Specialist Commercial Mortgage Broker

Holiday Park Mortgage Finance for Caravan Parks and Campsites

We arrange commercial mortgages for buying and refinancing caravan parks, holiday parks, and campsites across the UK. This is finance for the park as a trading business, not for an individual caravan or lodge. Lenders assess the site licence, planning conditions, income mix, and your experience as a park operator. We work with specialist lenders who understand the sector and typically fund up to 65% LTV.

From 7.00%

Interest rate

Up to 65%

Loan-to-value

5-25 years

Mortgage term

£250,000

Minimum loan

Holiday Park Finance: The Commercial Mortgage for Parks and Campsites

A holiday park mortgage is a commercial mortgage that funds the freehold or long leasehold of a caravan park, holiday park, or campsite run as a trading business. It is secured against the land, the pitches, and the site infrastructure, and it is underwritten on how the park trades, not on the value of any single unit sited on it.

Operator Finance, Not Consumer Van Lending

This is a different product from the consumer static caravan or lodge finance advertised at headline rates from around 6.5%, which funds an individual holidaymaker's van. That consumer lending sits outside our remit. We arrange the finance for the operator buying or refinancing the whole park: the ground, the amenities, the reception and shop, and the income the site generates.

Holiday parks span a wide range, from small touring and camping sites to large holiday parks with hundreds of static caravan and lodge pitches, on-site facilities, and holiday hire fleets. Each is underwritten on its own trading profile, and the terms follow the strength and stability of that income.

How a Park Value Blends Land and Trade

The value of a park is a blend that generalist lenders often misread. It combines the underlying land, the physical infrastructure of roads, pitches, and utilities, the goodwill of an established trading business, and the income the site produces year after year. A park with a settled base of static caravan owners paying annual pitch fees carries a very different risk profile from a bare touring field, even where the acreage is similar. Understanding that blend, and financing against it correctly, is the core of holiday park lending and the reason specialist experience matters so much on these deals.

The sector spans several distinct models, and each is funded a little differently. A pure touring and camping site earns from short-stay pitches and has lower infrastructure but weather-dependent income. A static caravan park earns steady annual pitch fees from owner-sited units and often a healthy margin on van sales. A lodge or glamping park sits at the premium end, with higher-value units and stronger secondary spend. Many parks combine two or more of these. Identifying which model your park follows, and how balanced its income is across them, is the first step in framing the deal for the right lender.

Caravan Park Mortgage Rates, LTV and Criteria

Caravan park mortgage rates typically run from around 7.00% to 9.00% pa, depending on the lender, the loan-to-value, and the strength of the operating business. Parks are specialist trading assets, so most lenders cap LTV at 60% to 65%, meaning a deposit of 35% to 40% is the usual expectation. You can compare commercial mortgage rates and model repayments with our commercial mortgage calculator.

ScenarioTypical rate (pa)Max LTVTerm
Static caravan park purchase7.00% to 8.00%65%5 to 25 years
Touring or camping site7.25% to 8.50%60%5 to 25 years
Lodge or glamping park7.00% to 8.25%65%5 to 25 years
Refinance or equity release7.00% to 8.50%65%5 to 25 years
Most parks carry a holiday-use occupancy condition, so pitches cannot be lived in as a main residence, and a defined open season of commonly 10.5 or 11 months. Lenders read these terms closely because they cap the income, so we confirm the site licence and planning position before valuation.

Lenders weigh several factors before setting terms:

  • Two to three years of trading accounts covering pitch fees, van sales, and hire income
  • The site licence and any planning occupancy conditions
  • Your experience operating or managing a holiday park
  • The length and mix of the season, and how weather-exposed the income is
  • Loan-to-value, with 60% to 65% the usual ceiling for park operators

Affordability is judged on the park's trading profit, so consistent accounts and a diversified income base unlock the best rate and LTV. Terms generally run from 5 to 25 years, with minimum loans from around £250,000. Commercial mortgages for holiday parks are unregulated lending and fall outside the FCA's regulated mortgage perimeter.

Repayment is usually structured on a capital-and-interest basis over the term, which steadily reduces the debt while the park trades, though the exact shape can flex around the seasonality of the income. Some operators prefer a facility that allows for the uneven cash flow of a business that earns most of its money between spring and autumn. We discuss how the repayment profile fits the trading calendar, because a structure that ignores the seasonal pattern of a park can create needless pressure over a quiet winter, whereas one built around it keeps the finance comfortable to service year-round.

Deposit and Additional Security

The minimum loan for a holiday park typically starts around £250,000, reflecting the value of even a modest site, and there is no real ceiling for a well-run park with the accounts to support it. Because parks are valued cautiously and lent against at 60% to 65%, the deposit is a substantial commitment, so many buyers use equity from an existing property or business alongside cash. Where a purchase is a stretch on deposit alone, additional security over other assets can sometimes bridge the gap, and we look at the whole picture of what you can offer before settling on a structure.

