Office of Fair Trading Guidance
“A fair pitch for your holiday caravan”
In September 2005 the Office Of Fair Trading released: “Guidance on unfair contract terms in holiday caravan agreements”. To accompany this, they also produced a leaflet entitled “A fair pitch for your holiday caravan”.
The leaflet is aimed at owners of static holiday caravans, sited on holiday parks, and for those thinking about becoming owners. It aims to help you work out whether the terms of your agreement with the park owner are fair.
Unfair terms are those made by your park operator in advance, in an agreement that you have no choice over, other than to accept or reject it as a whole. They may also give the park owner an unfair advantage over you. Unfair terms are often hidden in the detail. Some examples given in the leaflet of possible unfair terms are:
- The exclusion of the park owner’s legal liabilities
- Unfair penalties, restrictions, or obligations imposed by the park operator on you.
- Unclear wording regarding your payment obligations so that you may get unexpected bills.
Terms should be clear and easy to read. Agreements should not use jargon, difficult words, or over-long sentences.
In NACO’s opinion the leaflet is well laid out and easy to understand.
It covers questions that prospective purchasers of holiday caravans should ask before making their buying decision. Questions about the caravan, the park and the pitch, and what services are provided at what costs.Take a look at the documents:
