- 23/03/2017
- Posted by: Joyce Watson MS
- Category: Feature
LABOUR Mid and West AMs Joyce Watson and Eluned Morgan are calling on mobile and park home owners to have their say on the rules relating to the sale of their properties.
At the moment, a person who buys a mobile or park home has to pay up to 10% commission to the site owner. The Welsh Government this week (21 March) announced a consultation on the matter.
Welcoming the consultation, Joyce Watson AM said:
“This is an issue that has been raised with me by constituents – I am pleased they will have an opportunity to make their views known.
“I trust the government will consider very carefully the views of both sides – site owners and home owners – before making a final decision on the future of the fee.”
The charge was last reduced from a maximum of 15% in 1983, though it has been reviewed several times since then. In 2013 the National Assembly for Wales passed a law to give park home residents more rights – but it did not alter the commission charge.
Eluned Morgan AM said:
“I’m pleased to see the Welsh Government has taken on board the concerns of people who live in park homes. It’s important that there’s a fair balance between the needs of park home owners and of the operators running the business”.
About 100 park home owners from across Wales, including residents of Caerwnon Park near Builth Wells, staged a rally at the Senedd on Tuesday.
Announcing the consultation, communities minister Carl Sargeant AM said:
“The review into the industry rightly highlights that commission rates are a complex issue with the potential for significant consequences. I have therefore been considering the matter very carefully before deciding to hold a public consultation.
“I have concluded that we should examine further the level of the commission charged by site owners, but, in light of the very strong representations I have received I am currently of the view that there may be a case to reduce or even abolish the commission, though I will of course want to take full account of consultation responses before coming to a final view.
“The options I will consider will include reducing or even abolishing the commission rate, as well, of course, as retaining the status quo. I would therefore like to invite the park home owners to let me have the evidence which they believe would justify the latter option, but I sincerely hope all interested parties will take advantage of the opportunity this consultation will provide to submit further information and scrutinise the available evidence.”
The consultation can be found on the Welsh Government website: https://consultations.gov.wales/
