Retirement may present you with the opportunity to change your lifestyle. You can escape the routine and constraints imposed by your working life for something less hectic, more relaxing or more peaceful. You can decide to take up a hobby or pursue an interest that you’ve never had the time to do before.
Many more people are now choosing to move to a different home when they retire – escaping to the country or a seaside location. Downsizing also reduces the responsibilities and costs of owning and maintaining a larger home, freeing up income and time for you to enjoy. A residential park could be the ideal place for you when you retire and a park home could provide you with a little bit of everything.
What are the benefits of living on a residential park?
Park home living offers a unique lifestyle choice, with a laid-back, quiet and relaxing atmosphere. It is growing in popularity and boasts great community living. Park homes are affordable to own, with furnishings and appliances already included. Maintaining your park home can be a lot easier than regular bricks and mortar, making it the perfect low-cost solution for retired people.
There are social benefits too! You will be living amongst people of a similar age, who may have similar interests and the time to enjoy them. This is just one of many reasons to choose park home living.
Independent living and a relaxing life.
Living in a park home provides completely independent living and is nothing like living in a retirement home, as some may think. Many residential parks have a minimum age of 50 or even 45. You are living in a community and surrounded by people who are like-minded, not noisy or disturbing neighbours. You will be away from a town centre, so you are not situated in the middle of the normal hustle and bustle of town living, but close enough to just pop into town to go shopping or access the amenities if you want to. In addition, being closer to the countryside allows you to enjoy it much more easily.
Location of your park home?
One of the most important things to consider when choosing a park home is the location. Park homes can be in some really stunning locations, tucked away in the country or by the coast. You may want a home that has easy transport links to friends and family or one from which you can easily explore nearby places. Take the time to look carefully into different locations that may be suitable for your needs.
What is security like in a residential park home?
Some parks have security, CCTV and could even be gated to give you that added security.
Where can I view park homes for sale?
You can view park homes for sale on Park Home Search where you can also find a list of open days and weekends. On Park Home Search there are contact details for park operators and manufacturers, which you can contact directly, if you choose. Every park is different, so make an appointment and visit the park yourself. This gives you an opportunity to meet the residents and get some feedback, along with getting a good feel for the park and its atmosphere.
Something to think about.
Sit down and think about exactly what you are looking for. Downsizing can be a practical choice when choosing a new home for your retirement and can mark the beginning of a new phase in your life. A single storey park home could be the perfect home for your retirement, especially as your physical needs will change as you get older. Your dream retirement home will enable you to enjoy life and could also take care of your future needs, as well as any current preferences. It can significantly reduce your living costs and release funds, so you can really enjoy your retirement.
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Park Home Assist Insurance Receives Feefo Gold Trusted Service Award
Park Home Assist Insurance Receives Feefo Gold Trusted Service AwardPark Home Assist is proud to report that we have been awarded a Feefo Gold Trusted Service Award 2019 in recognition for the excellent customer service we provide to our insurance policyholders.
Park Home Assist Insurance have been providing specialist park home insurance cover for park and leisure home owners since 2005. We’re one of the largest providers of park home insurance in the UK and believe the reason for this is that we are a family-run business that believes in traditional values where customer service lies at the heart of everything we do. Every member of our team is dedicated to excellent customer service and providing each customer with the very best customer experience, from the moment you first ask for a quote, through to renewal.
The Feefo Gold Service award is an independent seal of excellence that recognises businesses for delivering exceptional experiences, as rated by real customers. Those that meet the high standard, (based on the number of reviews they have collected, and their average rating), receive the award. A badge of honour, this accreditation remains unique, as it is based purely on the interactions with real customers. As all reviews are verified as genuine, the accreditation is a true reflection of a business’ commitment to outstanding service. Park Home Assist met the criteria of collecting over the required number of reviews between January 1st 2018 and December 31st 2018, with a Feefo service rating of between 4.5 and 5.0.
Steve Leech, Director at Park Home Assist commented: “We’re thrilled to receive this award from Feefo. It recognises how hard we’ve been working to give great experiences to all our customers, who are the most important judges of what we do. We’re committed to delivering the highest quality of service, so it’s important for us to listen, understand and respond to all our customers. Feefo enabled us to consistently improve throughout 2018 and now we’re looking forward to another successful year ahead.”
Congratulating Park Home Assist on winning this year’s award, Matt West, CEO at Feefo, commented: “The Trusted Service award has always been about recognising those companies that excel beyond the norm. This year we’ve seen many remarkable businesses leveraging the full potential of Feefo to provide outstanding levels of experience for their customers – and rightly being awarded our most prestigious accreditation. I’m looking forward to the continual success of the businesses that work in partnership with us throughout 2019.”
