Site Fees

Rules and tax

Can you live in a static caravan?

Yes, but not on a holiday park. You can only live in a caravan where permanent residential use is allowed. A holiday caravan is a second home, and treating it as your main one can cost you the pitch.

Where you can live in one

  • A residential park home site. These are licensed for people to live in all year, and residents get the protections of the Mobile Homes Act 1983.
  • Your own land, with permission. Living in a caravan on private land normally needs planning permission, and possibly a site licence from the council.

A holiday park is neither of these. Its site licence and planning permission are for holiday use, and owner agreements almost always say the caravan must not be your main home.

What about a 12 month holiday park?

A park that opens all year lets you use the caravan in any month, but it is still a holiday park. Parks usually ask for proof of a main address somewhere else, such as a council tax bill. Of the 36 parks whose season we hold, the most common season is March to January (16 parks), so most close for at least part of the winter.

Do you pay council tax on a static caravan?

Not on a holiday caravan used for holidays. Council tax is charged on a caravan that is someone's sole or main residence. On a holiday park, the Valuation Office Agency assesses the whole site for business rates, and many parks recharge a share of that to owners. That is the "rates" line you often see on a site fee invoice.

If a caravan on a holiday park is being used as someone's main home, it comes out of the site valuation and is assessed for council tax instead. Some councils actively look for this.

The risks of living in a holiday caravan

  • Your agreement. Living there usually breaks it, which gives the park grounds to end your pitch licence.
  • The park's licence. Residents on a holiday site can put the park in breach of its own licence, so parks enforce this firmly.
  • Council tax. A caravan used as a main home is liable for council tax.
  • Insurance. Holiday home policies are written for holiday use. Tell your insurer if that changes. See our insurance guide.

Common questions

Can you live in a static caravan all year round?

Only where permanent residential use is allowed: on a residential park home site, or on land with planning permission and any licence needed for someone to live there. A holiday park is licensed for holidays, and even a park that opens twelve months a year normally requires you to have a main home somewhere else.

Do you pay council tax on a static caravan?

Not on a holiday caravan used for holidays. Council tax applies to a caravan that is someone's sole or main residence. On a holiday park the site is assessed for business rates instead, and many parks pass a share of that on to owners as a "rates" charge in or alongside the site fee.

What happens if I live in my holiday caravan?

You are likely to be breaking the park's licence conditions and your agreement, which can put your pitch at risk. Councils also check whether caravans are being used as main homes, and a caravan that is someone's main residence becomes liable for council tax.

What is a 12 month holiday park?

A holiday park licensed to open all year. You can use your caravan in any month, but it is still a holiday home: parks usually ask for proof of a main address elsewhere, such as a council tax bill.

Want to know what owning a holiday caravan really costs each year? Start with our site fee data and the cost of ownership calculator. For disputes with a park, see owners' rights.

Sources

General information, checked 23 September 2026. It is not legal or tax advice; your council can confirm council tax for your caravan.