advice of been made homeless

suzieboozie

hi im looking for some advice about help with renting a property. my story is a bit different , i have ankolysing spondilitis and my husband has difficulty walking due to his hip . im 61 and he is 64.
3 years ago we were duped into selling our home to buy a dream! a luxury static caravan that we could live and retire in, sales man assured us we can live in it 12 months of the year and told us manuy on the camp site do this at our age, he told us to contact him again once the house was sold and we can pick the caravan of our choice, we paid £47,000 and have enjoyed 2 happy years so far, until covid came along everythign was ok but now the site want us to provide a council tax bill when we next pay our ground rent on nov 1st, we dont have one with us not having a house, we have a postal address like the salesman told us to get which is my nephews house, i have applied to go on the electoral role and am awaiting a rely. my nerves are shot at the thought of us been homeless as we cant provide what they are asking even though they knew we had sold the house, this salesman is now involved in a court case due to the people he ripped off. we dont have any immediate family we could stay with and my nephew hasnt a spare bedroom. i just want some advice on how i can apply for a bungalow and what help there is out there, i be grateful if anyone has any ideas.

janer1967

Hi and welcome 

You can apply to the council but bungalows are very short in availability 

Also to get on waiting list you will need proof of a local connection eg close relative or that you have lived in that area

Unfortunately people wait years for a property you may want to look at private rent but if you are on benefits then again this is very difficult 

You may get some advice from the shelter organisation 

Can you not sort out the issue and come to a compromise or seek advice from CAB or welfare rights 

Cher_Alumni

@suzieboozie what a nightmare situation  I'm sorry you've had to go through this.

I'd recommend contacting Shelter for advice about your housing rights, like @janer1967 suggested.  You can contact them via online chat or on their free helpline.  For more information visit the Shelter website.  

Good luck and please let us know how you get on.

suzieboozie

thanks for advice, im going to have to wait to see if they reject my ground rent money and then have to start lookign deeper into your suggestion, thank you very much.

chiarieds

Hi @suzieboozie- welcome to the community. I'm very sorry for the situation you find yourself in. Unfortunately your static caravan must be on what's termed a 'non-residential' caravan park. The site owner should have asked to see your council tax bill proving you had a 'bricks & mortar' home before allowing your caravan on his site.

Depending on the local council's regulations, you must spend varying periods of time away from the site each year. Both my son & I have fully residential Park Homes in a caravan park. There are also some privately owned caravans, but here these can only be used from March to October; some caravan parks are, however, open about 11 months of the year. It seems your park owner has turned a blind eye to this for the past 2 years, allowing you to remain on-site all year, which was also wrong. Our park owner certainly asks for proof that a person has a council tax bill for those who have caravans.

Some park owners don't seem to mind if you leave your caravan for a month (or however long is stipulated), but really this still is wrong, as most people should pay council tax, which perhaps you were aware you were not paying.

I'm unsure you would be eligible to get on the electoral roll as this must be a non-residential caravan park as mentioned.

I'm sorry to say the above, but do feel you should contact Shelter sooner rather than later. Please see: https://www.shelter.org.uk/    & select the area you live in.

You have certainly been mis-led, & altho the salesman you mention is involved in a court case, I'm unsure if this helps you legally. Do please see what Shelter say; explain things just as you have here. It's possible Citizens Advice may be able to help, but Shelter would probably mention this if they thought it the case, or you could ask.

Do contact Shelter asap. If your local council wants to see caravan owners' council tax bills, this may likely lead to problems if your park owner can't provide one from yourselves.

atlas47

Hi @suzieboozie

A very warm welcome.

Firstly you should separate that you do not live in a Park Home (different laws apply).

You should consider yourself to live in a Holiday Home (a static caravan that has a 12 months operating licence).

The onus is on the site owner, who would have to applied to the council, to be granted such a license, to comply with said licence.

You have proof that you are a Council Tax payer, firstly your nephew’s and the council tax you pay as part of your site fees each year.

As a previous owner of a modern static caravan, I would rather walk round with a nail in my glog, than move into some kind of flat.

I think Shelter, might be of little assistance in this instance.

Speak to the site owner of what proof they need.

