Legislation

I - DEFINITION OF A LEISURE HOLIDAY HOME (HOLIDAY HOME)

- According to the decree no. 2007-18 of 5 January 2007, article R.111-33, inhabitable land vehicles intended for temporary or seasonal occupation for leisure purposes, and that retain their mobility so that they can be moved about by towing but that are prohibited from travelling on the road by the highway code, are considered as leisure holiday homes.

- Furthermore, according to the Order of 28 September 2007 (dealing with the placement of lightweight leisure dwellings, the installation of leisure holiday homes and caravans and with campsites, and modifying the town planning code), article A.111-2, vehicles according to NF standard "S 56 410 holiday homes: Definition and method of installation" are considered as being leisure holiday homes for application of article R. 111.33.

- Therefore, you will not be able to install a concrete terrace, a concrete block veranda or any other "permanent" installation (fence, garden shed), if this modifies the mobility of your residence. Only removable terraces and awnings that do not hinder the ability to be moved are authorised.

- Your leisure holiday home must be placed on blocks not fixed to the ground and it can be stabilised by pegs or similar means that can be quickly removed, or stabilised by jacks.

- Leisure holiday home must not be confused with Leisure Lightweight Dwellings (HLL), a generic term denoting dismountable accommodation without foundations, such as chalets or bungalows. Indeed, legislation for HLLs is different and is more restrictive than for leisure holiday homes.

- Leisure holiday homes must not be confused with mobile residences (without the term "leisure"), a generic term denoting caravans or "inhabitable land vehicles" that are used as a main residence by travelling people (who will have to pay a housing tax starting on 1 January 2008, and for which placement can be authorised on private land if the town has not set up a specific area).

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- According to decree no. 2007-18 of 5 January 2007, article R.111-34, leisure holiday homes may only be installed:
  - 1/ in leisure residence parks mentioned in 1° in article R.111-32, except for campsites created after 1 July 2007 and operated by the sale of pitches or by rental of pitches for a duration of more than one year renewable;
  - 2/ in classified campsites as defined in the tourism code;
  - 3/ dans les villages de vacances classified as lightweight homes as defined in the tourism code.

Leisure holiday homes can also be stored, in light of imminent use, on:
- 1/ land allocated as a collective area for caravans and leisure holiday homes
- 2/ parking areas that are open to the public
- 3/ certain vehicle depots, mentioned in j) of Article R. 421-19 and in e) of Article R.421-23 of the town planning code

- Leisure holiday homes installed in the establishments provided for by Decree 2007-18 of 5 January 2007 (see above) do not require a building permit.

- Leisure holiday homes do not require a building permit. Due to its status, it is not considered to be a construction. Therefore, it is not considered to be a genuine secondary residence (for example for tax purposes). For tax purposes, as owner of a holiday home, you will not pay a habitation tax even if there is an EDF or other connection made to it. However, the leisure holiday home is subject to the residence tax that applies to tourists (a few euros a day). The legal term used to denote holiday homes is "leisure holiday home", with the term leisure emphasising that they are designed for temporary or seasonal occupation for leisure purposes but cannot be used legally as a main and permanent place of residence.

- The legal term "holiday home" (without the word leisure) denotes caravans for travelling people. The law of November 2005 that introduces a "housing tax" of €25 / m² applies only to this category, not to holiday homes.

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- There are about 10,000 campsites in France, but only some of them offer pitch rentals to private individuals. These campsites differ in size, equipment and services, each has holiday home selling prices and site rental prices specific to its characteristics. Differences can be large (in the same way as a coffee on the Champs Elysées is more expensive than in the countryside, a holiday home on a campsite at the seaside with a water fun park will be more expensive than on an inland 2-star campsite). Do not hesitate to compare.

- You should also know that due to reasons of homogeneity and brand image, the campsite may impose the choice of a make of holiday home; some characteristics (pitched roof, age) and may ask you to buy it exclusively through it.

- What do the stars mean?
Like hotels, the 10,000 French campsites are classified using a star system: from 1 for the simplest to 4 for those with the most facilities. These stars provide information about the quantity of campsite facilities, but not their quality or maintenance. Therefore, you might receive better service on a 3-star than a 4-star campsite. In other words, although all campsites are approximately equivalent in terms of the number of WCs and water taps, on the other hand the size of each campsite can vary, there may or may not be security guards at night, etc., depending on the number of stars. If there are more stars, there will be more showers, more washing sinks and dish washing sinks, electrical outlets, etc. On the other hand, swimming pools and entertainment are additional services not included in the schedule. Price are not controlled: therefore a 3-star site may be more expensive than a 4-star site.

