'Fairness' plea as park home owners lose thousands

Park home residents living by the Thames in Surrey say they can lose tens of thousands of pounds when they sell their properties because of a decades-old rule.

Alan Baldwin, who lives at Penton Park near Chertsey, is among campaigners calling for a 10% commission on sales to be scrapped.

The park is home to people over 50 and Baldwin said many move there with "lovely dreams of living their lives in the park", only to find they need care or to move closer to family, and lose a tenth of their home's value when they sell.

The charge is currently under review by the government, with a consultation closing on Friday.

The commission dates back to before 1975, and the Park Home Owners Justice Campaign has campaigned for change since 2009.

Over the years, Penton Park residents have joined protests at Westminster.

Dr Ben Spencer, Runnymede and Weybridge MP, has called for "a fair deal" for park home residents.

The park sits on a bend in the River Thames near Chertsey, close to Penton Hook Marina and Thorpe Park.

Baldwin said many residents were drawn there for a quieter life and strong sense of community.

He moved there 15 years ago and now runs a residents' association representing more than 200 households.

"You get to know people," he said. "It's got a clubhouse, and it's nice for everybody to get together."

But that sense of security can be overshadowed by the 10% commission, under which homes can sell for hundreds of thousands, meaning fees can run into tens of thousands.

Baldwin has seen properties sold repeatedly, with some park homes costing up to £500,000.

About a third of residents are in their 70s, 80s and 90s, and the cost can become an issue when circumstances change.

One couple bought a home for more than £300,000, but it was sold a year later after the wife died. An elderly woman lived there for three years before going into care. It has since been sold again.

"My main concern is the amount of money being handed over," Baldwin said.

He said park owners also receive pitch fees, and he currently pays more than £200 each month.

Baldwin said the fee dated back to the 1970s, when homes were caravans. He said: "We are still classed as caravans, and we shouldn't be."

"We just need a change, whatever that change might be," he said.

"It's got to be a lot fairer. They need to do away with it and start again."

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