Site Licence Changes For Residential Parks

Major changes coming into force on 1 April will make the regulations on controlling mobile home sites much tighter.

The Mobile Homes Act 2013 makes significant changes to the law on mobile homes.

A new licensing scheme is coming into force on 1 April 2014 that changes the procedures and penalties for enforcement of site licence conditions on residential parks (which includes parks with any element of residential as opposed to holiday accommodation).

The new scheme will enable local authorities to monitor site licence compliance more effectively by providing authorities with the tools to take enforcement action where owners are not managing and maintaining their sites and its services properly.

Local authorities will be able to charge fees for:

• Considering applications for the issue or transfer of a site licence.
• Considering applications for altering conditions in a site licence.
• Administration and monitoring of site licences.

The Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) has published guidance for site owners that provides useful information on the new licensing powers of local authorities which can be found here.

If you require any advice about the new licensing scheme please contact and member of our Commercial Property Team.