There may not be new homes available on a particular established park where a purchaser wants to be, or that a purchaser prefers the feel of an established park compared to a new development. 

Nick says that he considers the purchase of a pre-owned Park Home or Lodge to be an excellent proposition for purchase, providing that you start off with a good one, or if not a good one that you are aware of the renovation requirements and who to go to, to get the job done properly

So, here are some of the issues when buying a pre-owned home.

There maybe some repairs and replacements required, but this does not necessarily need to be a barrier to considering pre-owned homes. The good news is that almost anything is possible with park home repairs and renovation as there is a whole specialist park home and lodge repair and renovation industry out there to deal with this for you. Nick adds it is always a good idea to read independent reviews of the contractors.

Most pre-owned Park Homes and Lodges can be brought up to current standards, including insulation and appearance, and so it can be difficult to tell the difference visually in-between a brand-new home and one that has been fully renovated to current standards. There are some specialist contractors that cover most of the UK that specialise in these stunning total renovations. 

When a brand-new home is brought to a Park it should comply with the manufacturing standard and this is BS3632 for residential homes, and some leisure homes are manufactured to this standard, otherwise the standard is BS EN 1647 for leisure homes.

This is fine for brand new homes but what are the implications when a pre-owned unit is altered or extended, does it still comply with these standards?

Nick says not necessarily, and examples of this are fire escape windows being replaced with windows that do not open wide enough, or at all, to comply as fire escape windows. Also, extensions to the home can be problematic. These are issues that would be flagged up in a pre-purchase survey by a Specialist Park Home Surveyor. 

So, then there is the issue of a pre purchase survey or not. For nearly new pre-owned homes there is of course less risk of condition issues but for older units and particularly where the warranty has expired, we recommend a pre purchase survey by a Specialist Park Home Surveyor is carried out. You could say well you would say that, but it is because we turn up issues daily and its far better to know about these things before you have parted with your money! Always use a specialist Park Home Surveyor.

Nick adds, it is not a requirement to use a legal advisor when purchasing a pre-owned Park Home or Lodge, but we recommend that you do so. 

So, enjoy your exciting journey to preowned Park Home or Lodge ownership, but do build in some checks before parting with your hard-earned cash!

To obtain a free pre purchase survey quotation from Subject II Survey Ltd Chartered Surveyors just complete a simple form on their website
www.subject2survey.com and their
expert team will put together an individual
quotation for you. Or give them a call
on 01869 346973