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Subletting rules by operator: which holiday parks let you rent out your lodge?

Some operators ban subletting outright. Others allow it only through their own booking system, at 20 to 35 per cent commission. The published rules from Haven, Park Holidays, Parkdean, Shorefield, Verdant, Wyldecrest, Atlantic Coast, Leisure Resorts, Wood Leisure and Ribby Hall.

Published 2026-08-10 · updated 2026-08-10 · 11 min read · all figures sourced below

Whether you can sublet a holiday lodge or static caravan is decided by your pitch licence agreement, not by law. Across the UK operators that publish a policy, three positions exist: subletting banned outright, subletting allowed only through the park's own booking system, and subletting allowed privately provided you meet the safety conditions.

So "can I sublet?" is the wrong question to ask a sales office. Ask which of the three positions the park takes, ask for it in writing, and ask what the park keeps from each booking. The National Association of Caravan Owners puts the consequence plainly: "Ignoring park rules can lead to written warnings or, in serious cases, termination of your pitch agreement."

Which holiday parks allow subletting and which ban it?

Three operators publishing an ownership FAQ ban subletting in terms that leave no room to argue.

Wood Leisure, which runs parks in Perthshire and Angus, says: "We do not allow subletting. Your friends and family are welcome to use your holiday home." Ribby Hall Village in Lancashire says "we do not allow sub-letting", and adds that "friends and family are welcome to use your caravan or lodge with your permission, providing no income is gained." That last clause is the one to read twice. Lending the lodge to your brother is allowed. Charging him is not.

Leisure Resorts takes a third position. Its ownership FAQ says "Subletting your holiday home/lodge is strictly forbidden unless your holiday home/lodge has been purchased with a 'sublet option'", which requires "a signed agreement & permissions in place" and an annual agreement. Leisure Resorts also states what the option is for: to "contribute towards the running costs of a holiday home/lodge and not to operate as a business with high returns." If you are buying to run a letting business, that sentence is the park telling you in advance that you have picked the wrong park.

Then there are operators that allow subletting but only through themselves. Verdant Leisure, which lists Heather View, Pease Bay, Thurston Manor, Erigmore and Queensberry Bay on its subletting page, states that "all hiring out must be conducted through Verdant Parks". Atlantic Coast Holiday Park in Cornwall is blunter: "We do not allow private subletting of Holiday Homes on our parks."

The larger operators run schemes and publish the shape of them. Park Holidays, Haven, Parkdean Resorts, Hoburne, Away Resorts and Shorefield all take bookings on owners' behalf. Of those, Shorefield is the one that says clearly on its subletting page that you may do it yourself instead: "Whether you choose to sublet yourself or through us, using our subletting service." Wyldecrest Holiday Parks also allows both. It tells owners they can "place your holiday home with a booking agency" or advertise independently.

One trap sits inside every large operator: the answer is park-specific, not brand-specific. Park Holidays says its letting services are unavailable at Amble Links, Beauport, Oaklands and West Mersea. Haven's letting guide says "You can let at all parks excluding Far Grange, Garreg Wen, Riviere Sands and Seaview." Buying into the brand does not buy you the scheme.

Can you sublet privately, or must you go through the park?

Private subletting is banned by Verdant Leisure and Atlantic Coast, allowed by Shorefield and Wyldecrest, and unstated on the subletting pages of Away Resorts and Hoburne. NACO's guidance describes the same split from the owner's side: "Most parks require written approval. Some parks allow subletting freely, while others restrict it to owner use only."

The distinction matters more than the commission rate, because it decides who controls your calendar. Under a park scheme you commit dates in advance. Haven's Let2offset requires "at least 30 Letting Breaks in each Haven Year", made up of "up to 6 Super Peak Breaks, 8 Peak Breaks and 16 Off-Peak Breaks", with the super peak allocation set at "minimum of 3 mid-week and 3 weekend breaks". Park Holidays requires "a minimum of 6 weeks letting during the letting season". Atlantic Coast asks for 6 full weeks in high season or 8 short breaks, 6 full weeks in mid season or 8 short breaks, and 4 full weeks in low season or 6 short breaks, though its FAQ says this "can be subject to some negotiation, depending on individual circumstances".

Those are the weeks you bought the lodge to use. We worked through what the money actually comes to in renting out your holiday lodge, what you can really earn.

What does the park take from each booking?

Two operators publish a number. Verdant Leisure charges "a commission of 20% of the gross booking value plus VAT". Its page says that rate covers bookings, marketing, cleaning checks, safety inspections, key handling and utilities. Atlantic Coast charges 35 per cent across low, mid and high season, plus "a 5% charge on the total annual income achieved to cover the cost of cleaning and laundry".

Parkdean's Your Lets 2022 scheme terms set the owner's share of the Holiday Home Tariff at 70 per cent on the Flexible scheme, which means Parkdean retained 30 per cent that year. Parkdean's 2026 published terms pay less, 68 per cent on the standard scheme and 65 per cent on the Plus tier, figures we checked against Parkdean's live letting scheme terms on 25 July 2026 and recorded in renting out your holiday lodge. The owner's share has fallen, so treat any percentage a salesperson quotes as this year's number only.

Haven does not publish a commission rate. Its letting guide says only that "All letting earnings are minus VAT, commission and cleaning costs." Hoburne publishes no rate either. It offers "monthly settlements and quarterly pay outs to your bank account". Away Resorts publishes two options, a guaranteed "fixed yearly income for two years, no matter how many bookings are made" and a variable managed sublet, without figures for either on that page. If the rate is not published, it is in the agreement, and you should read it before you buy rather than after.

