Press release —
What should you check before buying a holiday park lodge or caravan?
What precautions should you take when buying a holiday park lodge?
An ideal way to holiday?
Let's face it, holiday parks have come a long way from the "Hi-de-Hi" days of the 1950s and 60s. In 2026 we have over 6000 UK parks, many of which are in idyllic locations, with a wide range of high quality amenities.
Owning a lodge means that you can holiday whenever you like, as often as you like, in a well appointed unit, and usually its only a car ride away. No airports or international travel. Lodges are more expensive than timeshare memberships, but cost less than most bricks-and-mortar holiday homes.
Around 400,000 Brits currently own lodges or static caravans in parks. In the 1970s and 80s, holidays at home were sneered at as foreign holiday became affordable. Then COVID travel restrictions made us re-examine the beauty on our own figurative doorsteps, and as a nation, we are enjoying a renaissance of appreciation for our sceptered isle.
UK holidays are in vogue again, and holiday parks are big business.
Trouble in paradise...
Over the last few years, UK media has been reporting at great length on alleged consumer abuses and misselling by park operators. People are describing losses of between tens and hundreds of thousands of pounds, the common themes being:
- Extreme value depreciation over a short time period
- Pressure to sell back to the park at greatly reduced rates
- Contractual obstacles preventing selling to third parties
- Running costs increasing at rates far exceeding inflation
- Monopolistic control of which tradespeople can be used to provide services and make repairs
- Bullying by park staff and owners
Here at European Consumer Claims, we generally speak to people who have had negative experiences (why else would they call a claims company?) But we recognise that hundreds of thousands of people do holiday happily in fantastic, blameless parks.
If you are considering buying a holiday park lodge, how do you hedge against potential consumer abuse and misselling? In short, how do you avoid becoming an undesirable statistic?
Here's how to 'enjoy the honey' without getting stung...
Prevention beats cure
The time to get things right, is before you commit, sign a contract or hand over money.
The park location looks stunning. The lodge is well appointed and modern. The salesperson seems friendly and trustworthy.
Remember, all of the above are appearances. How the park and unit look don't matter if you don't get to enjoy them in the manner described to you. And the salesperson is not really your friend. Their approachable, likeable demeanour is a curated, professional tool. The more you like them, the more you trust them, it's human nature. So be polite in return, of course. But note every important detail, and confirm that it is stated in the contract before you sign anything at all.
Rather than trust yourself to assess the contract for pitfalls, pay a solicitor to check the paperwork for you. Tell the solicitor what you think you are buying, and they will tell you where that may diverge from the written agreement. It might cost you a couple of hundred pounds but this relatively small extra expenditure can potentially save you a life changing amount of money.
A huge red flag is a park salesperson who is insistent that you buy the lodge straightaway, without a solicitor checking the contract. If you feel pressured, for example by a deal that's only available today, keep calm and tell them you quite prepared to risk missing out. Tell them your peace of mind is worth that risk.
If you return on a different day that lodge deal, or an equally attractive one, will certainly become 'magically' available.
Talk to the people who know
Ask if you can spend some time walking around the park without the salesperson before making your decision. A park with nothing to hide will always allow this.
When exploring the park, engage with other residents and try to find people who already own lodges/caravans onsite. Don't be afraid to politely knock on a few doors in order to engage with existing owners. These people will generally share their experiences with you, good or bad.
What you want to know is:
- How long have you owned your caravan?
- How have the park been to deal with since you bought?
- How much of what the salesperson told you was accurate, and was anything untrue/exaggerated?
- Have you ever tried to sell your caravan back to the park, or to anyone else? If not, do you know anyone who has? (What was your/their experience?)
- Have the running costs increased by what you were told annually? If not, how did the increases differ from what you expected?
- Were there any other surprises or aspects you were not expecting which you found out after buying your unit?
- Are you happy you decided to buy here? And why?
Be honest with yourself about affordability
It is very easy to get caught up in the moment and commit to an expense you may regret later. This is another reason why you should not buy that lodge on the first visit.
Owning a unit at a holiday park costs a lot of money. Is it money you can afford to do without? During the excitement of a sales presentation, surrounded by a stunning park and luxurious lodge we can convince ourselves that it is affordable. When we step back out of that environment and talk things over at home, we can be more realistic about our financial outgoings and overheads.
Do you need finance to buy the lodge? If so are you really comfortable with that long term commitment?
Carefully consider the upkeep and running costs too. Park sales staff are notorious for minimising these expenses and focussing your attention on the benefits. Always keep in mind that their interest is a commission on the sale. The only people looking out for your interests in this situation are you (and if applicable, your partner.)
Expert comment
Greg Wilson is an expert on holiday park consumer abuse, and CEO of European Consumer Claims (ECC). Greg's team has dealt with thousands of clients who lost life savings or inheritances through dealings with parks.
"A park is a holiday environment," explains Greg. "It's a place designed to make us feel happy and safe. This actually works against us because our human decision making process can be hijacked to feel happy and safe about the lodge purchase.
"Our emotions are the reflection of our constant unconscious assessment of our surroundings and environment.
"Rather than consciously examine every piece of current information, we put our faith in this unconscious process. The result is an emotional 'value' which we give to our current situation.
"This in turn means when we feel happy and content, we feel like we are in no danger. In this case the danger of making a significant and potentially damaging financial decision.
"Rather than simply trusting our instincts, the wiser course of action is to go away, give the decision serious conscious consideration back at home then ask an experienced consumer solicitor to examine the contract for us.
"Seeking the advice and experience of other people who have made this decision before you is also highly advisable.
If you have a holiday park misselling or unfair contract complaint, get in touch with our team for a free, expert consultation.
Related links
- ECC contact page
- European Consumer Claims (ECC)
- Greg Wilson: Consumer expert
- Private equity steps up push into UK holiday parks
- European Consumer Claims (ECC) celebrates 10 years of success
- Holiday Park Advice Centre
- How do high pressure sales work?
- Did you buy or were you sold?
- UK courts are punishing holiday parks. Here are the most common reasons why
- Affected holiday park customers join forces with ECC for compensation crusade
- Is holiday park abuse this generation's "timeshare scandal"?
- Why emotions drive more buying decisions than logic
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ECC provides claims services, relinquishments expert advice and help
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Relevant websites for this article
www.holidayparkadvicecentre.co.uk
www.americanconsumerclaims.com
www.retirementpropertyadvicecentre.co.uk
www.timeshareadvicecentre.co.uk
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