DCLG issues best practice guide on enforcement in mobile home sites

The Department for Communities and Local Government has published a best practice guide for local authorities on enforcement of the new licensing regime for mobile home sites.

The scheme under the Mobile Homes Act 2013 came into force on 1 April 2014 and was intended to hand local authorities more effective control of conditions on sites.

It gives local authorities powers to issue compliance notices and in an emergency, or where a site owner has been convicted for failing to take the steps required by the compliance notice, the authority will have powers to enter the site and do the works.

The guidance covers:

• Background;
• Relevant protected sites;
• Enforcement policy;
• Licence conditions;
• Achieving compliance;
• Roles and responsibilities;
• Appendices: definition of relevant protected sites; definition of a caravan; example compliance notice; example proposed emergency action notice; example emergency action notice (9E)(8).

A copy of the best practice guide can be viewed here.

Around 85,000 households live on about 2,000 mobile home sites in England.

“Many of these sites are well managed and run,” the guidance says. “Unfortunately there are some rogue site operators, who do not run their sites well and allow conditions to deteriorate, affecting the amenity of the site, and the health and safety of residents.”

The DCLG has also published advice to local authorities on the new regime for applications for the grant or transfer of a site licence under the 1983 Act. This provides information on the matters an authority can take into consideration when processing an application.