BS3632: the standard that decides whether a home is warm in February
Two homes from the same factory can be built to two different standards. One of them is a house that happens to arrive on a lorry.
· 5 minute read
The short answer
BS3632 is the British Standard for residential park homes: insulation values close to a modern house, double glazing throughout, a heating system sized for the building, mains services, and a structure certified for year-round occupation. BS EN 1647 is the holiday caravan standard, which assumes seasonal use and has thinner insulation. Every home for sale across these nine parks is built to BS3632 with a ten-year structural warranty, including the ones sold as holiday lodges. The standard is about the building; it says nothing about whether you may live in it.
What does BS3632 require?
Thermal performance approaching that of a modern house, double glazing, a heating system sized for the volume of the building rather than for a mild week, and mains water, drainage and electricity.
A structure and chassis certified to carry the building for decades. Fire performance, ventilation and condensation control to residential expectations rather than holiday ones.
The standard has been revised, most significantly in 2015, so the year of manufacture matters as much as the label. A home described as "built to BS3632" without a year is a home whose year you should ask for.
How do I tell which standard a home is built to?
Ask for the standard and the year, in writing. A park that sells to BS3632 answers immediately, because it is the thing it paid for.
Two physical tells. Radiators on the walls, plumbed to a boiler, rather than blown air through floor vents. And mains gas or oil rather than bottled gas at the end of the plot.
Size tells you nothing. A large holiday caravan can be bigger than a small park home and built to the lighter standard.
Does the standard mean I can live there?
No, and this is the confusion worth being blunt about. The building standard and the planning consent are two separate things decided by two separate parties.
A BS3632 home on a park with holiday consent is a holiday lodge, however well built. A park can site residential-standard homes on a holiday park perfectly legitimately, and most good holiday parks now do, because buyers want a building that is comfortable in winter.
So ask both questions. What is the building standard, and what is the consent on the land?
How long will a BS3632 home last?
Properly maintained, as long as a conventional house of the same age. The ten-year structural warranty on a new home is the manufacturer's floor rather than a prediction of its life.
"Properly maintained" is doing real work in that sentence. The chassis, the skirting, the roof and the sealing around the joint between the two halves all need attention on a schedule, and a home that has not had it shows its age faster than a house would.
Ask any seller of a used home for the maintenance history, and ask the park what it does and what the owner does.
What does it cost to heat?
Less than the reputation of the category suggests, and that is almost entirely down to the standard. Utilities on these parks are metered to the home and billed quarterly, so the cost is yours and the insulation is the thing that controls it.
A badly insulated building is draughty at floor level and cold in the room furthest from the boiler, whatever the thermostat in the hall says. That is the practical difference between the two standards in a cold week, and no specification sheet conveys it as well as standing in one in January.
Questions people ask
Is a park home the same as a static caravan?
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Not if it is built to BS3632. Legally both are "caravans" under the Caravan Sites Acts, but the building standards are different and so is the experience of being in one in February.
Does BS3632 cover the deck and the steps?
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No. The standard covers the home. Decking, steps and skirting are separate items, and what is included in your purchase should be listed in writing before you reserve.
Do park homes have mains drainage?
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On these parks, yes, along with mains water and electricity. Holding or chemical tanks belong to touring and camping rather than to park homes.
Is a BS3632 home better insulated than my house?
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Better than an older house, usually; comparable to a modern one. Ask for the specification rather than accepting the comparison from anybody selling either.
Can I get a BS3632 home on a holiday park?
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Yes, and every holiday lodge for sale in this portfolio is one. It remains a holiday lodge because of the consent on the land, not because of how it is built.
This is general information and not legal advice. Where this page describes the law it is the law as it stands in England, and the GOV.UK park homes factsheets are the place to check it. The licence or Mobile Homes Act agreement, the park rules and the written statement govern your purchase; you receive them at least 28 days before signing, and we recommend a solicitor who knows park homes reads them.