Which Lenders Fund Holiday Parks and Campsites?

Holiday parks are a niche, and high street banks are selective. Clearing banks such as Lloyds, NatWest, Barclays and Santander will consider established parks with strong accounts, a good deposit, and an experienced operator, but appetite varies by branch and by year. For most park deals the specialist commercial lenders lead, because they understand site licences, seasonal income, and the way a park's value blends land, business, and infrastructure.

Specialist lenders such as Shawbrook, InterBay Commercial and Cynergy Bank are more comfortable with the sector, alongside others including Allica, Cambridge & Counties, OakNorth and AMC, which write agricultural and rural commercial lending. As a whole-of-market broker we place your case with the lender whose appetite genuinely fits a holiday park, rather than trying to force it through a bank that treats every trading business the same.

The value of specialist knowledge shows in the underwriting. A lender who understands parks will read a 10.5-month season, a mix of owned and hired vans, and a set of planning occupancy conditions correctly, and price the deal on the real risk. A generalist lender often either declines or over-prices because the asset looks unfamiliar. Matching the deal to the right loan provider is where the outcome is won.

How Deal Size Steers the Lender

Deal size also steers which lenders will engage. A small touring or camping site changing hands for a few hundred thousand pounds draws a different set of lenders from a large holiday park worth several million with a substantial static fleet and on-site amenities. Some specialist lenders concentrate on the smaller end, others prefer larger, more established parks with corporate-style accounts. As a whole-of-market broker we know where each lender's appetite starts and stops, so we approach those genuinely positioned to fund a park of your scale rather than wasting time on a bank that will decline on size alone.

Site Licences, Planning Conditions and How Parks Are Underwritten

Two documents shape every park deal: the site licence and the planning consent. A caravan site licence, issued by the local authority, sets out how many units the site may hold and the conditions it operates under. Planning consent often carries a holiday-use occupancy condition, meaning the pitches cannot be lived in as a main residence, and a defined open season, commonly 10.5 or 11 months rather than year-round. Lenders read these conditions carefully because they cap the income and define the asset.

Reading the Income Mix

The income mix drives the underwriting. A park's revenue usually blends annual pitch fees from static caravan owners, margin on new and pre-owned van sales, holiday hire from a rental fleet, and secondary spend across shop, bar, and amenities. A park with several income streams is more resilient than one reliant on a single source, and lenders reward that diversity. Van sales in particular can be a strong profit centre, but lenders test how sustainable those sales are year on year.

Operator experience matters throughout. Lenders want to see that you, or an installed management team, can run a park: manage the season, maintain the site, handle licensing, and sustain occupancy. A first-time buyer with no park background will face tighter terms and a larger deposit, while an experienced operator adding to a group is a stronger case. We present the site licence position, the planning conditions, and the income mix clearly so the park is judged on its real strengths, and we cross-refer rural sites to our agricultural mortgage team where land use overlaps.

A high, stable occupancy of owner-sited static caravans on annual pitch agreements signals dependable recurring income, and that is one of the strongest features a park can put in front of an underwriter, stronger than a single good year of van sales.

The tenure of the units on site is another point lenders probe. On most parks the operator owns the land and infrastructure, while individual static caravans and lodges are owned by the holidaymakers who bought them and pay an annual pitch fee. Lenders want to understand how many pitches are occupied by owned units on licence agreements, how many are hire-fleet units the park owns and rents out, and what the renewal pattern of those pitch agreements looks like. A high, stable occupancy of owner-sited units signals dependable recurring income, which is one of the strongest features a park can present to an underwriter.

Applying for Holiday Park Finance

An application is built around the trading picture. Lenders want two to three years of accounts, recent management figures, a breakdown of income by pitch fees, van sales and hire, the site licence, planning documents, and a short business plan. For a first park, credible projections, a deposit of 35% to 40%, relevant experience, and a clean credit record carry the case. The clearer the income story, the stronger the terms.

  • Two to three years of accounts: covering pitch fees, van sales, and hire income.
  • Recent management figures: bridging the last filed accounts to the current season.
  • Site licence: setting out unit numbers and the operating conditions.
  • Planning documents: including occupancy conditions and the open season.
  • Pitch agreement schedule: showing owned units, hire fleet, and renewal patterns.
  • Deposit and credit evidence: typically 35% to 40% of the price plus a clean credit record.

We manage the process from assessment through packaging, valuation, and legal work to completion. Park valuations are specialist: a valuer will consider the land, the business goodwill, the infrastructure, and the income, and may report a value that leans on the more conservative trading basis. Because that value can be cautious, LTVs sit lower than for standard commercial property, which is why the deposit expectation is higher.

Where you already operate a park, we can refinance to release equity for site investment, fund an additional park, or move onto better terms. Timescales typically run from eight to sixteen weeks given the specialist valuation and legal due diligence. An agreement in principle arranged early gives you real standing when negotiating a park purchase.