To be recognised once again by Feefo for the service we provide to our customers is outstanding and this award is a true reflection of our commitment to customer service.
We are absolutely delighted with the Feefo awards and we would love to help you save money on your park home insurance renewal, while providing you with excellent customer service. Speak to one of our specialists today by calling 0800 988 0900.
Take a look around our website for more information on park home insurance and holiday lodge insurance. To keep up to date on similar topics like this follow us on Facebook, Twitter & LinkedIn.
Residential Parks and Holiday Parks – What’s the Difference?
If you’re thinking of buying a park home, one of the decisions you need to make is whether you choose a residential park or a holiday park.
Right of permanent residence
The key difference is that you have no right of permanent residence on a holiday park – so your main residence needs to be elsewhere. The opening times of a holiday park are governed by the licence that it has been granted by the local council, so you may find that it is closed for one or two months a year, or that you can only stay there for a maximum number of weeks at a time. Even if a holiday park is open for 12 months of the year, it does not mean that you can live there permanently.
Of course, your choice of a residential park or holiday park for your park home depends on how you want to use your home – both now and in the future. A holiday park may have mixed use accommodation – such as holiday lodges, static caravans and holiday caravans so this may influence your choice. Also, check the terms of the licence to find out whether sub-letting is permitted.
Cost considerations
Buying a home on a holiday park is likely to cost less than the equivalent home on a residential park. One of the reasons for this is that the occupational licence covers a specific time period (for example 10,15,25 or 50 years) while the occupational agreement for a residential park has no end date (a period of perpetuity).
Also, a home on a holiday park is not subject to council tax as it is not your sole or main residence. The local authority may need confirmation that you pay your council tax elsewhere.
Consumer protection
On the other hand, homes on holiday parks are not protected by the Mobile Homes Act 2013, while homes on residential parks are. The Mobile Homes Act 2013 was designed to provide better protection for park home owners, and provide the legal framework to allow honest and professional site owners to operate successfully without unfair competition from rogue traders.
A park home owner owns their home, but pays a fee to the park owner to site their home on their land. Amongst other things, the Mobile Homes Act 2013 introduced new rules on reviewing pitch fees so that unscrupulous site owners do not take unfair advantage of residents. In 2017, the Government carried out a review of the Mobile Homes Act 2013 and has recently published its findings. You can access them here: Mobile Homes Act 2013 Review.
You can also find further information on buying a park home on our website and see park homes for sale.
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At Park Home Assist we’re not just here to sell you an insurance policy, we understand that the purpose of your park home insurance is to help you out when something goes wrong. We are a family run business and the way in which we manage and settle your claim is one of the most important elements of what we do. We pride ourselves on our award-winning claims service because the way we deal with your claim is an opportunity to show you how good we really are and how important each customer is to us. Also, a true test of a policy’s quality is when you need it most – when you need to make a claim.
Resolving your Claim as Quickly as Possible
Although you probably hope that you will never need to make a claim, your park home insurance is there in case you do. Experiencing a loss and having to deal with a claim can be quite distressing, so we do everything we can to resolve any claims or disputes in a timely and professional way. We try to minimise the inconvenience to you, so when things do go wrong, however big or small, our priority is to resolve your claim as quickly as possible.
At Park Home Assist, we have two dedicated Claims Co-ordinators, Tina Brown and Valerie Kearney, who ensure that your claim is managed throughout and progresses as efficiently as possible. This includes helping you to compile the information and evidence needed for the claim, liaising with loss adjusters and contractors, and keeping you informed. Tina and Valerie will always go the extra mile to ensure that our customers are satisfied with our service. This is evident in the feedback we receive from customers who have had to make a claim. Below are just a few short examples of recent claims made by our customers along with their feedback.
Park Home Insurance Claim due to a Leak in the Roof
A policy holder returned from a three-week holiday to discover a leak in their roof. Water had leaked through into their lounge area, causing damage not only to the ceiling, walls and floors, but also their carpets and curtains. Whilst the leak in the roof was not covered, the policy holder had a contractor out to repair the roof straight away. Because the policy holder had taken out the Accidental Damage cover on their property, the internal damage was covered by their park home insurance. The contents of the home were removed to safe storage, the policy holder stayed in alternative accommodation while a contractor visited the home and repaired all the damage. Everything was returned with no issues and we received the following feedback.
“We wish to say a big thank you to everyone involved with the situation. The work done and the service that everyone gave was brilliant. Thank you to all.”
