Does A Static Caravan Need A Residential Specification?

Does a static caravan need a residential specification? You may be asking this question if you are thinking of buying a static caravan or of changing the use of your existing static caravan. The short answer is probably not. Here is what you need to know.

What is the residential specification?

The BS3632 Standard gives the minimum specification for residential park homes in terms of ventilation, thermal insulation, stability once sited, room sizes, etc. This is a higher specification in most areas than the holiday home specification EN1647. To ensure that whichever type of static caravan you choose meets these standards it is a good idea to go to a manufacturer who is registered with the National Caravan Council (NCC).

How will you use your static caravan?

The first thing to decide is how long you want to live in your static caravan for. If you do not wish to live in it all year round as your main residence, then you do not need a static caravan that meets residential specifications. It is enough that your static caravan meets holiday specification EN1647. This means your static caravan can then be situated on a holiday park or on private land.

Holiday parks require residents to have a main address in addition to their holiday home. The accommodation on site will be a selection of lodges and static caravans. Holiday parks are designed for holiday purposes only, and the license agreement will outline this. Many holiday parks close during the winter months for a number of weeks, making it impossible to live in them all year round.

You can live in a static caravan sited on your own land, if local council planning permission permits it, or if you are renovating or building your home – for the duration of the renovation or build.

It is within the law to site a caravan within the ‘curtilage of your home,’ i.e., in your garden or on your drive, without having to acquire planning permission. However, the static caravan or mobile home must accompany the house for ancillary uses only. An example of this would be for guest accommodation, and it cannot be the primary living or sleeping area.

Of course, you can still pay the extra for a static caravan that does meet the higher residential specification and still use it as a holiday home and not a permanent residence.

Can I live in a static caravan on a residential park?

If a park is residential, you have a ‘right of permanent residence,’ allowing you to live there permanently.  It can be your full-time home. You can live there all year, and there’s no requirement for you to have another property somewhere else.

In theory, it would be possible to live year-round in a static caravan if it were to be located in a residential park. However, it is relatively rare to find static caravans for sale in a residential park, even with residential specifications. Therefore, residential parks will normally only accommodate specifically-designed and manufactured park homes.

This is a marketing article from My Holiday Home Insurance, a specialist leisure insurance company with a successful track record of more than 16 years. We provide insurance for holiday homes, leisure homes, holiday lodges and static caravans. Our team of experienced advisers are always happy to help, so for more information call our Northampton office on freephone 0800 988 0890.

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