Aside from parks in Northern Ireland, the holiday caravan industry isn’t afforded any specific legislative protection. Many years ago the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) encouraged the industry to devise a ‘Code of Practice’ to assist consumers in obtaining fair treatment.
The British Holiday & Home Parks Association teamed up with the National Caravan Council and they set to work on the creation of a document for the industry - the code of practice for selling and siting holiday caravans. The Code hasn’t changed much over the years although the most recent version is a lot easier to read and does offer a better deal for caravan owners.
However, the current version of the Code is really only any use if you’re on a park that is a member of the NCC. Back in the day the BH&HPA and the NCC worked together on the provision of the Code and of Model Licence Agreements for the industry. However in recent years they have adopted a slightly different approach with the BH&HPA suspending the Code of Practice pending a review.
This review is yet to surface and whilst BH&HPA member parks are obliged under the terms of their membership to provide written agreements in accordance with certain criteria – it’s not legally enforceable.
To see whether your park is a member of the BH&HPA go to www.ukparks.com and search. Alternatively email them on enquiries@bhhpa.org.uk
At this point in time, the NCC are the main ‘mover and shaker’ when it comes to fair treatment of caravan owners. They are very focused on ensuring that customers are treated fairly and that their member parks adhere to certain standards.
Check out their “Approved Holiday Park” scheme here: www.approvedholidayparks.co.uk
A PDF copy of the code of practice is available here.
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Published on 10 November 2017 By Dan Ellacott
