Caravan site licensing
The Caravan Sites and Control of Development Act 1960 does not allow the occupier of any land to use their land as a caravan site unless they hold a valid site licence. A caravan site licence cannot be issued unless the land has planning permission for use as a caravan site and the applicant has not had a site licence revoked within the previous 3 years.
For the purposes of this act, a caravan site means land on which a caravan is stationed for the purposes of human habitation, and land which is used in conjunction with land on which a caravan is so stationed.
A caravan means any structure designed or adapted for human habitation which is capable of being moved from one place to another (whether by being towed, or by being transported on a motor vehicle or trailer), and any motor vehicle so designed or adapted. It does not include any railway rolling stock which is for the time being on rails forming part of a railway system, or any tent.
The Mobile Homes Act 2013 amends the Caravan Sites and Control of Development Act 1960 by introducing new provisions in relation to local authority powers with effect from 1 April 2014. This act aims to improve housing standards, give greater protection to homeowners, and provide more effective enforcement action by local authorities regarding licence obligations.
Register of licensed sites
You can search for licensed mobile home sites on the public Licence Register.
Exemptions from caravan site licensing
A caravan site licence is not required for:
- incidental use within the curtilage of a dwelling house
- a single caravan used by a person for not more than 2 nights and 28 days in 12 months
- holdings of 5 acres or more if not more than 28 days in 12 months, and a maximum of 3 caravans at any time
- sites occupied and supervised by exempted organisations
- sites approved by exempted organisations for up to 5 caravans
- meetings organised by exempted organisations
- agricultural and forestry workers
- building and engineering sites
- travelling showmen
- sites operated and owned by a local council, county councils or regional councils
Applying for a licence
To request an application form or for more information, email prsh@enfield.gov.uk or write to:
Private Rented Housing Team
Enfield Council
Silver Street
Enfield
EN1 3ES
Your application requires a site plan showing the layout of roads, caravans and facilities, and planning permission.
Register of site rules
Under The Mobile Homes Act 2013, mobile home, park home or caravan site owners will need to provide Local Authorities with site rules which will be displayed on their website for members of the public to view.
View the site rules for the following licenced sites:
Fit and proper person test
The Mobile Homes (Requirement for Manager of Site to be Fit and Proper Person) (England) Regulations 2020 (the Regulations), introduced a fit and proper person test for mobile home site owners, or the person appointed to manage the site, unless exempted by the Regulations.
What is a fit and proper person?
Applicants who want to be included on the register will have to show that there are suitable financial and management arrangements in place for the site, and to provide information about their conduct in relation to any of the following:
- Offences involving fraud or other dishonesty, violence, arson or drugs, or listed in Schedule 3 to the Sexual Offences Act 2003
- Contravention of any provision of the law relating to housing, caravan sites, mobile homes, public health, planning or environmental health, or of landlord and tenant law
- Contravention of any provision of the Equality Act 2010 in, or in connection with, the carrying on of any business
- Harassment of any person in, or in connection with, the carrying on of any business
- Insolvency within the past 10 years
- Disqualified from acting as a company director within the past 10 years
- Right to work in the UK
- Membership of any redress scheme for dealing with complaints in connection with the management of the site
Please note - it is a criminal offence to operate a site and fail to comply with the fit and proper person test. If found guilty, you would be liable, on summary conviction, of a fine.
Applying to be included on the register
To be included on the fit and proper persons register, you must submit an application to be assessed as a fit and proper person.
To request an application form, email prsh@enfield.gov.uk or write to:
Private Rented Housing Team
Enfield Council
Silver Street
Enfield
EN1 3ES