Caravan & Camping Licence Agreements UK Guide

What this document is

Camping and caravanning agreements are short written contracts that sit between a site or park owner and a visitor. They are almost always licences rather than tenancies, meaning the guest has permission to use a pitch or a caravan for a set holiday period but does not acquire the sort of legal occupation rights a residential tenant would.

That distinction matters, because residential tenancy law (including assured shorthold tenancy rules) does not apply to genuine holiday use. The three most common arrangements are a campsite licence for a tent pitch, a touring caravan pitch licence for guests bringing their own van or motorhome, and a static caravan holiday letting agreement for guests renting a fixed holiday caravan on the park.

Each sets out the dates, the fee, the rules of the site, and what happens if something goes wrong. For sites that also allow pets, a separate consent letter or clause is usually added.

How to use this document

1. Decide which agreement fits the stay. A tent pitch, a touring pitch and a static holiday let are three different products and need three different documents. Pick the one that matches what the guest is actually booking, because mixing them creates confusion if a dispute arises later.
2. Set out the dates, pitch and fee clearly. Write the arrival and departure dates, the specific pitch number or caravan, the total fee, any deposit, and when the balance is due. Ambiguity here is the single biggest cause of arguments at check-in and check-out.
3. Include the site rules as part of the agreement. Quiet hours, speed limits on site roads, BBQ restrictions, rules about vehicles, gas bottles, waste disposal and visitors should all be referenced in or attached to the agreement, so a guest cannot later claim they were never told.
4. Address cancellations, no-shows and early departures. Holiday bookings go wrong for all sorts of reasons. Set out clearly what is refundable and when, what the guest loses if they cut the stay short, and what you will do if they simply do not turn up.
5. Get it signed, or confirmed online, before arrival. For in-person arrivals, a printed copy signed by both sides works well. For online bookings, a tick-box confirmation of the terms at the point of payment is usually enough, as long as the terms are genuinely available to read before the guest commits.

Common questions