Shorefield charges differently again. Its Ambassador subletting form sets "one charge of £720 to cover all your guests" for the season, based on "letting your accommodation for 35 weeks, March to the end of October". That is a flat fee for guest park passes rather than a share of the booking.

How old can your holiday home be before a park refuses to let it?

Age limits are the condition most owners miss, and they bite hardest at resale.

Haven requires that "Your holiday home must be less than seven years old from the date of manufacture to be eligible for the Let2offset scheme", and caps participation at "up to seven years from the date of purchase of your holiday home, or until your holiday home is seven years old from the date of manufacture (whichever is sooner)", with a discretionary extension to ten years. Park Holidays requires holiday homes to be under five years old for its letting scheme. Parkdean's 2022 terms set the Your Lets Flexible limit at no older than 12 years and the Your Lets Fixed limit at no older than 9 years, with double glazing and central heating required for both.

Read that against depreciation. A caravan that has fallen out of the letting scheme still costs the same site fee, and the income you were told would cover the fee has stopped. Our figures on how fast that happens are in how much does a static caravan lose in value each year, and you can model the fee-versus-income gap in the ownership cost calculator.

What safety certificates do you need before you can sublet?

Every operator that publishes conditions asks for broadly the same paperwork, and none of it is free.

Parkdean's Your Lets 2022 terms are the most detailed published set. Owners must provide gas and electrical testing certificates from a competent person plus evidence of portable appliance testing; gas and portable appliances inspected at least once a year and holiday home electrics every three years; the connecting gas hose and pigtail within its expiry date or within five years of the date printed on the hose; a working fire extinguisher inspected annually; a smoke detector and a carbon monoxide detector within their expiry dates; and steps and decking in good and safe condition. Three sets of labelled keys go to the park at least four weeks before the first letting date, and the holiday home must hold a valid TV licence for a full calendar year.

Shorefield's Ambassador subletting form requires a landlord's gas safety record, PAT testing of all electrical equipment, smoke alarms, a CO alarm and fire extinguishers fitted and serviced annually, a full appliance service, and fixed wire testing every three years. Wyldecrest requires an annual gas safety certificate, an electrical safety certificate updated every three years, and "an annual valid Insurance policy". Hoburne asks for gas certificates where applicable, electrical and portable appliance testing, and holiday home insurance.

Insurance is where owners get caught. Parkdean's 2022 terms require cover for loss and damage plus public liability insurance "for at least £2 million", and state that if the holiday home is uninsured at any point during the letting period Parkdean will end the agreement immediately. Atlantic Coast sets its public liability floor higher, at a minimum of £5 million. NACO's warning is the one to act on: "Always inform your insurer before subletting. Failure to do so could invalidate your policy." A standard holiday home policy covers owner use. We set out what the add-on costs in holiday lodge insurance, what it covers and what it costs.

Wyldecrest also publishes guest conduct rules that owners are bound by, including no stag and hen parties, prior consent for same-sex groups over three people, and no stays over four weeks without consent. Owners are liable for damage their guests cause to the holiday home and to park facilities.

Does the law require a gas safety check on a caravan you sublet?

The Health and Safety Executive says yes for rented holiday accommodation. Its landlord guidance states that the duties cover "rented holiday accommodation such as chalets, cottages, flats, caravans and narrow boats on inland waterways", with "an annual gas safety check ... by a Gas Safe Registered engineer".

The underlying wording is narrower than the guidance sounds, which is worth knowing. Regulation 36 of the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998 imposes the landlord duty in respect of "relevant premises", defined as "premises or any part of premises occupied, whether exclusively or not, for residential purposes (such occupation being in consideration of money or money's worth) under (a) a lease; or (b) a licence". Regulation 2(5)(e) then excludes "a caravan used for touring otherwise than when hired out in the course of a business", so a caravan hired out commercially is expressly inside the regulations rather than outside them. HSE's published position treats holiday caravans let to paying guests as covered, and every operator above requires the certificate as a contract term regardless, so the practical answer does not turn on the drafting.

Fire safety works the same way. The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 defines "premises" to include "any tent or movable structure" as well as vehicles, and article 6 disapplies the Order only for "domestic premises", which article 2 defines as "premises occupied as a private dwelling". A caravan let to paying holidaymakers is not occupied as a private dwelling.

Does subletting change your council tax or business rates position?

Letting your holiday home out enough nights can move it from council tax into non-domestic rating, and the thresholds differ between England and Wales. We set out the exact day counts, the legislation behind them and why park pitches usually sit outside the question altogether in do you pay council tax on a static caravan or holiday lodge.

The tax position on the income itself changed in April 2025, when HMRC abolished the Furnished Holiday Lettings regime. Any letting projection written before then assumes reliefs that no longer exist.

What to get in writing before you sign

Ask for the subletting policy as a document, not as a conversation. NACO's guidance is that most parks require written approval, and a written refusal after you have bought is worth nothing to you.

Four questions settle it. Does this park allow private subletting, or must all bookings go through you? What percentage or fee do you take, and what does it cover? At what age does my holiday home stop qualifying for the scheme? What certificates and what level of public liability cover do you require, and who pays for them?

If the answers arrive as "we'll sort that out later", treat the scheme income in the sales brochure as zero.

Sources