Holiday park ownership has often been marketed as a lifestyle purchase: freedom, family time, community, holidays and security. But for some owners, the reality has become very different.
The renewed focus on unfair contract terms, combined with stronger consumer enforcement powers, means holiday park agreements may now face greater scrutiny than ever before.
Now, consumer law is putting renewed pressure on businesses to make sure their contracts are fair, transparent and not heavily weighted against the consumer.
In January 2026, the Competition and Markets Authority published draft revised guidance on unfair contract terms under the Consumer Rights Act 2015. The CMA said the law itself has not changed, but the guidance is being refreshed to help businesses better understand their obligations and to make unfair terms easier to identify. Once finalised, the new guidance will replace the CMA’s existing unfair contract terms guidance.
This matters because holiday park ownership is not a simple purchase. Owners are often buying the caravan or lodge, but they are also entering into a pitch licence agreement and agreeing to park rules, ongoing charges and future restrictions. In many cases, the terms that cause the biggest problems only become clear years later.
Owners who feel misled, pressured or trapped should not simply accept that nothing can be done because they signed paperwork years ago.
The small print matters — but so does what was said, how the product was sold, and whether the terms were fair in the first place.
In light of renewed scrutiny from consumer law in putting renewed pressure on businesses to make sure their contracts are fair, transparent and not heavily weighted against the consumer, your agreement may deserve a closer look if:
- You were told your caravan or lodge would hold its value, but it depreciated heavily.
- You were encouraged to upgrade before fully understanding the long-term cost.
- You were told you could sell privately, but later discovered restrictions, commissions or park approval rules.
- Your pitch fees or site charges have risen significantly.
- You were told you could live in your park home full time, when reality is that is was purposed for holiday use only.
- You were told rental income could help cover costs, but the reality was very different.
- You were not clearly told about age-limit rules, removal rules or future upgrade pressure.
- You feel the written contract does not match what was said during the sales process.
- You are struggling to exit without taking a serious financial loss.