Introduction

Caravans, mobile homes, park homes or log cabins which are classified in the eyes of the law as caravans may function as permanent dwellings, but generally they are not covered by the law that protects occupiers of houses and flats.

The main law relating to caravans, mobile homes or park homes is the Caravan Sites and Control of Development Act 1960. This piece of legislation stipulates that any person who wishes to station a caravan(s) on any piece of land for living purposes must posses a site licence (there are however some exceptions).

Licences

Site Licence conditions are designed to protect the health, safety and welfare of caravan, mobile home or park home occupants and cover such issues as fire safety, drainage, distances between caravans etc.

A licence application must be in writing and accompanied by a site plan at 1:500 scale showing the layout.  There is no fee and a licence is usually issued within two months of application.

The Council will normally issue a licence unless:

• There is no planning permission for the caravan(s), or
• The planning permission is to expire within six months, or
• The applicant has had a site licence withdrawn in the previous three years

The licence contains conditions that must be observed. These will include:

• The type of caravan, e.g. residential, static holiday or touring.
• The permitted density (the number per acre/hectare) and the spacing between caravans.
• Water supply and drainage, toilet and washing facilities.
• Requirements in relation to fire precautions
• Requirements in relation to electrical installations.

There are controls over other services, site equipment, safety and maintenance. There are also restrictions on other structures and vehicles on sites.

If the conditions of a site licence are not adhered to, action could be taken against the site owner by Runnymede Borough Council.

A site owner may be able take action against any resident who does not comply with the conditions of their tenancy agreement or site rules.

Routine inspections

Routine inspections are carried out on licensed park home sites by members of the Environmental Health Department. The function of these inspections is to ensure that all site licence conditions are being met.

Park home site inspections are carried out in order to protect the health, safety and welfare of park home occupants and parameters inspected will include; fire safety, drainage, electrical safety, provision of wholesome water supplies etc.

Authorised Officers of the Local Authority may enter any land which is used as a caravan site at all reasonable hours under Section 26–(1) of "The Caravan Sites and Control of Development Act 1960" in order to carry out their work. In some cases it may be necessary for members of the Environmental Health Department to enter your plot for the purposes of assessing compliance with site licence conditions, however out of courtesy, officers will do their best to speak with you about this beforehand.

All members of the Environmental Health Department carry photographic identification and you may ask to see this if you are unsure of somebody's identity. Occasionally a member of the Environmental Health Department may bring another person with them such as a person under training or a specialist in a specific field.

Protection of Park Home Residents

All occupiers of park homes (whether owners or tenants) are protected by law and cannot be forced to leave the park unless the site owner obtains a court order. The site owner should not harass occupiers.

If you own your park home and live in it as your only residence you are protected by the Mobile Homes Act 1983. This gives you the right to a written agreement which sets out both the site owner's and your responsibilities. It must contain the name and address of the site owner, a description of the pitch, and all the residency terms applying. These terms cover issues such as: duration of the agreement, rights of termination, recovery of overpayment on termination, and right to sell or gift the mobile home, pitch fees, service charges and maintenance responsibilities.

The Caravan Sites Act 1968 protects occupiers against harassment and is enforced by the Council.

Harassment is defined as "illegally depriving occupiers of occupation of their mobile home" or "carrying out acts designed to interfere with the peace and comfort of an occupier with the intention of causing them to leave".

For further information on licensed park home sites within the borough of Runnymede please contact:

Geoff Taylor, Environmental Health Officer, Runnymede Borough Council, Technical Services Department, Runnymede Civic Centre, Station Road, Addlestone, Surrey, KT15 2AH, Tel: 01932 425725 geoff.taylor@runnymede.gov.uk

Or alternatively visit: http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/housing/mobilehomes