What are typical maintenance costs for Park Homes

Park homes are increasingly popular for their comfortable, modern accommodation and community ethos. They are particularly sought after amongst retirees and those seeking to get a foot on the property ladder. However, park homes can bring high levels of maintenance. Here we explain what you can expect.

What maintenance is required?

What is required?

Park homes are very energy efficient and low maintenance, and are much easier to look after than bricks and mortar dwellings.

Being one-storey makes them simple to maintain. If repairs are required, the items needed are standard ones easily found on the high street or in DIY stores.

Park homes are designed for longevity, and provided you stay on top of all the small maintenance tasks that crop up, you can typically anticipate your park home to last for up to 50 years.

General maintenance basics

General maintenance

The chassis – the park home’s underbody, usually made of a galvanized steel framework – needs particular attention. Protection from corrosion can be carried out by applying corrosion inhibiting paint (this needs to be repeated every five years). This measure is especially important at the sea-side, where the air can be salty.

Maintenance for newer vs older park homes

General maintenance for newer park homes

With a brand new home, structural issues shouldn’t need any attention for the first ten years. But do get your gas appliances and electrics inspected every year. Parks often have details of plumbers and electricians who can do these checks.

Often park home owners gang together and have their checks all done by the same company.

General maintenance for older park homes

Park homes older than 20 years will probably need re-cladding or a new roof. Because of this, you should get a survey done if you are purchasing a house older than ten years.

There are some more pointers here: https://www.parkhomemagazine.co.uk/home-improvements/maintaining-your-park-home/.

Some repairs will be taken care of by the park home site – your pitch fee will cover this work. These include the pad (or base) your house is located on, street lighting, and pipes, tanks or wires supplying gas, electricity or water to your home.

Usually there will be a site manager on hand to advise you. Find out what you are both responsible for and get everything in writing during the buying process.

Summary

This article explains what maintenance to expect from owning a park home, noting they are generally low-maintenance and energy-efficient compared to bricks-and-mortar houses. It covers protecting the steel chassis from corrosion, annual gas and electrical inspections for newer homes, and the likelihood that homes over 20 years old will need re-cladding or a new roof.

Questions this article raises

• How does the cost of maintaining a park home compare to a standard house?
• What should buyers check before purchasing an older park home?
• Who is responsible for maintaining shared site infrastructure like street lighting?