Why BH&HPA Membership Matters: Buying a Holiday Home with Confidence at Coastal Kippford

Thinking of buying a holiday home? It’s an exciting decision. The promise of regular getaways, fresh air and your own space to unwind whenever you feel like it.

But it’s also a significant investment, one that comes with legal, financial and lifestyle implications. At Coastal Kippford Holiday Park, we believe in transparency, in doing things properly, and that’s why we’re proud to be members of the British Holiday & Home Parks Association (BH&HPA).

Here’s what that means for you and how it helps us address common concerns in the industry.

What is BH&HPA and why does it matter?

BH&HPA is the trade association for UK holiday and home parks. Their mission is to promote best practice among parks, protect consumer interests, and provide clear, independent information to anyone thinking of purchasing a holiday caravan, lodge or park home. You can visit their website to learn more about who they and what they do.

By being part of BH&HPA, Coastal Kippford commits to:

• Working under established industry standards.
• Ensuring our contracts, licensing, and park operations adhere to good practice.
• Providing clear, accurate information to buyers so you know exactly what you’re getting.
• Offering guidance and support should any questions or issues arise.

In short, being BH&HPA members means quality, clarity, and confidence for buyers.

Things you should know before buying a holiday home

It may seem complicated and there are many terms to understand. Site license types, build types, park contracts – what do they all mean? Drawing on BH&HPA guidance, here are some of the most important considerations:

• Is a caravan a second home? A caravan is not considered a second home by the government. So, although owners receive all the benefits of an additional property, there is no council tax, stamp duty or capital gains tax when you sell your property.
• Is a caravan an investment? A caravan must never be considered a financial investment, only a lifestyle investment. Like a car, a caravan will devalue each year. The biggest value drop will be in the first years. Some owners rent out their holiday home to cover the annual costs, however they are not meant to be properties for private business gain.
• Purpose of Ownership: Are you buying for holidays only, or do you want it to be your main residence? The legal site licenses, build types and contracts differ depending on your intention:
  • Site licenses: Planning permission is granted for caravan parks either for holiday or residential use. The council then issue a residential or holiday site license to the business.

The planning permission and site license type matters as their permission is granted based on local infrastructure/health, education and housing provisions as well as requirements for tourism.

Some areas require tourist accommodation to attract tourism spend and help the local economy. In addition, the provision of holiday homes for sale, discourage second home brick and mortar ownership which tends to increase house prices for locals as well as deplete local permanent populations and communities.

Residential licenses are issued where there is a proven housing requirement, and the park can demonstrate that there is enough of a provision of healthcare and services for the permanent residents.

• • You must ensure that you buy on a park whose site license type matches your intended use of holiday or residential. For example, Coastal Kippford has 365 days a year holiday license. However, you can only stay on park for less days in a year, than you stay in your primary home, therefore less than 6 months of the year. You cannot live in your holiday home; in other words, it can’t be your main residence.
  • Caravan build types: Caravans are built in a factory and delivered to site in one or two pieces, then named a single or twin caravan. Some marketing terminology calls twin caravans a lodge.Single and twin caravans can be built in both residential and holiday standards. Just because it is a twin lodge, does not mean it is a residential specification.The residential BS3632 British Standard Institution (BSI) is designed for all year-round use. The EN1647 is a European holiday standard for seasonal use. Although modern holiday caravans are warm, they are not as warm in winter as a residential specification. Walls in residential specifications homes are plasterboard SIP (structurally insulated panel), warmer and strong enough to hang a picture on. Caravan walls are often a thinner material, less insulated and not strong enough to hang a picture on. The idea is residents will be comfortable in a holiday caravan in the winter, however if there is terrible weather, holiday owners can return to their permanent brick and mortar house.

    Some holiday parks do sell residential specification park homes for added comfort at a higher price than a holiday specification. However, if the site license is holiday, these still cannot be permanent homes.

• The Purchase Agreement & Licence Agreement: When you buy a caravan, you will be presented with two documents to sign.The License Agreement outlines whether the park is a residential or holiday park and grants you the right to keep your caravan on a specific pitch for a defined amount of time within the park rules.The Purchase Agreement outlines what caravan you are purchasing, from whom (the park or a private seller), its price and conditions. This is critical. Make sure you understand whether your agreement is a “Holiday Licence” (for holiday use) or something else. BH&HPA provides model Purchase Agreements and License Agreements so you know what to expect but if you have any concerns at all, you should be able to speak openly with the holiday park you’re looking to buy at.

With BH&HPA membership at Coastal Kippford, we ensure both agreements are appropriate, transparent, and compliant with legal standards.

Addressing Common Concerns

Lately, there has been publicity on complaints from caravan owners for areas such as rising costs, lack of transparency, or maintenance issues. At Coastal Kippford we are transparent about all these topics.

Here’s how we approach some of the most common concerns.