Due diligence on a park runs deeper than on a standard commercial property, so preparation pays off. Lenders and their solicitors will examine the site licence, planning consents and conditions, environmental matters such as flood risk and drainage, the terms of the pitch agreements, and health and safety compliance across the site. Assembling this documentation early, ideally with the seller's cooperation, keeps the process moving. We coordinate with your solicitor and the lender to make sure the specialist enquiries a park attracts are anticipated rather than met with surprise partway through, which is what tends to push completion dates back.

Who We Help: Park Operators, Campsite Owners and Investors

We arrange holiday park finance across the sector. Static caravan park operators, touring and camping site owners, lodge and glamping park developers, and mixed holiday parks with hire fleets and on-site amenities all sit within our experience. Whether you are buying your first site or expanding an established group, the funding is structured around the park's trading strength and its licence position.

First-Time Buyers and Portfolio Operators

First-time buyers moving into park ownership are a common case, often coming from hospitality or leisure and drawn by the recurring pitch-fee income and the lifestyle. Experienced operators building a portfolio of parks benefit from a group view, where existing trading strength supports the next acquisition. Investors buying a park run by a management team are underwritten on the business and the site, close to a hotel or leisure trading case.

UK staycation demand has supported park incomes strongly in recent years, and lenders recognise a well-run park as a dependable, diversified income producer. Where a park sits alongside serviced accommodation or self-catering units, our holiday let experience helps structure the wider deal, and where the site carries working land or agricultural elements our rural lending experience feeds in too. Tell us about the park you want to buy or refinance, its licence, and its income mix, and we will tell you honestly what LTV, rate, and lender are realistic before you commit.

Development and improvement plans are worth raising with us at the outset too. Many buyers see potential in a park to add pitches, upgrade the hire fleet, improve amenities, or extend the season, and those plans can materially change both the value and the income over time. Where capital works are part of the picture, we can structure the funding to accommodate them or arrange a separate facility for the investment. The stronger and more credible your plan for the park, the more comfortably lenders can look past a modest current performance to the income the site is capable of producing.

“On a holiday park the figure I lead with is not turnover, it is the number of owner-sited caravans on annual pitch agreements. That recurring pitch-fee income is what lenders trust, and it lets a park borrow where a touring field with the same acreage would not. I also settle the site licence and any occupancy condition first, because a season capped at 10.5 months changes the affordability before the valuer even walks the site.”
ML

Matt Lenzie

Founder & Principal Broker, Commercial Mortgages Broker

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I get a mortgage to buy a holiday park?

Yes. We arrange commercial mortgages for buying caravan parks, holiday parks, and campsites as trading businesses, usually up to 60% to 65% LTV. Lenders assess the site licence, planning conditions, income mix, and your experience as an operator. This is finance for the whole park, not for an individual caravan or lodge sited on it.

What deposit do I need for a caravan park mortgage?

Most lenders cap holiday parks at 60% to 65% LTV, so expect a deposit of 35% to 40% of the purchase price. Parks are specialist trading assets valued cautiously, which keeps loan-to-value lower than standard commercial property. Strong trading accounts, a diversified income mix, and operator experience help secure the better end of the range.

What are typical holiday park finance rates?

Holiday park mortgage rates typically run from around 7.00% to 9.00% pa, depending on the lender, loan-to-value, and the strength of the trading business. This differs from the consumer static caravan finance advertised from around 6.5%, which funds an individual van. We compare specialist lenders to find the best rate for the park itself.

How do planning conditions affect a holiday park mortgage?

Planning consent often carries a holiday-use occupancy condition, meaning pitches cannot be a main residence, plus a defined open season such as 10.5 or 11 months. Lenders read these conditions carefully because they cap the income and define the asset. We set out the site licence and planning position clearly so the park is underwritten accurately.

Do I need experience to get holiday park finance?

Experience helps significantly. Lenders want to see that you, or an installed management team, can run the site, sustain occupancy, and handle licensing. A first-time buyer with no park background faces tighter terms and a larger deposit, while an experienced operator adding to a group is a stronger case. A credible business plan supports either position.

Why do specialist lenders lead on holiday park deals?

High street banks are selective on parks because the asset blends land, business, and infrastructure with seasonal income and licence conditions. Specialist lenders understand these features and price the real risk, whereas generalist lenders often decline or over-price. We match each park to a lender with genuine sector appetite to get the right outcome.

Can I refinance my existing holiday park?

Yes. Refinancing can release equity for site investment, fund an additional park, or move you onto better terms. The process involves a specialist valuation and a review of your trading performance since the original loan. We search the whole market to find the sharpest available terms for your park.

Related Pages

Holiday Let MortgageHotel MortgageAgricultural MortgageCommercial Mortgage RatesCommercial Mortgage Calculator

Key Concepts

LoanMortgageRefinancingCaravan parkStatic caravanTourismCreditInterest

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