Got a question about downsizing? Simon Sleep, senior business development manager for Willerby Bespoke is here to answer your questions - £200 voucher to be won

We are moving from Cheshire to Dorset to live near family and honestly a Park Home is probably all we can afford unless we want to move into a studio flat as prices are so expensive 'down south'. We have considered renting first to experience park home life. Do Willerby Bespoke rent out any park homes or are they all purchase only?

I confess I know virtually nothing about Park Homes, so I'll be interested in the answers to all the questions already posted. In particular, what exactly does it cost to purchase a Park Home, and how much does the maintenance contract add to this?

I probably have a bit of a rosy view of retirement villages, skewed by reading Richard Osman's novels, but I would like to know whether there are any communal facilities at the Parks, for the establishment of weekly murder clubs and so on.

I'm afraid of leasehold, annual charges can rise by a lot I have heard, is this true of all leasehold including Park Homes?

To what extent are the issues facing people on residential parks the same as those with lodges or caravans on holiday parks?

Is the residential park industry also unregulated, where rents can rise, and rules can change overnight? Can people be asked to leave because their homes are over certain age, and are there conditions to sale, which often means that owners have to sell to the site owners for a fraction of what they paid, or pay up to 20% of the sale price to the site on leaving?

Can rule changes can make people in breach of contract, so, for example, if they change so that pets are no longer allowed, owners might have to choose between their pet and their home?

Would you advise anyone buying one of your homes that what may be a lovely site with decent owners can change overnight if the site is sold on, and that this happens a lot (eg on the retirement of the original site owner)?

Are your children or grandchildren allowed to come to stay whenever you would like them to? And are there any policies/rules around dogs or pets?

I would only be able to downsize to a local authority old people's bungalow but would then be paying rent out of house proceeds (not a lot as it is an ex local authority house). What is the current maximum that I could keep from a house sale?

Are park homes typically sited near the amenities a resident would need - healthcare, shops etc - or would a car be necessary?

Are there any guarantees that essential costs won't rise above the rate of inflation? I am concerned that there could be relatively large sudden increases which would eat into disposable income.

My view of park home living has been influenced by reading of where it's gone wrong: change of park management/ownership leading to requirements to replace older homes with new, increased charges and the like. Can you offer any reassurances that choosing this way of living is secure financially?

Where are park home sites located? Are they in a town centres or further out? I don't have access to car so are they well linked up with public transport?

Like others have asked 'what exactly IS a park home?' it would've been better if this was explained thoroughly at the start of this discussion. It sounds worth exploring.....

I did know a couple who had to vacate the property for two months every year. Not really sure why. Possibly doable in your sixties but not so good once you become more doddery. Is this an issue with your properties?

Hi, can you live in the park home all year round? And can you keep pets in them? Thanks

I've thought of downsizing, but will never part with my 4 small dogs and 5 cats. Would there be restrictions on pets in a park home or lodge? I've always just assumed no pets would be allowed.

Also, what about maintenance fees - what, if any, safeguards are in place to ensure that these don't have exorbitant rises each year?

How does one start the process of downsizing? We have amassed so much stuff I just wouldn’t know how to filter it all down to a more manageable amount.

Don’t trust leasehold, they can alter it when they choose. Also Park Management can change, resulting in different standards and maintenance costs, when you are downsizing, you are going to the lowest end of the market, if things go wrong where do you go, who will buy an older park home to release enough capital to do other than rent for tge remainder of your life. It all sounds precarious.

I'm in the process of downsizing but did not consider a Park Home because A) there are none near our lovely village and B) the nearest one is in a lovely location but not on a bus route nor within walking distance of the nearest village/petrol station/shop. You would be trapped there if you could no longer afford and drive a car.

If you had what could be classed as a ' loud hobby ' let's say woodworking. Could you have a small shed and a few tools to carry it out ?

I looked at living in a park Home but to be honest the monthly maintenance fee and the fact that when it comes to selling a percentage of the sale price goes to the sire owners.. I looked at a few and found I would still be paying all my utilities, council tax. And a monthly maintenance fee of around £120 which is allowed to be increased yearly. Also two of the sites didn’t allow pets. Not for me

I will be downsizing in the next couple of years. I don’t believe there are any park homes in our area at the moment but I’m sure that will change in the future.

My questions:-
I have a dog. Do park homes accept them?
Are there restrictions on people staying (length of time/ages)?