Park Home Insurance Claim due to Escape of Water
The policyholder experienced escape of water in the shower room of their park home, causing damage to the floor and walls. Water also leaked out into the hallway causing a lot of additional damage. All the repair and refurbishment work was completed for the policyholder and he scored the service 10 out of 10. He also confirmed he would recommend Park Home Assist to friends and family. He stated:
“There is nothing you could have done to make the service any better as it was very efficient right from the moment I made the phone call about the problem. The loss adjuster came out, the payment was made, the job was done, you were absolutely brilliant. There is nothing you could do to improve the service as it was all very good.”
Park Home Insurance Claim due to a Burst Pipe
A pipe burst at 5.30 in the morning, causing water to gush everywhere. The loss adjuster visited the next day and discovered extensive damage to the flooring throughout the home. We appointed contractors immediately and instructed them to start repairs. We arranged alternative accommodation at a local hotel, so the policyholder could be comfortable during the eight days it took to repair the home. The policy holders stated:
“They acted very quickly and made sure everything that had to be done, was done, and I thank everyone sincerely.”
Customer service is at the heart of what we do. It’s important to our customers, and to us, especially when you need to make a claim. Our award-winning claims service demonstrates our commitment to delivering excellent service when you need us most.
For further information see details on how to make a park home insurance claim.
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The lucky winner of the Free Park Home Assist Christmas prize draw has been announced.
This year Park Home Assist Insurance Services launched a Free Christmas Prize Draw to give away a £250 Waitrose/John Lewis Voucher to one lucky park home owner, just in time for Christmas, with the hope that the prize went some way to pay for Christmas for the lucky winner. The prize draw was launched in October and we had an extremely large response, so thank you for all those who entered. Entering was really easy and all that entrants had to do was go onto the Park Home Assist website to submit their entry.
Congratulations!
Congratulations to the lucky winner Mr Kinneavy from Surrey, who you can see pictured here with his wife. Claire Leech (Director of Park Home Assist) and Dave Tranter, (Business Development Manager) personally visited Mr & Mrs Kinneavy at their home at Rickwood Park, in Surrey to personally deliver the good news and hand over the winnings prior to Christmas.
Mr Kinneavy was absolutely delighted to have won and stated that they were both really impressed with the service levels at Park Home Assist and that they will be joining us again in July, when their Park Home Insurance is due for renewal.
Mr Kinneavy also commented “We don’t buy on price, when the renewal comes through, we don’t even look at the price, it’s the cover provided and the service received which is all important.”
Thank you to everyone who took part in our Christmas prize draw and we hope you had a great Christmas, and congratulations to Mr & Mrs Kinneavy, we hope that you found a use for your £250 vouchers!
With the year drawing to an end, we are beginning to start work on a very exciting 2019. Our team has spent the last few months developing designs for a new range of park homes and holiday lodges. To adequately showcase the innovative and ground breaking new ranges, the decision has been taken to renovate the Tingdene Visitor Centre.
The centre, launched in 1984, is the only indoor park home and holiday lodge showroom in the UK. Few big changes have been made since it opened its doors over 30 years ago making this a very exciting time in Tingdene’s development.
Works on the Visitor Centre will begin on Monday 3rd December making this the perfect opportunity to view the current range of homes on display before they are sited in various locations around the UK. The Kensington, Country Lodge, Mackworth, Regency Classic, Hayden Classic, Savannah and Barnwell are all open to the public until then. Following the 3rd December the Centre will continue to be open with 4 homes being available for viewing outside of the main exhibition.
We will continue to invite all of our customers to the Centre during the renovation works and the sales team will be available to provide information and help during normal opening hours which are listed below.
We appreciate your patience during this transitional period and look forward to inviting you all to the new park home and holiday launch event in February 2019.
Monday – Thursday 9am – 5pm
Friday – Saturday 9am – 4pm
Now that the days are getting shorter and the weather is getting colder, the focus shifts from al fresco dining to cosy nights in! Autumn and winter can still provide great opportunities for relaxing and enjoying your park home, whether it’s pub lunches, countryside walks, wildlife spotting or a bracing stroll along the beach. Now’s a good time to plan ahead and take a few precautions to ensure that your park home is protected against the winter weather and still provides a cosy retreat.
Ten tips for preparing your park home for winter
- Check your roof and repair or replace any broken tiles
- Clear drains and gutters to avoid any blockages – do this regularly if you’re surrounded by trees as leaves and debris can build up quickly
- Visit the environment agency website to check if your park home is at risk of flooding
- Install insulation to prevent heat escaping through the roof
- Have your boiler checked to identify any issues before it gets too cold
- Keep your park home warm and the heating on whenever you can to avoid frozen pipes – see our blog post about preventing escape of water from your park home
- Be sure to know where your stopcock is in case you need to turn off the water in your park home quickly
- Repair any dripping taps
- Seal any gaps around the edges of doors and windows to prevent draughts – but still try to maintain some ventilation
- If you’re not going to be staying in your park home as often, then check your park home insurance policy for clauses relating to unoccupancy. You can review Park Home Assist Park Home Insurance policy documents here
Taking these simple steps could help to avoid the stress and hassle of having to make an insurance claim. It is also worthwhile saving your insurance provider’s contact details on your phone in case of an emergency.
