Lord Graham of Edmonton
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to ensure that mobile home owners are able to sell their properties at the market rate.
Lord Graham of Edmonton
My Lords, I beg leave to ask the Question standing in my name on the Order Paper and in doing so declare an interest as the secretary of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Mobile Homes.
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Communities and Local Government (Baroness Hanham)
My Lords, the Mobile Homes Act 1983 makes statutory provision to enable mobile home owners to sell their homes subject to the buyer being approved by the site owner. Where approval is not forthcoming, the resident seller has a right to apply to the county court to seek its approval in the stead of the site owner.
Lord Graham of Edmonton
My Lords, I am grateful to the Minister for that reply, but I am sure that she has been told by her department of the case in Bromsgrove where the site owners harried vulnerable and distressed people to sell their homes cheaper than they were worth. Thanks to the good services of the Mercia police force, they were brought to court. They had deliberately burnt down two mobile homes. As a consequence, seven men were sent to prison for a total of 64 years. I realise that that is an extreme case, but will the Minister recognise that details of many other cases have been sent by me and others to the department, and it would be very nice if she could give me an assurance that resolution of this problem is high on her very busy agenda?
Baroness Hanham
My Lords, we are very well aware that there are some mobile home site owners who are not kind, efficient or businesslike. The matter referred to by the noble Lord, Lord Graham, is of course an extreme example of what is happening. Some site owners are making it extraordinarily difficult for mobile home owners to sell, by refusing permission or by making it very difficult for them. We are aware of this and will make efforts to do something about it.
Baroness Maddock
My Lords, first, does my noble friend agree that mobile homes are often low-cost and eco-friendly, and that they are often a home choice for elderly people? Secondly, what steps are the Government taking to make sure that the regulations surrounding mobile home sites and site owners are brought more into line with the standards that we require from landlords and leaseholders in other parts of the housing sector?
Baroness Hanham
My Lords, I agree entirely with my noble friend that mobile homes are largely occupied by elderly people. These homes do not have a huge initial capital value but, by the time their owners come to sell them, they are probably the only asset that they have. It is the Government’s intention to amend the Mobile Homes Act 1983 to change the appeal procedure by tenants or residents from the county court, which is expensive and slow, to the residential property tribunal, which is cheap. In fact, I do not think that it costs anything and it can be very quick and easy to use. It is absolutely essential that these owners, who are very vulnerable, have the speediest possible access to the law.
Lord McKenzie of Luton
My Lords, in view of the very serious examples raised by my noble friend Lord Graham, will the Minister also now commit to taking forward proposals which were under way but not completed by the previous Government to strengthen local authority licensing powers to encompass, in particular, a fit-and-proper-person regime for site operators?
Baroness Hanham
My Lords, I am aware that there was quite a lot of legislation for mobile homes which was ready to go at the last election. As I said, we are committed under a statutory instrument, which is now waiting to come to the House, to make some changes to the law to ensure better regulation.