legal advice. Every park's licence agreement is different. If you're unsure what you've signed, or what you're entitled to do next, talk to a solicitor or your local Citizens Advice consumer service before acting on anything here.
Understanding Your Contract
Your pitch licence agreement is legally binding on both sides. Breach its terms and the park can take legal action, or in serious cases evict you. Our guide to park evictions covers that side in full.
The agreement works both ways, though. You can hold your park operator to the terms they've given you, and you have a legal right to complain if they fall short. A holiday park should hand you a contract you can read and understand without a law degree, so if anything reads unclear, ask for it in plain terms before you sign, or take it to a solicitor first. No reputable park will rush you.
Ask to see the full terms and conditions alongside the main agreement, not just a summary. You're entitled to take as long as you need to read them properly.
Things To Ask About Your Contract
A few questions are worth raising before you sign, if the contract doesn't already answer them:
What are the main park rules? What's the pitch price, and separately, what will the caravan itself cost outright? What do energy and utility tariffs add each year? Can you let the caravan out to holidaymakers? How old is the caravan and what maintenance will it need? Can you arrange your own insurance, or must the park provide it? What notice will the park give you if it needs to move your pitch or change the site? When does the park open each year, and does it handle winter maintenance? What's realistic to expect for depreciation, and will you be able to sell later? Can you buy on finance, and can you add decking or skirting? What fees exist beyond the headline pitch fee, and how do you raise a problem if one comes up?
Most of this should already be in the paperwork. If it isn't, that's a reason to ask before you commit.
How To End Your Agreement Yourself
If you want to leave rather than being pushed out, most pitch licence agreements do allow you to end the agreement voluntarily. The process usually looks like this:
Check your notice period. Licence agreements commonly ask for somewhere between 14 and 120 days' written notice, and it varies a lot between parks. It's set out in your agreement, not in general law, so check your own paperwork rather than assuming a standard figure.
Put it in writing. Verbal notice to a site manager isn't enough. Send written notice, keep a copy, and get acknowledgement in return.
Settle what you owe. Parks won't process an exit, or transfer ownership if you're selling, while site fees are outstanding. Clear the balance or agree how it'll be settled as part of leaving.
Work out your fee refund, if any. Many parks refund a proportion of the year's site fee depending on when in the season you leave. Sell or leave shortly after paying your annual fee and you may get most of it back; leave late in the season and there may be little left to refund. This is down to individual park policy, not a legal entitlement, so ask what your park's approach is before you rely on a figure.
Decide what happens to the caravan. You can sell it on its pitch, subject to the park's rules on private sales and any transfer fee, sell to the park operator directly, or arrange to move it off-site. Selling on the pitch is usually the quickest and least disruptive option, and it's the route most owners in this position take.
One protection worth knowing about: under the Consumer Rights Act 2015, if your contract lets the park change your fees or terms, you must be given a genuine right to exit without being left worse off as a result. Genuine has a specific meaning here, a right to leave doesn't count if actually using it would mean losing money you shouldn't have to lose, or if there's no comparable pitch for you to move to. If a park's contract technically lets you leave but makes it impractical to do so without a loss, that term itself may be unfair and unenforceable.
What Happens If You Just Stop Paying
Some owners, facing fees they can't afford, simply stop paying rather than going through a formal exit. It's understandable, but it rarely ends the way people hope.
Site fees are a contractual obligation, not something you can walk away from by ignoring it. If you stop paying, a park operator can typically charge interest or late fees as set out in your agreement, pursue the debt formally including through the small claims process for amounts up to £10,000, and ultimately begin eviction proceedings for breach of contract, which can mean losing the right to keep your caravan on the pitch at all, with the debt still outstanding.
What a park cannot lawfully do is cut off your utilities or block your access to punish you into paying. That would fall under harassment provisions in the Caravan Sites Act 1968, and it's a route worth flagging to your local Trading Standards service if it happens to you.
The practical point: stopping payment doesn't solve the underlying problem, and it can leave you both without the caravan and with a debt on top. If fees are the issue, dealing with it directly, covered next, gets you further than going quiet.
