Prisk sets up mobile home advice line at LEASE

Housing Minister Mark Prisk has set up a dedicated advice line for mobile home owners at LEASE, the Leasehold Advisory Service.

This is a “free and independent service, manned by experts who understand the issues faced by park home residents”, says Prisk.

It can be contacted on:

0207 383 9800 or at www.lease-advice.org

The change follows the passing of the Mobile Homes Act on May 26 and is included in advice circulates to all MPs.

The full letter is as follows:

The Mobile Homes Act came into force on 26 May, providing better protection for park home residents and new rules covering the sale of park homes. Many Members will have park home sites in their constituencies and I would be grateful for your help in communicating the changes in the Act to your constituents.

The Act, which was successfully steered through Parliament by Peter Aldous MP and Lord Richard Best, will ensure that the rights of park home residents are respected and their homes are safe from exploitation by unscrupulous site owners. It focuses on four key areas:

• introducing new statutory rules for the sale of park homes, including preventing site owners from blocking residents’ sales in the open market;
• preventing owners from imposing unreasonable site rules for their own benefit;
• making reviews of pitch fees more transparent and linked to site conditions;
• strengthening councils’ role in licensing and enforcement of park homes sites. 
These protections will apply to all park home residents. As part of the changes, residents do not need to seek the site owners’ approval when selling or gifting their home. However, if their home was acquired before 26 May 2013, residents will need to notify the site owner of the proposed sale / gift. 
The changes will also help to put the park home industry on a more sustainable footing, enabling owners who run a decent and honest business to flourish. 
It is important that park home owners and site operators are aware of the changes. We have produced a leaflet explaining the changes and signposting where further help is available. As few park home residents have internet access, we have printed hard copies of the leaflet and are enlisting support from local authorities in distributing it to residents. The leaflet is freely available from our distribution centre, and I would encourage you to order copies and make them available to interested constituents. It can be obtained from:

Communities and Local Government Publications Cambertown House
Goldthorpe Industrial Estate
Rotherham

S63 9BL
Tel: 0300 123 1124; email: product@communities.gsi.gov.uk

Product Code: 978-1-4098-3909-5

An electronic copy of the leaflet, along with further advice on the changes, such as detailed factsheets, prescribed forms, and other explanatory material, is available at www.gov.uk/park-mobile-homes

To advise park home residents about the changes, and to signpost where further help is available, I have set up a dedicated park homes advice service within the Leasehold Advisory Service (LEASE). This is a free and independent service, manned by experts who understand the issues faced by park home residents. You may wish to suggest that residents with queries about the changes contact LEASE directly on 0207 383 9800 or at www.lease-advice.org

You may also be interested to hear that I am writing to local authorities to alert them to the changes and encourage them to engage closely with park home residents and owners. Local authorities have important licensing and enforcement roles, and it is important that they ensure that local people understand the changes. Additionally, officials are in discussion with partner organisations, such as the British Holiday and Home Parks Association, about communicating the changes to park home owners as well as prospective buyers of park homes.

The changes introduced in the Act will significantly improve the experiences for park home residents, whilst also benefitting park home owners who run a decent business. I would be grateful if you could ensure that interested constituents are made aware of these changes and how to obtain further information.

MARK PRISK MP