The Differences Between a Holiday Home and a Residential Park Home

The deviation between UK residential static caravans and holiday homes goes beyond the obvious differences. Of course, everyone is aware that you buy a holiday caravan solely for the purpose of holidaying, meaning that it’ll only be in use for a portion of the year. 

Owning a static holiday home for the purpose of living on a holiday park is not the done thing; instead, you’ll purchase a residential static caravan to live in.

Due to the variation in their use, holiday homes and residential caravans must each adhere to different living standards and building regulations. As a result, you’ll notice a large divergence in price between the two solutions. So, aside from the name, what are the differences between a holiday home and a residential static caravan?

Building Regulations of a Residential Static Caravan

For any type of accommodation, a set of regulations must be followed during the building process. When it comes to residential caravans, they must adhere to BS3632, which was initially drafted in 1963. It has since been revised in both 2005 and 2015, so you can be sure that it’s up to date in terms of current living standards.

BS3632 specifies that all residential caravans must contain:

• Central heating throughout the property
• A-rated appliances including ovens, fridges, etc.
• Soundproof walls
• Insulated walls, roofs, and floors
• Thermostatic control of hot water supply
• Double glazed doors and windows
• An alternative or renewable energy source

Consequently, a residential caravan must meet all the standards of a brick-and-mortar house since the resident is expected to live comfortably. When on the hunt for a residential caravan, the expected standard of living shouldn’t be less than traditional housing.

Despite this, the difference in size will be notable as residential caravans aren’t allowed to exceed 65 feet (20 metres) in length, 22 feet (6.8 metres) in width, or 10 feet (3.05 metres) in height (internally). Here at Allens, we allow a maximum of 50x22 on our parks.

Building Regulations of a Holiday Home

The building regulations of a holiday home differ slightly from that of a residential caravan since they’re not designed for permanent living. Regardless, holiday homes must still be built to meet existing legislature; they must adhere to the regulations of BSEN1647.

The key difference between BS3632 and BSEN1647 is the standards surrounding insulation. This is because a holiday home is built with the intention of being used in the summer months, meaning that it doesn’t require thorough heating and insulation. As a result, you wouldn’t be able to reside in a holiday home all year round since it won’t meet legal regulations to shield you from the cold in winter. The average winter temperature in the UK sits around 4 ͦC, so proper insulation and ample heating are absolutely essential.