If The Fees Are The Real Problem, Here's What To Actually Do
If you've read this far because the fees themselves have become unaffordable, rather than because of a dispute over park management, you have three realistic paths.
Talk to your park first. Site managers deal with this more often than you'd think, and some will agree a payment plan rather than let an account fall further behind. It costs nothing to ask.
Check whether a term is actually unfair. If a fee increase was sprung on you with little notice, calculated in a way you couldn't have predicted, or leaves you no genuine way to exit without loss, that term may not be enforceable under the Consumer Rights Act 2015. This is a case for a solicitor or your local Trading Standards service to assess, not something to decide on your own reading of the contract.
Sell and move on. If the fees no longer make sense for you, selling the caravan is usually the cleanest way out, and it avoids the debt-and-eviction route entirely. Sell My Group lists static caravans and lodges for sale across UK parks and can help you reach buyers directly, whether you're selling on the pitch or moving the caravan on.
Terms, Conditions and Unfair Terms
When you're reading a contract, watch for anything that could introduce extra costs without clear notice, and don't sign if any part leaves room for doubt. Ask for clarification, and where a term matters financially, get a solicitor to look at it.
Since 2015, holiday caravan and lodge contracts have been covered by the Consumer Rights Act 2015, not the older Sale of Goods Act that this guide previously referenced. The CRA protects you against unfair terms in two ways. Certain terms are automatically unenforceable, including any clause that tries to exclude the park's liability for a defective caravan or for poor workmanship by its contractors. Beyond that, a further list of terms, known as the grey list, may be found unfair depending on the circumstances, for example a term letting the park vary your agreement without stating a valid reason, or one that blocks you from offsetting a debt the park owes you.
If a term is ruled unfair, it simply doesn't bind you. The rest of your contract stays in force. You don't need to take the park's word for what's fair; if you're unsure, Trading Standards or a solicitor can assess a specific clause.
What Is The Code Of Practice?
Previously, the National Caravan Council and the British Holiday and Home Parks Association jointly produced a Code of Practice and model licence agreement for the sector. That Code is currently suspended pending review, so don't assume a park is bound by it just because it's a member of either body. Members still commit to providing written agreements that meet certain criteria as a condition of membership, but this isn't a legal requirement and can't be enforced in the way statute can.
Your strongest protection remains your own contract, read carefully, and the Consumer Rights Act 2015 sitting behind it. If you're ever unsure where you stand, a solicitor or Citizens Advice can tell you what applies to your specific agreement.
Key Takeaways
Your pitch licence agreement is a binding contract, and it binds the park just as much as it binds you. Ending it yourself means giving written notice per your agreement's terms, usually 14 to 120 days, clearing any fees owed, and deciding whether to sell on the pitch, sell to the park, or move the caravan. Stopping payment without a plan can lead to debt recovery and eventual eviction, and doesn't resolve the underlying cost problem. The Consumer Rights Act 2015, not the Sale of Goods Act, governs unfair terms in these contracts, and any term letting a park raise fees must come with a genuine right to exit. If the fees themselves are unaffordable, selling is usually the most direct way out.
FAQ
Can I get out of my holiday park site fee contract early?
Usually yes, if you follow the notice period set out in your own licence agreement, typically 14 to 120 days' written notice, and settle any fees owed. There's no single legal notice period, so check your paperwork.
What happens if I stop paying my site fees?
The park can charge interest, pursue the debt including via small claims for amounts up to £10,000, and ultimately start eviction proceedings for breach of contract. The debt doesn't disappear if you're evicted.
Can a park cut off my electricity or block access if I fall behind on fees?
No. Doing so to pressure payment can amount to harassment under the Caravan Sites Act 1968. Report it to your local Trading Standards service if it happens.
Does the Sale of Goods Act cover my holiday caravan contract?
No. Since 2015 these contracts fall under the Consumer Rights Act 2015, which is what protects you against unfair terms and defective goods now.
What if I just can't afford the fees any more?
Speak to your park about a payment plan first. If a fee change wasn't handled fairly, get the term checked by Trading Standards or a solicitor. If the costs no longer work for you, selling the caravan is usually the most straightforward way out.