Buying a second hand park home can be beneficial; not only from the possible price perspective but in terms of understanding what you are getting for your money.
Like any commodity such as a car for example, a used park home will have had all the early faults dealt with and although the warranties might well have expired on all the white goods and perhaps on the home itself, the home will have settled and if your surveyor, essential here too, gives a thumbs up then all should be well.
Most important. As well as the surveyor use a solicitor too.
Try to find out why, unless the reasons are obvious, the owners are moving away. Last time buyers do not up sticks readily. If they are moving because of the park owners or the neighbours, walk away.
Getting the maintenance history is essential too as this will indicate in addition to the surveyors report what has been done to the home.
Most would like to have a new home understandably. The opportunity to move into a fully equipped, low maintenance home (see elsewhere for more on this) would not be passed up if one can afford this.
So what is new?
If you buy goods directly from a supplier and you have a contract with that supplier then warranties and other conditions under the consumer rights act are owned by you.
It is unlikely that you will purchase a park home directly from a manufacturer. In most cases homes are either bought already sited on a pitch or a home which you choose from a manufacturer is then sited by the park owner for you; either way you buy the home from the park owner.
In either case, irrespective of whether the home has previously been occupied, the home was not purchased directly by you, you do not have the benefit of the manufacturers warranties and because the home was purchased by the park owner it is second hand. You might even have relinquished your rights to any cover under the BS3632:2015 requirements.
Many who move into a park home are asked to report 'snags'; a term which can cover anything from a wrinkle in the wall paper to the roof caving in.
Then they, after the 'snags' are reported, wonder why it takes weeks if not months or even years for these 'snags' to be dealt with.
The fact is that some park homes are bought and sited years before they are actually sold; many left without heating become damp or without the minimum of maintenance have walls ruined by water ingress.
It is little wonder then that when a park owner reports these 'snags' to the park home manufacturer years after the home has been sold , they feel a tad irked particularly when the defects are severe and have been caused by years of neglect when asked to deal with the 'snags'. Mirror
I would probably feel a tad irked too.
So a debate begins behind the scenes as to who is going to put the defects right while you sit in your brand new home dreading the next rain shower that will further destroy your decor and damage your belongings.
Any enquiries then being met with 'we are waiting for the manufacturer to come back to us'.
The other problem will be when you try to register your white good for warranty cover. When they ask for the date you bought the goods you will probably fail to get cover.
If your home is allegedly covered by a GoldShield warranty, then you have to register this. If your home has been sitting on the base in all weathers for a few years without maintenance or heating you will be hard pressed to get the cover. You may have to pay for what is normally free ten year cover.
Finally, if your home has not been looked after will you be able to get insurance cover on it? If you claim will your insurance be valid?
Look at the fine print. If you are buying a 'new' home, make sure it is!
