Pitch fees are major source of tension between holiday park operators and their members. Holiday Parks in the UK usually operate on an annual recurring pitch fee basis, once the park home has been purchased and members will be given notice of the cost of their pitch fees at the point of sale.
Pitch fees are guided by consumer law and codes of practice by organisations such as the British Holiday and Home Parks Association (BH&HPA), however their guidance cannot be enforced and is most often ignored by park operators whose main goal is to maximise their profit as much as possible.
As members, you have no choice but to pay them or be liable for the consequences.
Advance Notice
Owners are typically given at least 28 days written notice of any changes to fees although many park operators leave the surprise until the arrival of the bill. They are not legally obliged to give you notice, so many don´t.
A few upstanding park operators arrange consultation meetings with owners prior to raising fees but again, this is not a legal requirement so the few that do are doing so to maintain good will.
The less fair park operators can exploit members with sharply increasing pitch fees with little notice given before payment is due. This leaves members little time to budget and burdens them with financial stress.
Lack of Transparency
Park members are often given vague information to explain why fees have gone up ¨increased running costs¨ with no specific breakdown or reference to any inflation indexes.
Some may justify their fee increases with claims about park improvements, such as entertainment or add charges for security or insurance or anything else that could be added.
Non-payment may result in your contract not being renewed and some parks even use inflated pitch fees as a way of forcing some ¨difficult¨ members off the park only to then resell the pitch for a higher profit.
⚠️ Legally, under Consumer Rights Act 2015, terms about price increases must be fair and transparent, otherwise they could be unenforceable. But many owners don’t realise this, or they feel trapped because moving a park home can cost thousands of pounds. You can take legal action!
If you feel that your pitch fees are already too much and you´re dreading your next bill, speak to us to get some advice on where you stand with if your fees can be legally unenforceable with your contract terms.