Families living on park home sites in Devon are having to put up with ‘atrocious’ services, according to one local MP.
Martin Wrigley, the Liberal Democrat MP for Newton Abbot, raised the issue during a Westminster debate.
James Naish, the Labour MP for Rushcliffe in Nottinghamshire, said around 160,000 people lived in mobile homes in England alone.
The government has recently called for evidence on the 10 per cent commission charge which is levied when a mobile home is sold.
Mr Wrigley said that people in park homes in his constituency had other issues over and above the 10 per cent commission.
He said: “Not only do they suffer the 10 per cent commission, poor maintenance levels and high service charges, but they also have atrocious service on the utilities that they have to buy through the park home owner.
“Some years ago, one site collectively was charged £100,000 for a water leak, which was £1,000 a home. I got that refunded from South West Water.
“The same site recently had blocked drains over a weekend, so people could not flush their toilets, and their Calor gas system was deemed unfit for use, so they had no heating.
“Is that an acceptable way to run a site?”
He said residents needed better enforcement and support, and not just from the site owner.
Mr Naish agreed, and said he was concerned over the ‘imbalance of power’ on park home sites, where a resident may own the home they live in, but they are not in control of the land beneath or around it.
He added: “When the same person or entity controls the site, the pitch, the rules, the maintenance, potentially the utilities, and the conditions under which the home is sold, it is understandable that residents feel exposed.
“That can and must change.”
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