For many holiday park owners, the end of October marks the end of another season.

The outdoor furniture is packed away. The caravan is prepared for winter. Keys are put away and, on many parks, owners will not be returning for several months.

But there is one thing that does not necessarily stop when the park closes.

Your pitch fee.

A seasonal holiday home. An annual charge.

Many UK holiday parks operate for only part of the year. Some close at the end of October. Others remain open into November or December, while some offer longer seasons. Whatever the exact dates, thousands of owners have holiday homes on parks where they are not permitted to use them throughout the entire year. Yet pitch fees are generally charged annually.

That raises an important question: How much are you paying for the time you can actually use your holiday home?

What does your pitch fee actually pay for?

It is important to understand that a pitch fee is not necessarily a simple charge for the days you physically occupy your caravan.

Operators may use annual pitch fees to cover things such as:

• keeping your caravan on its pitch;
• maintenance and upkeep of the park;
• roads, grounds and communal areas;
• security;
• park infrastructure;
• owner services; and
• winter storage during periods when the park is closed.

So a park being closed does not automatically mean that owners are paying for “nothing”.  But that does not mean owners shouldn’t look closely at what they are paying.