- What do the quality labels represent?
Labels displayed at the entrance to some sites provide information about the quality of the proposed services. For persons who enjoy their comfort, the "Camping qualité" sites will offer a warm welcome, will be impeccably clean, provide precise information, and a private and quiet site blending into the environment (www.campingqualité.com). The brand "qualité Tourisme" (Tourism quality), issued by public authorities uses approximately the same criteria (www.qualite-tourisme.gouv.fr). If you are concerned about the environment, the "La clef Verte" (The Green key) label assures you that you will have natural areas with a maximum of 50 families per hectare, good management of water, energy and waste, information to holiday makers about protecting nature (www.laclefverte.org).

- Leisure Residential Park (LRP): The Leisure Residential Park is a particular campsite (Article R.444-3b of the town planning code), offering intermediate accommodation between a campsite and tourism co-ownership. It is intended essentially for long term rental and not for accommodation for holiday makers. They are infrequent (there are 97 in France), some people sell individual sites - which is not possible in a campsite - and others rent it for a determined duration (hotel operator status). The space assigned to holiday homes in these parks is also greater than in a campsite, with an average area of 200 m² per pitch, but prices are usually higher.

IRM Holiday home distributors (contact data on this site, "SALES" section) are able to offer a site on different campsites in their region.

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You should also consider the following when choosing a pitch:
- Its length : can you put any size holiday home (the largest holiday homes are 11 meters long and 4 meters wide) or is there a maximum length limit.

- Its total area: according to decree of 28 September 2007 (article 111-7), the COS (Coefficient d'Occupation du Sol - Land Occupancy Coefficient), on a pitch in a campsite or a leisure residential park (LRP), the overall area occupied by your holiday home, excluding removable awnings and terraces, must not exceed 30% of the area of the pitch on which it is installed. The COS includes not only leisure holiday homes, but also annex installations such as a garden shed or a non-removable terrace or any other construction on the pitch.

- In a campsite, pitches assigned to holiday homes are not necessarily larger than caravan pitches. They simply need to respect standards in force with an average pitch area equal to 90 m² for * and **, 95 m² for ***, and 100 m² for ****, with a minimum area of 70 m² for * and **, and 80 m² for *** and ****. However, residential pitches often exceed the required average.

- On a **** campsite, if you have an average pitch of 100 m², your holiday home must not be larger than 30 m². If you want to install a 40 m² holiday home, you must ask for a minimum pitch area of 135 m².

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V - PITCH RENTAL CONTRACT

- Before acquiring a leisure holiday home, you must find a campsite or a leisure residential park (LRP) in which you can install it and you must sign a pitch rental contract with the owner of the campsite or the leisure residential park. The contract stipulates that the rental is agreed upon temporarily and for leisure purposes only. Do not forget that you are only the tenant of the site on which you are installed: your contract is usually one year tacitly renewable and carried forward, but for which there may be a renegotiation every year. The site owner provides you with the various facilities of his site (swimming pools, common facilities, entertainment, etc.), and in exchange you must pay the charges (occupancy fee, water, gas, electricity, etc.) and insure your holiday home.

- As a tenant of a pitch through an agreement with the campsite owner, as in every "jointly owned property", you must respect the clauses of the rental contract and the regulations internal to the campsite. Do not hesitate to ask for them and compare them before choosing your campsite.

- Holiday homes are generally considered as caravans by insurance companies, except for road travel. If the insurance company does not offer "caravan" contracts, it may offer a "private home" type contract. If you have any difficulties in finding a specific insurance, the French Camping and Caravanning Federation offers its members appropriate solutions (FFCC: 78, rue de Rivoli, 75004 PARIS. Tel.: 01.42.72.84.08)

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- Your holiday home must be transported as a wide load. Therefore, the operation is relatively expensive and its amount can vary considerably depending on the distance (about €4 to €5 per kilometre depending on the type of wide load, in addition to the loading and unloading fee). The installation cost (stabilisation, connections) will also be charged and will cost between €500 and €2000 depending on the site access, and sometimes more if a crane lift is necessary.

- In light of all these "budget items", you might prefer "all included, delivered and installed" purchase solutions.

- Remember that stabilization must be done precisely, otherwise your leisure holiday home doors might not open properly. Furthermore, the person who does the stabilisation and makes the connections is responsible for this work that is not included in the guarantee provided by your leisure holiday home manufacturer.

IRM Holiday home distributors (contact data on this site, "sales network" section) can offer you a pitch on different campsites in their region, a wide range of IRM leisure holiday homes, and the option of transporting and installing it for you as a "turn-key" solution. For further information, please call your distributors.

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