‘Ripped off’ caravan owners start compensation fight

About 1,200 caravan homeowners throughout the UK, a lot of whom say they really feel “ripped off”, are to start authorized motion towards the vacation parks that bought them.

Members of the Vacation Park Motion Group (HPAG) are searching for compensation for what they are saying are unfair will increase in annual pitch charges and deceptive claims in regards to the worth of static caravans on the time of buy.

The authorized proceedings observe a PJ investigation that exposed how individuals had misplaced their life financial savings, inheritance and pensions when the vacation houses that they had purchased misplaced worth.

One of many parks concerned stated it gave “complete data” to all potential patrons, whereas one other stated its gross sales contracts have been “clear and readily understood”.

Joanne Horner-Bloomfield, 65, is a type of becoming a member of the authorized motion.

She stated she “misplaced all the things” after shopping for a static caravan on Watermill Leisure Park in Lincolnshire and now depends on meals banks.

In summer season 2022, she used £29,995 from the sale of her late mom’s home to purchase the caravan, spending an extra £7,500 for a decking and two storage sheds.

Mrs Horner-Bloomfield spent a lot of her time on the web site, which she stated was “a wonderful place”.

The annual pitch charge in 2022 was £2,795, however it elevated to £3,041 in 2023. When she was instructed the 2024 charge could be £4,100, she realised she couldn’t afford to maintain the caravan.

Mrs Horner-Bloomfield, who labored as a carer earlier than ailing well being compelled her to cease, and doesn’t but obtain a pension, requested to promote the caravan again to the park homeowners in September 2023.

Nevertheless, she was instructed they not bought caravans manufactured greater than 10 years in the past.

She stated the park additionally instructed her that her caravan would solely fetch about £5,000 on the open market.

Mrs Horner-Bloomfield stated: “I used to be shocked. I stated why did you cost me £29,995 a 12 months in the past for one thing that was solely price £5,000? And he stated, ‘effectively it is enterprise is not it?’ I used to be livid.”

Watermill Leisure Park stated its dealings with Mrs Horner-Bloomfield have been “truthful and clear” and it supplied patrons with a “clear and readily understood gross sales contract”.

It stated it was “beneath no obligation to purchase again a vacation caravan” however any provides it does make are “a good reflection of the worth to the park of that vacation dwelling at that exact second”, based mostly on elements comparable to time of 12 months and degree of demand.

A spokesperson stated gross sales workers additionally advise that vacation caravans are meant as a long-term buy.

Mrs Horner-Bloomfield stated she felt “betrayed and let down” as a result of she had not been knowledgeable how low the resale worth of her caravan could be when she bought it.

She ultimately bought her caravan for £5,500, of which £500 was paid to Watermill as a disconnection charge.

She added: “It simply broke my coronary heart. I am devastated that at 65 years of age I am decreased to utilizing a meals financial institution.

“The cash that I hoped to stroll away with would have made life a lot simpler for me.”

Mrs Horner-Bloomfield stated she hoped the authorized motion would assist her.

“It might be good if we win and will get a few of our a refund, however extra importantly could be to make a regulation to cease these unscrupulous web site homeowners from taking individuals’s life financial savings.”

HPAG, which has organised the group motion, says most caravans have been bought by parks at a “considerably marked-up value” which led to “substantial losses” if patrons later determined to promote.

HPAG has 70,000 members in a Fb group the place caravan homeowners voice complaints.

Carole Keeble, the group’s founder, stated current rules have been failing to guard customers from “unfair business practices” on an “industrial scale”.

She hoped the group’s authorized motion would put an finish to such practices and referred to as on the federal government to handle the “important points throughout the sector”.

The Excessive Court docket will give a ruling based mostly on a small variety of recognized check instances. Hugh Preston KC, the group’s barrister, hopes it would pave the way in which for the remainder of the claimants to get compensation too. He’s representing about 1,200 individuals.

The primary declare will ask the Excessive Court docket to declare whether or not or not the annual pitch charge will increase written into the contract between park homeowners and caravan patrons are truthful and enforceable – and if not, whether or not the patrons are entitled to a refund.

The second declare will ask a decide to resolve whether or not the vacation parks promoting the caravans needs to be anticipated to clarify to patrons, earlier than buy, that caravans lose substantial worth if resold after just a few years – and if that’s the case, whether or not they are often compensated for the misplaced worth.

Mr Preston KC instructed the PJ: “It is primarily an unregulated sector, there is no statutory rules that inform parks what to do or behave… and there are a variety of points that buyers really feel they’re simply not getting truthful worth from.”

A spokesperson for the Division for Enterprise and Commerce stated it was “conscious of the difficulties that some vacation dwelling homeowners have skilled” and was dedicated to defending customers from “rogue practices”.

They added the federal government had plans to introduce powerful monetary penalties for breaches of client regulation.

A few of these becoming a member of the authorized motion shared their tales with the PJ as a part of our investigation in October.

They embrace James and Emma Richardson, from Cleethorpes, who lost more than £50,000 over two years of proudly owning a caravan at Tattershall Lakes Nation Park in Lincolnshire. Mr Richardson hopes the case can “put an finish” to the “disgusting practices” by some vacation parks.

Sally Nicholls, from Sheffield, used her entire pension pot and borrowed money to buy a £69,000 caravan on the similar park. She solely managed to get £15,000 for it when she bought it three years later. She says making an attempt to vary the regulation was “extra vital” to her than profitable compensation.

Away Resorts, which runs Tattershall Lakes Nation Park, stated in October that it supplied all potential patrons with “complete data, together with detailed phrases and circumstances” to make sure they knew the potential dangers of caravan possession.

It stated it had no additional response so as to add in regards to the launch of the authorized motion.

Business representatives, the British Vacation and Dwelling Park Affiliation, stated it was not acceptable to remark.

The Nationwide Caravan Council stated it was conscious of the authorized motion however wouldn’t be commenting additional.

Share your expertise of shopping for or promoting a static caravan with reporter Lucy Parrylucy.parry@bbc.co.uk. Please depart a contact quantity if you’re completely happy for Lucy or the crew to get in contact.