You could also formulate a Lodgers Agreement with your nephew, which has no tax or legal liabilities to either party.  In fact it is official government policy.

Keep us informed.

woodbine

I have lived in a residential park home for 9 years now and it maddens me that people get duped into buying "non residential" homes that they are told that can live in permanently @suzieboozie i'm sorry to state the obvious but your were lied to. Sometimes in these situations the site owners apply to the council to have the site made residential, permission isn't always given. As for being rehoused by the council that's a sticky one and you should get advice from a solicitor, there are groups that could maybe help IPHAS (  £6 a year to join) or LEASE, there are a number of groups on facebook that maybe of interest as well.

suzieboozie

thank you woodbine, yes while the sales rep are only thinking of their commission, they couldnt care less what happens to the caravan owner once they have signed on the dotted line. this park cannot get planning permission so ive been told to turn it into a residential site. the staff and manager on the park knows there are about 90 owners on here living on here full time but its a case of bury head in the sand when the s@@t hits the fan and the owner stands alone. i think we are going to have to look to rent a property but these are in short supply. could you give me some names of the groups you mention on fb where i could get some advice or help/ i be really grateful thank you.x

suzieboozie

atlas 47
thank you for your response, it would kill me to have to take a flat, a bungalow would be my option but they are as rare as hens teeth to rent, the proof  they have asked for is council tax bill with our name on, 2 utility bills, (which we have one in our name (water bill) a driving licence, a copy of house insurance with our name on and bank statements. we can provide 4 out of the 6  but the main one they insist on is the council tax bill.  would you be able to give me some more info on the 'lodgers agreement ' as i have never heard of it. i think the time is running out for my reply from the council about the electorl role , i have only till th e30th oct to get it as 1st nov is dooms day, regarding the 12 month licence on our contract is regarding we can have access to the caravn park for that period .x

woodbine

@atlas47 you do not pay any council tax on a holiday home in any shape or form and the OP's nephew pays council tax on his home no one else, basically @suzieboozie needs either correct advice or no advice in their situation.
One of the best f/book groups is "residential park homes for nice people" there are a number of others that a quick search of f/b will turn up.
I mentioned IPHAS and Lease both of whom will be helpful, but i'm sorry to say that unless the council is minded to grant residential status under the 1983 mobile homes act (amended in 2013) you will have only one option and that is probably to sell up and move on before the council evict you.

suzieboozie

@woodbine , thank you , thats the conclusion i have come to , i dont want to go onto another caravan park, all this has shattered that dream,  when you ask the salesman at the end of the first year (as i had a council tax bill when i bought the van, from my house) what do i do now i havent got a council tax bill he says i will come and see you for a chat, dont panic about it is all ok, after asking him 4 times to come and see me he says ' there is no need to worry its all ok, then hes handed himself into police sation for ripping lots of owners off, selling their vans for them not through the office either and fiddlign peoples income so they can get finance to buy a caravan i just had to sit tight and worry which i have done for the last 2 years. its no good me saying anythign to management as its my word against his and he isnt here anyway. so looks like  hes left me high and dry, if i had of know all this we certainly wouldnt of signed up, nobody would but they assure you everything is ok.

chiarieds

Hi @suzieboozie - I only mentioned that I lived in a fully residential Park Home to differentiate that there are others who have static caravans in this caravan park, which they are only allowed to occupy 6 months of the year (altho they can visit during the winter months to check their caravan is OK, they cannot stay overnight).

@atlas47 's reply also disconcerted me. Your caravan, as I thought, is on a site that is 'non-residential,' as @woodbine also mentions. Yes, different laws apply to protect 'Park home' owners. My son has been a Park home owner like woodbine for 9 years; myself for 5.

I am willing to stand corrected, but I also can find no definite 'government policy' regarding a 'lodger's agreement.' Also, as mentioned, your nephew alone pays council tax for his home, altho you've used his address for post, that does not confer that you contribute in any way. I'm also unsure as to how you could show you could be lodgers as your nephew hasn't a spare bedroom.

Also, if you have applied to get on the electoral roll with your current address, this isn't going to happen, as again it will be classed as non-residential as mentioned, sorry.

suzieboozie

ok thank you for your reply.