If you are thinking of selling your holiday park, then these are the things you can be doing to avoid delays.
If you are considering selling a holiday park, caravan park or leisure business in the next 12 months, early preparation can significantly improve the prospects of a smooth sale and help avoid costly delays later in the transaction.
As solicitors dealing with the sale of holiday parks and leisure businesses, we have found that one of the most common causes of delay is missing information or documentation that could have been identified and gathered months before the business was placed on the market.
Selling a holiday park? Start preparing early
Once a buyer has been found, the process moves quickly.
The buyer’s solicitor will usually request extensive information about the property, business, licences, planning history, employees and trading performance. If key documents are missing, completion can be delayed, and buyer confidence can be affected.
For this reason, holiday park owners should ideally begin preparing for a sale well before marketing the business.
What documents will I need to sell a holiday park?
The exact requirements will vary from site to site, but a holiday park sale pack will often include the following:
Property Documents
- Official copies of title
- Title plans
- Lease documentation (where applicable)
- Easements and rights of way
- Pitch licences and occupation agreements (where applicable)
Planning and Development Documents
- Planning permissions
- Planning drawings
- Building Regulations approvals
- Completion certificates
- Certificates of lawful use (where relevant)
Site Licence and Compliance Documentation
- Site licence and site plan
- Compliance records
- Fire risk assessments
- Health and safety documentation
- Environmental records
- Inspection reports
Financial Information
- Historic accounts
- Management accounts
- Occupancy figures
- Utility costs
- Revenue breakdowns
- Business rates information
Employment Information
- Employee contracts
- Staff handbook
- Pension information
- Details of any ongoing employment issues
Business Documentation
- Customer booking systems
- Website ownership
- Domain names
- Supplier contracts
- Service agreements
- Equipment and asset schedules
Why is early preparation important?
Preparing a comprehensive sale pack before marketing your holiday park can provide a number of advantages:
- Reduce delays during due diligence
- Increase buyer confidence
- Identify legal issues before negotiations begin
- Speed up responses to enquiries
- Reduce legal costs
- Maintain momentum towards exchange and completion
It can also help maximise value by ensuring buyers have access to the information they need to assess the business quickly and efficiently.
Common problems that delay holiday park sales
Issues that frequently arise include:
- Missing planning permissions
- Incomplete site licence documentation
- Unregistered land
- Missing employment records
- Unclear ownership of website domains
- Historic development works without supporting documentation
- Incomplete compliance records
Identifying these issues early can prevent them becoming obstacles later in the transaction.
How we can help you
Whether you operate a holiday park, caravan park, camping site or leisure business, obtaining legal advice before the business goes on the market can save significant time and expense.
Our specialist commercial property and business sale team can:
- Help prepare a holiday park sale pack
- Review title and planning documentation
- Identify potential legal issues before a buyer is found
- Deal with buyer enquiries and due diligence
- Negotiate the legal documentation
- Guide you through the transaction from preparation through to completion
Early preparation can make a substantial difference to the speed, cost and success of the sale.