Wrap up well and stay safe and warm this winter.
As we approach the winter, the risk of damage to your park home from frost and ice increases. It is therefore very important to be aware of any conditions of your park home insurance policy, especially if you are spending less time at your park home.
If your park home is unoccupied for more than 48 hours during the period between 1st November and 31st March (both days inclusive) to reduce the risk from escape of water, and in order to fulfil policy conditions, we recommend that you drain down the entire water system as a precaution to prevent freezing and any potential damage this may cause.
How to drain the hot and cold water system of a combi boiler
- Turn off and/or extinguish your water heater/boiler
- Turn off the mains water supply at the entrance to your park home
- Run all the taps in the property and flush all toilets until water stops coming out
- If you have a hot water cylinder, empty it by opening the drain-cock at its base, attach a hosepipe to the drain-cock and run the water into a drain or bucket
- Empty the rising main, and any low pipework if applicable, by opening their drain-cocks
- When all water tanks are empty, leave both hot and cold taps fully open with plugs removed throughout your park home
- Put salt into the toilet pans to prevent water in the trap from freezing
If your park home has a sealed heating system containing antifreeze, then the heating system does not need to be drained down, but antifreeze levels must be checked annually and particularly prior to a period of unoccupancy. However, you will still need to turn off the water supply and drain the water system.
When can the water supply remain on?
Alternatively, you may leave the water supply turned on under the following circumstances:
- When the entire home benefits from a heating system (either gas or oil-fired central heating, a geothermal or full electric system – not night storage heaters), which is fitted with automatic controls and a separate thermostat. The system must be set to operate continuously for 24 hours of each day (not controlled by a timing device) and the thermostat set to not less than 13 degrees Celsius. In addition, all internal doors must remain open throughout the park home and where fitted, the loft hatch must be left open.
- When your park home has either a gas or oil-fired central heating system, a geothermal or full electric system and it is fitted with a ‘frost stat’ that is designed and installed to override all the heating controls, irrespective of their functional status, then this must be set to operate at no less than 4 degrees Celsius.
Other things to consider
If you leave your park home without an occupant for 60 consecutive days or more, then you must ensure that a responsible person is appointed to supervise and check the property both internally and externally at least once every 30 days.
In addition, when the park home is left without an occupant for 60 consecutive days then valuables are excluded from your park home insurance cover.
If you have any queries about the conditions of your park home insurance policy, then visit our park home insurance FAQs page, see our park home insurance policy booklet or call our customer service team on 01604 946 722.
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A fire in a park home can be devastating, so being prepared and maintaining fire safety is very important, especially because of the materials used to manufacture park homes. Having a fire safety plan and the right equipment in your park home to deal with a fire should it occur, is essential.
Although you cannot completely protect your home from fire, you can significantly reduce the risk of one breaking out, if you follow the following fire safety tips:
- Fit and maintain a smoke alarm in your home. Smoke alarms really do save lives! Test it regularly and replace the batteries at least twice a year. If your fire alarm starts beeping, it’s time to change the batteries. Putting your smoke alarm in the right place is essential. Try not to have it too close to the kitchen, as it may be triggered by making toast or steam from cooking, for example. Not only will this be annoying, but you may think a real warning is a false alarm. The best place to position a smoke alarm is on the ceiling in the hallway, near where you sleep.
- Check electrical appliances regularly for any signs of damage and ensure they are replaced or repaired properly. If you have too many plugs in one socket, this could overload the socket and cause a fire, so one plug per socket is usually best. Unplug appliances when you are not using them and before you go to bed.
- Stay in the kitchen when you are cooking fat, as this can catch fire very quickly, and never put water on hot fat. Make sure that cooking equipment is completely switched off when you have finished with it.
- If you are a smoker, make sure all cigarettes are put out properly and don’t smoke in bed to avoid the danger of falling asleep while smoking.
- Keep a fire blanket in your park home.
- Keep a fire distinguisher in your park home, and read and fully understand its instructions.
- Think about how to get out safely: plan an escape route from every room of your park home and be sure to keep the area clear at all times.
- Do some checks before you go to bed, as a lot of fires start at night.
There are many more things you can do to protect you and your park home from fire. Contact your local fire department if you would like more information.
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