Are you paying ground rent, but aren’t sure if it covers things such as your gas certificate?

After all, your ground rent fees can cover things such as electricity and gas – but when it comes to your annual Gas Safety certificate, it can seem a bit unclear.

If you’re feeling confused, don’t worry – you’re not alone. In fact, many people have asked me about this particular issue over the years, which is why I thought I’d put together this blog post.

What is ground rent?

Ground rent is a fee you have to pay for having your caravan or mobile home on a site. It can cost thousands per year, and your ground rent should cover utilities such as gas, water and electricity. Also remember these costs all have added VAT.

Insurance costs are also a factor when buying a caravan. Because of the high costs, many people like to rent out their caravans as holiday homes to make a bit of extra money back, which means they also require a CP12 Landlord’s Gas Safety certificate.

Having a caravan or holiday home and paying ground rent amounts to a rented property. So, if you are letting this out as a holiday home (even if it’s just to friends and family), you must have a Landlord’s safety certificate every year. The certificate must be kept for a minimum of two years.

TIP: Even if you’re only letting your brother or aunt stay in your mobile home free of charge, it’s wise to get a CP12 certificate every year – just in case anything happens to go wrong.

Is your gas certificate included?

In most cases, your ground rent will NOT cover your annual Gas Safety certificate or CP12 gas certificate (if you are letting anyone else stay in the caravan), however this is something you must check with the site office or site manager, just to be sure.

Your CP12 Landlord’s Gas Safety certificate MUST be updated annually, and most sites will allow you to make your own arrangement for this. However, they usually give you a deadline date to get this taken care of.

This is due to the fact that the site agent is, in effect, the same as a letting agent. Therefore, they can’t allow you to rent out a property without a valid certificate.

What happens if I don’t arrange my gas certificate?

If you fail to arrange your annual annual Gas Safety certificate or CP12 certificate by the agreed deadline, they will usually have their preferred engineer carry out the work, before supplying you with the certificate and invoice.

Conclusion

If you’re paying ground rent for your caravan or mobile home, but aren’t sure if it also covers your Gas safety or CP12 gas certificate, you should check with the site office or site manager. In most cases, your ground rent will NOT cover your gas certificate.

You must get a new Gas Safety or CP12 certificate every year, and if you fail to arrange this within a specified deadline outlined by the site agent, they will usually have the work carried out for you by their preferred engineer, before sending you the certificate and bill.

Remember, you must keep your CP12 gas certificate for a minimum of two years.