• Hidden or rising costs: One of the biggest worries people mention is hidden or rising costs. At Coastal Kippford, we believe in full transparency. From the outset, we explain all costs clearly. Pitch fees and rate costs are set out clearly in your agreement. Insurance, annual gas check, gas, electricity and personal general maintenance fees are listed on our website and will be verbally explained during the buying process.Generally, costs go up annually by the Governments Retail Price Index (RPI). If changes are required, we communicate them in advance, along with the reasons behind them, so you can budget with confidence and avoid nasty surprises. We have no control over price changes to insurance, gas and electricity but we are always available to talk through any concerns.
• Resale and end of tenure: We also understand that resale can sometimes feel complicated on other parks. As BH&HPA members, we follow good practice when it comes to valuations and resale procedures, ensuring that agreements don’t unfairly restrict you. If the time comes for you to sell, we’ll support you in making the process straightforward and fair:
  1. Coastal Kippford uses the industry standard ‘Blue book’ to value caravans for resale.
  2. Coastal Kippford will market your van and the team will organise and take potential buyers for viewings and explain ownership. These costs are covered by a commission the park charges for private sales.
  3. All caravans are sold on a license agreement that outlines the number of years owners can remain on park. At Coastal Kippford this is generally 15 years for a new caravan and 25 years for a new lodge. When caravans are resold, they are sold with the remaining years remaining. Coastal Kippford limits resales to caravans that are 10 years old, to ensure second hand owners have at least 5 years on park. In some cases, if a van is in extremely good condition/ a more expensive van from the outset, they can be older than 10 years and the park will sell the new owner additional years to make it 5 years. The seller will receive the money back for the amount of years they have left from their initial purchase agreement.
  4. Each year the park looks at how many pitches the business requires back to sell new caravans on. At Coastal Kippford, if there are more vans over 15 years old than the park requires back, then the park will allow owners to stay longer on a rolling extended contract. This means the park never knows how many years caravans can remain when first bought, although the minimum will be stated in the purchase agreement. Any additional years are a bonus, not a certainty.
• Customer service and park maintenance: Another area of concern can be customer service and park maintenance. No one wants to invest in a holiday home on a site that falls into disrepair. We take pride in keeping our park beautifully maintained, responding quickly to issues, and providing clear communication channels. We have a full-time grounds team who are on hand to ensure you’re happy with your pitch and the park. We also have friendly and approachable office team alongside two wardens who are here to help and provide any answers to your queries. Our BH&HPA membership also means we follow external standards, helping us deliver a level of service you can rely on.
• Restrictions of use: Finally, there are sometimes questions around restrictions on use. We know how important it is to understand exactly how and when you can use your holiday home. That’s why all rules and limitations are set out clearly in your agreement from the beginning, whether that’s around personalisation, subletting, or seasonal availability. This clarity means you can relax, safe in the knowledge that your holiday home can be enjoyed in the way you expect.

Why Coastal Kippford + BH&HPA = A Better Holiday Home Owner Experience

To us, BH&HPA membership isn’t just a badge, it’s a commitment. It means:

• We value your peace of mind.
• We want you to be an informed buyer, not one who feels misled.
• We believe a good relationship with holiday homeowners is based on trust, fairness, and integrity – for as long as you’re on our park!

Buying a holiday home should be part of the pleasure, not the worry. When you choose us, you get a park that upholds high standards, is transparent about costs, and treats owners with respect.

You can hear it from our valued owner’s themselves:

“We have been visiting Kippford and the surrounding area for over 30 years with our children and now grandchildren and of course, our dogs. Having been owners on Coastal Kippford site for almost 10 years we are now able to spend even more time there as we have recently both retired.

The surroundings are beautiful and the park is kept to a very high standard. The layout is unique in the way it is over many levels and blends into its surroundings which adds very much to the attraction of choosing this site for a holiday or to own a holiday home here. The Staff are both friendly and efficient and willing to go out of their way to help whenever they are able. Coastal Kippford is certainly where we choose to be and would recommend it without hesitation.”

________________________________________________________________________________

“From the first tour of available caravans, through choosing my caravan and finally completing the paperwork, the whole process was flawless. The office staff, wardens and ground staff could not be more helpful and nothing is ever a bother. There is always a wave and a friendly smile and you very quickly feel like you are part of a community. The park is kept in pristine condition and the array of beautiful trees, bushes and flowers is a credit to all concerned. An exceptional place to relax and recharge your batteries. A little slice of heaven on earth if ever there was one! I would highly recommend it!”

________________________________________________________________________________

“A lovely park with very helpful staff. Having holidayed here lots over the years we then moved on to a seasonal pitch and have now recently bought a static caravan. Coastal Kippford was the park for our long-term family holiday home. A lovely quiet setting with some amazing scenery nearby to explore. Coastal Kippford ticked all the boxes for us and we hope to enjoy many years of happy holidays here making lots of memories.”

________________________________________________________________________________

If you’re considering buying a holiday home at Coastal Kippford, do get in touch. We’ll be happy to walk you through the BH&HPA‐aligned agreements, show you past costs, let you see the maintenance standards, and answer any questions. Because your holiday home should feel like an investment in joy as much as value.