Holiday park caravan mis-selling victims speak out as ECC steps in to help

Victims of alleged holiday park caravan mis-selling in the UK share their stories as media scrutiny grows

£180,000 for a non-residential ‘retirement home’

Mike Chesworth spent his life savings on what he believed was a small holiday park property where he and his wife could retire. The 59-year-old delivery driver from Lancashire says a Wyre Country Park salesperson promised the couple they could live in the static caravan all year round when they paid £180,000 in 2019.

Mike told BBC Panorama that, instead of enjoying retirement, he has been forced back to work several days a week. He says the park has a holiday licence, meaning he and his wife cannot legally live in the unit permanently – despite what he says they were led to believe at the point of sale.

Mike told the BBC: "You spent a lot of time and effort looking to retire, and you work 30 or 40 years of your life to do it, only to find the dream you thought you were going to have is the perpetual nightmare that you can't seem to end.

"And it's just, it's heartbreaking. Absolutely heartbreaking."

The site’s owner, David Welch, denied misleading buyers and said the sales agreements clearly state it is a holiday park.

Holiday dream turns into crippling debt

Emma and James Richardson used a £25,000 inheritance left by Mrs Richardson’s mother as a deposit on a £110,000 caravan at Tattershall Lakes Park in Lincolnshire. Emma, 43, said: "I wanted to do something for the family. It was my way of being able to have them gain from me inheriting."

Alongside family holidays, the Cleethorpes couple say a Tattershall Lakes salesperson assured them they would earn enough from letting out the caravan to cover monthly finance repayments of £1,269.

They say the reality was the opposite, and they were soon "haemorrhaging money".

“We had months where we were taking £1,200 in rental costs, but we would only receive £200 of that because of linen charges, (visitor) passes, cleaning fees,” said James, 46. The Richardsons said they could not keep up with the repayments and ended up selling the caravan back to the park for a token sum.

“We were so far short of what we were sold. We lost, over a period of two years, in excess of £50,000, which has just crippled us. I'm still paying credit cards off now. We've lost that inheritance that our parents worked all their lives for.”

Park operator Away Resorts denied that promises were made about rental returns. A spokesperson said the company makes clear to caravan owners that "there are no guarantees" on subletting income.

Cancer diagnosis followed by a devastating loss

Andrew and Sue Dawson bought a static caravan at Parkdean Resorts’ Skipsea Sands Resort for £62,400 in 2022, hoping to enjoy holidays in retirement with their children and grandchildren.

In February 2024, the Leeds couple were dealt a devastating blow when Andrew was diagnosed with terminal cancer. They decided to sell the caravan while putting their affairs in order.

The official Parkdean Resorts website states that “buying a holiday home isn't considered a financial investment, as holiday homes depreciate in value with age."

However, Andrew says a salesperson told him that wasn’t really the case and that caravans "pretty much hold their value".

Parkdean’s final offer to the Dawsons was £16,000, which the couple said left them devastated.

Andrew described his dealings with the park as: "dreadful. The amount of money we've lost and the way we’ve been treated, in my opinion is very underhanded and lacking in transparency,"

The 59-year-old reported "a complete lack of empathy, really, knowing my condition, knowing why we're selling – that we didn't really have a lot of choice. We feel they let us down very badly."

A Parkdean Resorts spokesperson said the company was "aware of and sympathetic to Andrew’s situation."

European Consumer Claims

Approximately 365,000 people in the UK own holiday park caravans, with a further 100,000 owning static homes – a total similar to the number of British timeshare owners.

"We believe that this abuse has been going on for many years, and that there are significant numbers of victims like the people whose stories are published here," says Greg Wilson, CEO of European Consumer Claims (ECC). "We appeal to anyone mis-sold or otherwise treated unfairly by a holiday park in the UK to come forward and share their experiences with us.

"If the law has been transgressed, we can assist."

If you have faced issues like those above – for example, a static caravan sold as residential, disputed rental income claims, or other holiday park sales practices you believe were unfair – get in touch with our team of specialist advisors.

ECC and their associated specialist consumer solicitor firms are here to help.